Hoosier farmers need trade certainty 

U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) 

The success of Indiana’s agriculture industry relies on inputs and markets. But it takes the right trade policies to make the first affordable and the second dependable. That’s why the current debates in Congress are so critical to Hoosier farmers. 

The first formal review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) this July will be a key test of whether the pact reinforces confidence in the North American market or creates more uncertainty. The prices of fertilizer, fuel and equipment, and whether corn, soybeans and pork have steady buyers, all hinge on the outcome. 

USMCA is not perfect. President Donald Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are right to drive a hard bargain during negotiations with our partners in this pact, Mexico and Canada. The former’s threats against U.S. corn products and the latter’s import controls of its dairy market should be confronted directly. 

But the purpose of a trade agreement is rules, commitments and enforcement, all of which are essential to Hoosier farmers and agribusinesses. Disputes should be resolved quickly, not left hanging over planting decisions, financing and export relationships farmers have spent years building. 

Uncertainty over trade arrangements impacts inputs, as well. A recent Farm Bureau survey found that 70 percent of farmers nationwide said they could not afford all the fertilizer they needed this year. In the Midwest, 48 percent said the same. 

Trade policy does not simply open or close markets, it also shapes the cost and availability of nitrogen, phosphate, potash, seed technology and the equipment needed to produce a crop. When input costs are high, farmers have less room for policy mistakes. Both sides of the ledger must work. 

Some of this instability can be remedied by emergency aid. Based on my conversations, though, farmers would rather earn income from the marketplace than receive it from the government. Replacing stable markets with continual ad hoc assistance is ultimately detrimental to an agricultural economy. If trade instability becomes normal, the result is more debt, fewer farms, more consolidation, less local control, and fewer opportunities for the next generation. 

During the upcoming review of the USMCA, Congress must work with President Trump to fix remaining imperfections in the agreement, assert America’s interests, and establish market stability for its farmers. But beyond this, legislators can also find practical ways to create new market opportunities for American products. Some will come through smaller, overlooked programs where Congress can press for better rules and fewer barriers. 

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), for example, is a U.S. trade preference program that gives eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the U.S. market for certain products. Congress has extended AGOA through 2026, creating a narrow window to modernize the program. 

That modernization should explicitly include agriculture. One practical place to start is biotechnology, including genetically engineered crops, seeds and related agricultural products. AGOA eligibility can encourage transparent, science-based rules for biotechnology and other agricultural standards. 

That would not turn AGOA into a farm bill or a full trade agreement with Africa, but it could help reduce arbitrary walls and create better conditions for U.S. commodities, seeds and value-added farm products. 

That matters for Indiana. Clear rules can support demand for commodities, expand opportunities for seed and innovation and strengthen markets tied to the broader farm economy. 

Africa’s food demand is growing, and U.S. agriculture should not sit back while competitors such as Brazil move aggressively to meet it. 

Agriculture is a major driver of Indiana’s economy, contributing over $35 billion annually. This sector will only grow stronger when markets are both expanded and defended. That is why it is so critical that Congress and the White House get the USMCA review right and continue to establish new opportunities for our products. And farmers should continue to encourage us to do both.