The U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement — or USMCA — is up for a mandatory review in 2026. But already, agricultural leaders are calling on lawmakers to ensure farmers and ranchers play a central role in that process.
Nebraska Congressman Adrian Smith wants to shorten the process, “Looking at this biotech corn dispute. Now, the Biden administration took two years to decide to formulate the panel for the dispute, and then that process took two years, including some months for language interpretation. I would say there’s an app for that. We shouldn’t need that much time, and that some of my input moving forward is let’s shorten that process.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is rolling out a new three-part trade strategy to strengthen global markets for American ag products.
The new plan includes rapid-response trade missions to high-potential markets, updated export financing tools for small- and medium-sized ag businesses, and a broader push to reduce non-tariff trade barriers.
Ag groups welcomed the plan, saying it’s a step toward making U.S. agriculture more competitive on the world stage.
According to USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg, “Farmers are winning because agreements like this are in place, and there’s a lot more big wins on the horizon. We’re very excited about a number of the agreements the President is negotiating right now.”
For now, the countdown to 2026 is on — and farm leaders say they’re ready to make some noise.