US Has 'Work to Do' to Increase Ag Export Competitiveness, USDA Nominee Says

Thomas Vilsack, President Joe Biden’s nominee for agriculture secretary, said the agency will prioritize foreign market access for U.S. exporters and secure more trade agreements centered around agriculture. But Vilsack also said increasing competitiveness for U.S. exporters will be challenging, particularly because of the lasting impacts of the Trump administration's unpredictable trade policy.

“I think it's fair to say that we have work to do,” Vilsack told the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Feb. 2 during his confirmation hearing. “Clearly a stable, secure trade policy that doesn't create havoc in the market, that doesn't put us at a competitive disadvantage would be helpful in terms of our ability to sell product overseas.”

Vilsack, who served as U.S. Department of Agriculture secretary during the Obama administration, said the U.S. needs to create more “partnerships” in foreign markets to secure customers for U.S. exporters, pointing specifically to Southeast Asia and Africa. He also said USDA will work with the U.S. trade representative to sign more free trade agreements, adding that trade deals between U.S. allies are placing U.S. exporters at a disadvantage. “Many of our competitors are engaged in free trade agreements that provide a competitive edge in many markets,” said Vilsack, who became CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council after leaving USDA in 2017. “We need to reduce that competitive edge.”

He said USDA will increase efforts to promote U.S. agricultural products and that he hopes to create better relationships between U.S. food suppliers and foreign buyers. “We need to have a presence in those export markets to make sure that U.S. agriculture is front and center in the minds of folks who are purchasing,” Vilsack said.