USDA Under Secretary Lindberg Advances Trump Administration’s America First Agenda During Commodity Cooperator Roundtables
By Godson Umejiego, Bureau Chief, The Americas
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs (TFAA) Luke J. Lindberg hosted roundtable events on Aug. 26 and 28 with representatives from 35 US agricultural industry groups. These organizations — ranging from bulk commodities to processed products — partner with TFAA and the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) to expand US agribusiness into new markets.
“By putting American farmers, ranchers, and producers first, President Trump has generated significant demand for our products and brought our high quality, safe, and nutritious food to the world,” said Under Secretary Lindberg. “Working alongside the President, our team at USDA is bringing prosperity back to rural America through fair and reciprocal trade and by holding foreign governments accountable to the deals they make with US farmers.”
Attendees discussed export products, market access challenges, and best practices for leveraging USDA’s market development programs. They emphasized their support for science-based approaches and praised FAS’s marketing and funding tools.
Cooperators also highlighted the impact of USDA trade missions – including recent trips to Hong Kong, Thailand, Peru, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic – which generated US$64 million in projected 12-month sales.
Since 2023, USDA’s market development programs, including the Market Access Programme, Foreign Market Development Programme, Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Programme, and Emerging Markets Programme have invested approximately US$750 million in cooperator partnerships. These programmes have returned US$24.50 for every dollar invested, with the Market Access Programme participants contributing more than US$2.50 for every dollar of federal funding.
These sessions laid the foundation for Under Secretary Lindberg’s vision to connect buyers and sellers, negotiate fair and balanced trade deals and hold partners accountable to their trade commitments.
