Record U.S. Ag Trade Deficit: Why the Numbers Aren’t as Alarming as They Seem

BY: Skye Root
POSTED: September 18, 2025
IN: General
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The U.S. Ag trade deficit hit a record high in the first half of this year.

Bloomberg said the value of agricultural exports trailed that of imports by $4.1 billion in June, a gap 14% wider than a year earlier.  USDA data indicates that pushed the ag sector’s deficit to $28.6 billion for the first six months of this year.

AgWeb says the trade deficit is one of the main reasons President Trump gave for imposing tariffs and working on new trade deals.  Former USDA chief economist Joe Glauber told AgWeb that the trade imbalance shouldn’t be this alarming because of what’s under the surface.  He said it’s important to keep in mind that America imports a lot of commodities it can’t produce domestically.

The USDA numbers show that Mexico and Canada will remain the top two U.S. ag export markets, followed by the EU, Japan, and China.

By Glenn Vaagen

Read the full article here.

 

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