Secretary Rollins Builds Momentum with New Global Ag Trade Deals
Farmer optimism in the U.S. is on the rise, reaching its highest level in four years. This increase comes as Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins leads global efforts to expand markets for American agriculture.
In Rome, Rollins met with European leaders to discuss opportunities for U.S. crops like soybeans and wheat. Her visit followed recent announcements of trade agreements with Vietnam and a pause in trade tensions with China.
“We talked about getting more of our soybeans, more of our wheat, more of great products from America into Italy and of course across the EU,” said Rollins during a Bloomberg TV interview.
According to the Ag Economy Barometer by Purdue University and CME Group, the farmer sentiment index climbed to 158 in May. The survey, based on responses from 400 farmers, showed many expect agricultural exports to increase in the next five years.
Yet support for free trade has dipped. Only 28% of farmers now strongly agree that free trade benefits U.S. agriculture, down from 49% in late 2020.
Rollins has a busy agenda ahead. She is scheduled to visit Japan, Brazil, India, and Ivory Coast. Her agency is also leading a trade mission to Peru to reduce the trade gap, currently over $3 billion.
She praised the recent deal with the United Kingdom, which allows more U.S. beef exports and removes tariffs on 1.4 billion liters of ethanol.
These trade missions aim to put American farmers first and help them reach new markets worldwide.