03/28/07 Exports

2007 Exports It's time for some good news and I have some. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back to fill you in. With all the negative news we hear everyday about our country and the world it's nice to hear some good news especially about our country. We hear over and over again about how bad our country's trade deficit is and I'm sure it is bad considering our indulgence of foreign oil. But at least one segment of our nation's economy is contributing to the positive side of the trade ledger  that segment is agriculture. USDA Secretary Mike Johanns released facts that showed an increase in the forecast for agricultural exports for 2007. These exports should set a record at $78 billion. This will be an increase of about $9.3 billion over last year. The interesting fact is this will be the fourth consecutive year to set a new record. This would be an even larger record if we had our full beef export market back  just a little more incentive for our beef trade representatives. At least two thirds of the increase is from grain and oilseed sales. I know that wheat had less competition on the world market since Australia's wheat crop was hit hard by drought. Even without normal beef exports, livestock and poultry product exports increased $1.2 billion. Processed products helped increase horticultural exports by $1.3 billion. I'm always proud when I think even though we are small in actual numbers American agriculture still contributes substantially to our nation's economy. I'm Jeff Keane. Western Livestock Reporter 3/14/07