The USDA on Tuesday officially acknowledged it’s pushing a “three-point plan” to support farmers, ranchers and exporters as economic headwinds continue to threaten the U.S. farm industry.
During the annual meeting of the National Assn. of State Departments of Agriculture, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke J. Lindberg said the administration is still focused on expanding market access, enforcing trade commitment and “boosting rural prosperity..
“Market promotion support, rapid response to reciprocal trade agreements, and better financing programs will translate to progress in chipping away at the $50 billion agricultural deficit,” said Lindberg, whose nomination was just approved in August.
The plan announced recently includes the following:
- America First Trade Promotion Program. The USDA says President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act authorized an additional $285 million per year for trade promotion programs beginning in fiscal year 2027. But the USDA says it will kickstart that program a 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). The USDA says it 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.
- 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 USDA says it will reinvigorate this program to, “ensure it is best aligned to facilitate American exports to new markets.”
The GSM-102 program provides credit guarantees to encourage financing of commercial exports of U.S. agricultural products. By reducing financial risk to lenders, the USDA says, 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,” Lindberg says. “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.”
Tuesday’s news comes at a very bleak year for agriculture due to high input costs, weak prices, a lack of trade clarity and natural disaster setbacks in many states.
USDA trade missions to Hong Kong, Thailand, Peru, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic have generated $64 million in projected 12-month sales, the agency said.
But American producers are still facing major trade uncertainty. This month they begin harvesting a soybean crop the USDA estimates at 4.3 billion bushels, with no indication of when shipments to China will resume, Farmdoc Daily reports.
In a typical year, China buys more than half of all U.S. soybean exports. Meanwhile, Brazil set a record for shipments to China from January through August 2025, the University of Illinois ag newsletter says.
The USDA’s recent WASDE report estimates boosted projected harvested corn acres but reduced yields slightly, and it indicated a strong export market for corn.
