Last week, Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins and Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, Luke Lindberg, announced an aggressive three-point plan that is intended to support American agricultural producers and exporters, a USDA release said Tuesday.
“President (Donald) Trump is putting American agriculture first by negotiating fair, reciprocal deals that benefit US producers, farmers, and ranchers,” said Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg in the USDA release.
“Secretary Rollins is focused on expanding market access, enforcing trade commitments, and boosting rural prosperity,” the release continued, quoting Lindberg. “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.”
THE PLAN
The three-point plan was announced during remarks at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.
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, the release said. The USDA will kickstart this program one year early with $285 million in Fiscal Year 2026 and launch the American First Trade Promotion Program.
T.R.U.M.P. Missions (Trade Reciprocity for US Manufacturers and Producers)
The USDA plans to launch a new model of trade missions — as a supplement to the current model — targeting reciprocal trade deal countries and new market access opportunities, the USDA release said. 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 was authorized to offset $5.5 billion in market risk for purchasers of American commodities, the USDA said. Currently, the program has only $2 billion in liabilities on its books.
The USDA plans to reinvigorate this program to ensure it is best aligned to facilitate American exports to new markets, the release said. The GSM-102 program provides credit guarantees to encourage financing of commercial exports of US 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, the USDA said.
“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.”
CATTLE, BEEF RECAP
The USDA reported formula and contract base prices for live FOB steers and heifers this week ranged from $238.29 per cwt to $241.91, compared with last week’s range of $238.00 to $245.28 per cwt. FOB dressed steers and heifers went for $376.59 per cwt to $378.35, compared with $375.80 to $385.32.
The USDA choice cutout Tuesday was down $.59 per cwt at $380.80 while select was down $2.19 at $359.90. The choice/select spread w3idened to $20.90 from $19.30 with 101 loads of fabricated product and 19 loads of trimmings and grinds sold into the spot market.
The USDA-listed the weighted average wholesale price for fresh 90% lean beef as $432.94 per cwt, and 50% beef was $151.23.
The USDA said basis bids for corn from feeders in the Southern Plains were unchanged at $1.10 to $1.25 a bushel over the Dec corn contract, which settled at $4.26 1/4, up $0.04 1/2.
The CME Feeder Cattle Index for the seven days ended Monday was $361.10 per cwt, up $2.32. This compares with Tuesday’s Sep contract settlement of $364.85, up $2.12, and Oct’s $362.12, up $0.77.