May/June 2025 Our Ohio
Future trends and issues for food and agriculture are examined in this issue of Our Ohio magazine.
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Uncertainty, from weather to yield to cost, is a constant in agriculture, and trade uncertainty is a white-hot topic in 2025.
Trade policy decisions being made in Washington will impact farmers and ranchers in the countryside.
American Farm Bureau Federation Economist Betty Resnick was a recent guest on the Ohio Farm Bureau Podcast. She covers row crop markets, farm policy programs and trade. Resnick is a producer of AFBF’s Market Intel reports, which follows trends and issues in the industry, including agricultural trade and the potential impacts of trade policy changes.
Q: Why are exports so vital for the financial success of U.S. farmers?
A: Over 20% of all the production in the United States from agriculture gets exported to a different country. Not only are 95% of the world’s mouths outside of our borders, but they also have different uses for products than Americans. So it’s more than just that 20% number when I think of how important trade is. One of my favorite examples is poultry. For poultry and a lot of livestock products, we’re exporting products that Americans just don’t have a taste for. For chicken, Americans love to eat white breast meat and chicken wings, but we don’t so much love dark meat or the chicken paws (feet). So in some ways, our exports of those products are subsidizing our breast and wing habits because people in other countries are willing to pay for those products.
Q: When we talk about exports, who are our biggest partners across the globe?
A: About 75% of our $176 billion in ag exports in 2024 went to only 10 countries, and about half of those total exports go to three countries:
- Mexico
- Canada
- China
Rounding out (the top 10) are the European Union, Japan, Korea, Colombia, Taiwan, the Philippines and then Vietnam.
Q: What agricultural products are we exporting to these countries?
A: Corn and soybeans are our top two exports, representing 22% of all of U.S. exports. Of course, corn and soybeans are in a lot of other products we export as well. Our top five products overall are soybeans, corn, beef products, tree nuts and pork products.
Q: What would tariffs mean for the future of global trade?
A: If all of these proposed tariffs actually enter into force…frankly, it’s going to kind of change the trajectory of our trade policy and our economy structure that’s been built since the end of World War II. All the uncertainty is definitely giving a lot of heartburn to businesses and supply chains just because they can’t plan with all this uncertainty. Overall, I don’t like uncertainty, and I think a lot of our businesses and farmers don’t like uncertainty. There are some potential wins to be had as well, though overall agriculture has been one of the industries that’s benefited the most from free trade. I also think that we have potentially the most to lose from moving away from free trade.
Q: Why can’t we just keep everything that we grow here in the U.S.? Why can’t we find more uses domestically to offset possible losses in trade opportunities in other countries around the world?
A: It’s already cheaper to sell products domestically as opposed to exporting them. You’re not dealing with all the paperwork. You’re not dealing with customs. You’re not dealing with the transport costs. So, if businesses thought it was a better deal to sell it domestically, they already would be. Fundamentally, we’ve kind of structured our agricultural system to be what we’re best at, which are a lot of those mechanized products and livestock products. We grow an abundance of those products for the global market. Then also, due mainly also to labor availability issues, we’ve kind of pivoted away from produce, which we import quite a bit of. It’s going to have to change the whole agricultural economy in a way if we are trying to make it only for the domestic market.
Q: What is Market Intel? I know you put something out almost on a weekly basis, if not more.
A: Our economist team at American Farm Bureau puts together the MarketIntel series. We have five economists on staff who write these reports and they’re really targeted to anyone. We’re trying to not use too much jargon. We’re trying to explain policy issues here in Washington, D.C. in simple terms.
Recent topics covered in Market Intel:
- Egg Prices Continue Setting Records
- 2025 Tax Cliff: Section 199A Qualified Business Income Deduction
- Beefing Up Dairy: The Rise of Crossbreeding
- 2024 Farm Bankruptcies Highlight Worsening Farm Credit
- Foreign Footprints: Trends in U.S. Agricultural Land Ownership
- Agricultural Land: To Own or To Rent?
My first recommendation in your journey is to start out with a local farming friend or mentor along with joining an organization like Ohio Farm Bureau.
We’re just so thankful for the Farm Bureau and the foundation for helping put this together. And of course, the Boyert family for the vision they had with this grant. It’s jumping us forward 10 years. It’s unbelievable.
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
It wasn’t until I joined the Wilmington College Collegiate Farm Bureau that I truly saw how my passion could translate into leadership, advocacy and a career.
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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