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Ag trade deficit hits record high

The ag trade deficit recently hit a record high and an ag economist says he’s concerned about the future of U.S. ag exports.

David Widmar with Agricultural Economic Insights says ag export growth has slowed.

“It’s not necessarily that export activity has stopped, it’s just that we’re not seeing exports grow,” he says “We’re buying higher priced food and we’re buying more quantities of that.”

He tells Brownfield farmers need trade certainty.

“We rely on a lot of export partners, especially when crops are big,” he says. “We really need to get to a situation where we can start to see these purchases continue and at the end of the day, we’re watching ending stocks. The worst case scenario is a big crop and not a lot of export activity.”

Widmar says he continues to watch for any changes in tariff policy that could impact the markets and trade.

Brownfield interviewed Widmar during Keystone Cooperative’s 2025 Co-Op Classic.

AUDIO: David Widmar, Agricultural Economic Insights