Advancing and expanding U.S. agricultural trade remains a priority for USDA.

Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor tells Brownfield that includes diversifying what’s being exported.

“Making sure that if we produce it that we’re able to export it and that there are markets for those products all over the world and that our producers and businesses are able to tap into those markets,” she said.

Taylor says a recent trade mission looked at ways the U.S. and Canada can expand ethanol exports and policy tied to sustainable aviation fuels.

“Having as many diverse feedstocks as possible, both in the United States but also as other countries are developing their own SAF policies, making sure feedstocks like ethanol qualify, is going to be really important,” she says.

USDA is awaiting word from the U.S. Treasury on 45Z guidance, which likely won’t occur until after the election.

She says the trade mission also included a first time partnership with the Intertribal Agriculture Council focused on Indian Country and Native Hawaiian Community businesses and products.

“We actually had the Kansas tribe of Iowa and Nebraska participate in that trade mission and several tribal-owned businesses participated,” she says.

USDA says Tribal agriculture production nationwide is valued at $6.5 billion.

She says USDA also is exploring new growth opportunities for U.S. agriculture in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Taylor spoke at the Kansas Governor’s Summit on Agricultural Growth this week, at Kansas State University.