by USDA news

In mid-September, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg announced a three-point plan to support American ag producers and exporters.

“President Trump is putting American agriculture first by negotiating fair, reciprocal deals that benefit U.S. producers, farmers and ranchers,” said Lindberg. “Secretary Rollins is focused on expanding market access, enforcing trade commitments 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.”

The three-point plan was announced during remarks at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. The three points consist 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 (FY) 2027. USDA will kick-start that program one year early with $285 million in FY2026 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 to 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 ag 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. USDA 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. ag 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.