USDA Undersecretary Alexis Taylor on Trade

The subject of trade consistently holds significance for agriculture. According to Alexis Taylor, USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, commodity trade serves not only to support farmers but also...

“In 2021, US agricultural exports supported more than 1.2 million jobs and generated nearly $190 billion in additional economic activity. That economic activity is not only critical to supporting the livelihoods of our farmers and ranchers but the communities that they are living in. USDA is committed to opening new markets and reducing and eliminating trade barriers for U.S. producers.”

She said at the NAFB annual meeting that it’s important to educate people outside of agriculture on the benefits of ag trade.

“Market development does not happen overnight, and sometimes it can take decades of engagement. I often think about trade as like victory by inches. But we have already seen some results from the efforts that we have undertaken. A few others I wanted to highlight is after decades of work, we've been able to expand to full market access for potato exporters into Mexico. Also, in February of this year, I met with Vietnamese government officials as we finalized access for U.S. grapefruit to the Vietnamese market.”