FAS: USDA has three-point export plan

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg have announced a three-point plan to support American agricultural producers and exporters, the USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service said in a news release.

The three-point plan was announced last week during remarks at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

The three-point plan consists of:

• America First Trade Promotion Program: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act authorized an additional $285 million per year for trade promotion programs beginning in fiscal year 2027. USDA will kickstart that program one year early with $285 million in FY26 and launch the American First Trade Promotion Program.
• T.R.U.M.P. Missions (Trade Reciprocity for U.S. Manufacturers and Producers): USDA will launch a new model of trade missions — as a supplement the current model — targeting reciprocal trade deal countries and new market access opportunities. The focus of these will be determined country-by-country to maximize high-return, low-risk agricultural export prospects and connect buyers and sellers, USDA said.
• Revitalize export finance opportunities: The GSM-102 credit guarantee program is authorized to offset $5.5 billion in market risk for purchasers of American commodities. Currently, the program has only $2 billion in liabilities on its books. The GSM-102 program provides credit guarantees to encourage financing of commercial exports of U.S. agricultural products. By reducing financial risk to lenders, credit guarantees encourage exports to buyers in countries that have sufficient financial strength to have foreign exchange available for scheduled payments.

“Advancing these programs, as supplements to our existing programs, ensures the health, prosperity, and security of rural America, our farmers, ranchers and producers,” said Lindberg. “Restoring the United States to the Golden Age of the American farmer is an exciting journey and will once again culminate in our status as the breadbasket to the world.”

–The Hagstrom Report