Ag Leaders Applaud Trade Deals With Indonesia, Japan, and Australia

Agriculture industry leaders expressed optimism following the announcement of multiple trade pacts and updated trade frameworks this week. Since President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on the majority of U.S. trading partners, trade negotiations have been underway with multiple countries. The announcements this week included Indonesia, Japan, and Australia.

These were the details specific to ag products:

1. Indonesia will “address and prevent barriers to U.S. agricultural products in the Indonesian market,” according to a White House fact sheet. That includes buying around $4.5 billion of soybeans, soybean meal, wheat, and cotton. Indonesia is already the U.S.’s fifth largest soybean trading partner by volume, according to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.
2. Japan will buy $8 billion of U.S. goods, including corn, soybeans, fertilizer, bioethanol, and sustainable aviation fuel, and increase import quotas for U.S. rice by 75%.
3. Australia will ease restrictions on U.S. beef imports, accepting shipments of fresh and frozen U.S. beef for the first time in 20 years. 

“I’m doing a little celebration,” said Cassandra Kuball, vice president at Torrey Advisory Group, on the Indonesia agreement. “It’s great to see something come to fruition and give us a sense of what is able to, hopefully, be accomplished.”

Indonesia

American Soybean Association

The American Soybean Association (ASA) represents U.S. soybean farmers on domestic and international policy issues. ASA has 26 affiliate state associations representing 30 soybean-producing states and nearly 500,000 soybean farmers.

“We appreciate President Trump and his administration’s efforts in maintaining market access for U.S. soybeans into Indonesia, and the commitment from [United States Trade Representative] USTR to address non-tariff barriers in that market,” Caleb Ragland, American Soybean Association president and a Kentucky soybean farmer, said in a statement. “We look forward to future deals like this that reduce tariffs and ensure continued and increased market access for U.S. agriculture.”

National Milk Producers Federation

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) “develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies.”

“This looks like it will be a significant win for U.S. dairy. We commend the Trump administration for securing an agreement that should deliver real benefits for our dairy farmers,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF. “We are pleased to hear this framework removes roadblocks to trade and will help grow dairy sales in one of the world’s most populous markets. NMPF looks forward to reviewing the details of the agreement and working with the administration to ensure Indonesia upholds its end of the bargain.”

Japan

National Corn Growers Association

Founded in 1957, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) represents more than 36,000 dues-paying corn growers in 48 states, and the interests of more than 300,000 farmers who contribute through corn checkoff programs in their state.

In response to the announcement, Illinois farmer and NCGA President Kenneth Hartman Jr. made the following statement:

“We appreciate the work that the administration has dedicated to brokering a deal with Japan, worth $2.7 billion, and we welcome today’s announcement. Japan is the second-largest market for U.S. corn exports, and we support any effort to expand the purchase of corn and corn products, like ethanol. U.S. corn growers produce an abundant crop year in and year out, and NCGA has long advocated for increased access to foreign markets, which will support American farmers and rural economies.”  

USA Rice Federation

USA Rice Federation (USA Rice) is the global advocate for all segments of the U.S. rice industry, with a mission to ensure the health and vitality of a unified U.S. rice industry by advocating on behalf of farmers, millers, merchants, and allied businesses.

“With this trade deal, President Trump has further solidified the importance of Japan as a market for high-quality U.S. rice,” said USA Rice President and CEO Peter Bachmann. “Japan is consistently among our top export markets in terms of both value and volume, but this will be the first opportunity since the 1990s to further that market access. We thank the president for continuing to prioritize additional rice market access throughout the negotiating process and we look forward to working with our Japanese counterparts on the implementation of the agreement.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has represented Louisiana’s fourth district since 2016. 

“I was with President Trump in the Oval tonight as he negotiated this historic deal!” Johnson posted to X. “This deal with Japan will bring a $550 billion investment in America, hundreds of thousands of jobs, and a huge increase in trade between our two countries.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, has represented New York since 1998.

“Like most of his ‘deals,’ it was big on promises, short on detail, and provided zero relief for American families and small businesses,” Schumer said on X. “The Trump tariff taxes keep going up, not down. That means one thing: higher costs for American families.”

Australia

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins issued a statement congratulating President Trump on the Australia announcement.

“American farmers and ranchers produce the safest, healthiest beef in the world,” she said. “It’s absurd that non-scientific trade barriers prevented our beef from being sold to consumers in Australia for the last 20 years. Gone are the days of putting American farmers on the sidelines. This is yet another example of the kind of market access the president negotiates to bring America into a new golden age of prosperity, with American agriculture leading the way.”

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has represented America’s cattle producers since 1898 and is the largest association of cattle producers in the United States.

“For 20 years, U.S. beef was denied access to Australia while Australia exported $29 billion of beef to U.S. consumers. The lack of two-way, science-based trade has been a sticking point for many years, and we are pleased that President Trump has successfully opened the Australian market to American beef,” NCBA President and Nebraska cattleman Buck Wehrbein said. “NCBA has spent decades working to correct this trade imbalance and we are proud to have a president who is willing to fight for American farmers and ranchers, expand export markets, and fix unfair trade agreements across the world.”

“The United States is the gold standard for safe and delicious beef, and we have some of the highest animal health and food safety standards in the world,” NCBA Executive Director of Government Affairs Kent Bacus added. “Opening the Australian market to American beef will benefit our producers at home, while also offering Australian consumers the opportunity to enjoy our high-quality beef.”

Editor’s note: Some of the previous statements have been edited and/or condensed by Successful Farming for style and clarity.