Luke Lindberg, U.S. under secretary of agriculture for trade and foreign agricultural affairs with the USDA, in conjunction with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, has announced a three-point plan to increase exports, advance rural prosperity, and chip away at the trade deficit to align the USDA’s Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs programming with the America First agenda.
The three-point plan includes:
- Launching the America First Trade Promotion Program. With $285 million authorized annually for trade promotion programs beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2027, USDA will kickstart that program one year early with $285 million in fiscal 2026 (October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026). This will allow for the continuation of market development activities to expand exports, address trade barriers, and showcase American agricultural products in new and growing markets.
- Supplementing current trade missions with a new model focused on trade reciprocity for U.S. manufacturers and producers — to complement the current model — laser-focused on reciprocal trade deal countries and new market access opportunities. The first mission was to the U.K. the week of September 15, where Secretary Rollins and Luke Lundberg worked alongside biofuels producers to secure wins from the U.S.-U.K. Economic Prosperity Deal.
- Revitalizing export finance opportunities. The GSM-102 credit guarantee program is authorized to offset $5.5 billion in market risk for purchasers of American commodities. USDA will seek cooperator and other stakeholder feedback to reinvigorate this program to ensure it is best aligned to facilitate American exports to new markets.
The initiatives set forth align directly with SFPA’s goals to expand global market access for Southern Pine lumber, reduce trade barriers, and enhance rural prosperity. For more than 30 years, the Southern Forest Products Association has received USDA Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) funding to support and promote American-made Southern Pine lumber in export markets.
“By working together, we can ensure that Southern Pine, grown and manufactured in local communities, continues to contribute to America’s agricultural trade and to the success of rural economies across the Southeast,” said SFPA Executive Director Eric Gee. “The plan will help provide additional export opportunities for Southern Pine lumber from America’s working forests.”
As a renewable and sustainable building material, Southern Pine lumber represents a 22 billion board foot industry and is a significant share of softwood lumber production in the United States. SFPA represents the Southern Pine industry and promotes the use of Southern Pine lumber through technical publications and market development. Sourced from responsibly managed forests across the Southeast, Southern Pine lumber provides high-quality, versatile solutions for building and construction.