The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) is back from its trade mission to South Korea, led by USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Ag Affairs Alexis Taylor. She shared how American agriculture was on display overseas.
“Our exporters and businesses that we had with us conducted 616 meetings with potential importers and buyers looking to expand the variety of U.S. food and agricultural products that they’re offering to Korean consumers and those participating companies reported 67 million in projected 12-month sales from those meetings.”
Alexis Taylor, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Ag Affairs
On a recent media call, Taylor elaborated on the strength and growing diversity of South Korea’s ag export market.
“Exports of U.S. food and agricultural products to [South] Korea were just over $8 billion last year in 2023, really built upon the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, but also a really strong and strategic bilateral relationship that we have. That’s $8 billion of U.S. food and ag exports. [It] made Korea our fifth largest single-country export market.”
Alexis Taylor, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Ag Affairs
The top five U.S. ag exports to South Korea were beef, pork, seafood, wheat, and dried distillers grain.
Related Stories
Strong plant output and rising exports contrast with softer domestic blending demand, suggesting margins are poised for volatility.
Weaker U.S. dairy prices come as value-added exports expand and ingredient inventories tighten, creating mixed market signals for producers.
WTO gauges point to agricultural raw materials trade growing more slowly than overall goods, reinforcing the need to manage export risk and monitor policy shifts closely.
Improved export prospects and higher crop prices strengthened future expectations despite continued caution about spending.
While the agriculture industry hoped details on proposed “bridge” payments for farmers would be released this week, Ag Secretary Brook Rollins said the USDA is still working with the White House on the finer points.
China’s renewed purchases signal improving sorghum demand at a time when export markets are otherwise uneven. Meanwhile, agriculture groups across the U.S, Canada, and Mexico want to protect close trade relations.
