The U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) is a membership-based organization representing the U.S. soy supply chain, including farmers, processors, exporters, and allied agribusinesses. It works to develop and sustain global demand for U.S. soybeans and soy products by supporting market access, technical engagement, and sustainability across international markets.
You grew up on a farm in Colorado and have spent decades in U.S. agriculture. How did those early experiences shape your view of risk, and are today’s challenges heading into 2026 a repeat of past cycles or something different?
My father and many other relatives were in agriculture, so it was all around me and in my blood. Growing up on a farm, you see the risks farmers face—weather, natural disasters, market ups and downs—and then, working in the business, you see the risks companies take as they invest capital and try to earn a return in a volatile, global market. That experience feeds directly into what we do today at the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), representing U.S. farmers and ag businesses around the world and helping them reach markets that would be difficult to penetrate individually by supporting the companies that connect U.S. farmers with buyers across the globe.
People often point to the challenging financial times of the 1980s, and we do see similarities today, with prices at or below the cost of production, which have risen significantly. What is different is the uncertainty around global politics and how it affects trade, which is a much bigger factor now. In the 1980s, opening business with the Soviet Union created significant new demand and encouraged U.S. farmers to increase production; while that no longer exists, the instinct is still there, especially among soy farmers. With 55 to 60 percent of U.S. soy production exported, farmers are constantly asking which markets they should be in and how they can diversify, and those questions sit at the heart of USSEC’s strategic goals.
China has historically been the largest buyer of U.S. soy. What do current political tensions and the risk of retaliation mean for how U.S. soy is positioned in global markets today?
Underlying all of this is strong global demand growth—people want to improve their diets, which generally requires more protein, more cooking oil, and those kinds of things. Against that, political issues create tension and uncertainty for producers trying to grow larger crops and be better producers. Then they see a market—China—that they worked hard to develop evaporate. U.S. soy farmers began investing there in 1982, using their own money and working with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service in China to help develop the market before China was even an importer of U.S. Soy. China did not import its first soy until 1995 and has since grown to be the world’s largest importer, accounting for roughly 60% of global trade in a given year. U.S. production grew to help supply that demand, particularly in states tributary to China.
For the U.S. to suddenly lose normal trading patterns for a period of time was a huge shock to the agricultural system and to farmers. It got President Trump’s attention—farmers were vocal that losing the ability to sell to China because of tariff issues impacted them negatively. Fast forward to today, agreements have been made, and U.S. soy trade with China has resumed, which is good, but it reinforced the need to look at other markets and diversify.
We supply soy to approximately 90 markets each year, and one positive I’m hopeful about is the “Liberation Day” tariffs announced by the Trump Administration on April 2, tied to balance-of-trade goals, which could create opportunities for U.S. soy as new agreements are finalized.
Global demand for soy is spread unevenly across regions. Where are the newer opportunities emerging, and which markets remain long-term but largely stable?
We see potential in Bangladesh coming out of the Liberation Day tariffs. As a major exporter of textiles to the U.S., it needs to bring its balance of trade more into balance to keep shipping textiles at a low duty rate. Bangladesh is a growing importer of U.S. agricultural products, led by U.S. soybeans for its soybean crushing industry, producing soybean meal for livestock and oil for human consumption. Bangladesh is roughly the size of Iowa, with around 180 million people and a rapidly growing population, so it needs to import foodstuffs and raw materials, and it has strong industries to turn soybeans into products. Another market on the cusp of being new again is Syria. Syria used to be an importer of U.S. soy, and there are people there who want to eat, but they haven’t had enough protein over the last 10 or 15 years. We’re excited about reconnecting with the industry in Syria and helping them restart as an importer, supplying their crushing and livestock industries. In Southeast Asia, [Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia have seen activity, and the Philippines is a great market for U.S. soybean meal.
In North Asia, China is on one end, while Japan and Korea are mature, long-term markets on the other. We’ll celebrate 70 years of work in Japan later this year—the first place the U.S. soy industry began international marketing—and while it’s consistent, I don’t look for it to really grow. Europe is also important: the UK and France are key importers, and the share they take from the U.S. varies year by year. [We were optimistic about EUDR and thought the UK might follow, but] the postponement was disappointing because we believe U.S. Soy has a competitive advantage under those requirements. In the Americas—Canada and countries south of the U.S.—we have strong market shares and close relationships. Venezuela is another case: imports have been growing again over the last five years after falling sharply. We’ll see what happens next.
The U.S. competes directly with major soy producers like Brazil and Argentina. What, in practical terms, truly distinguishes U.S. soy from its competitors?
The growing conditions create key differences. The U.S. grows soy in a temperate climate with winter, spring, a growing season, and autumn, where plants naturally mature. In autumn, U.S. soybeans have completed their growing season, they dry down naturally, and turn brown. Farmers harvest them and put them in storage or get them to market. Mother Nature takes care of it naturally.
In Brazil, it’s more tropical, almost rainforest in some parts, without those natural changes. The plant doesn’t get a natural signal to stop growing, so chemicals are used to terminate it so it can be harvested, and another crop is then planted on the same land. Soybeans there are often harvested wetter—around 20% moisture—compared with 13%, 12%, or less in the U.S., and then run through high-heat dryers to cook the moisture out. That causes heat damage, with negative consequences for nutrient content and oil quality. U.S. soybeans have extremely low heat damage—less than 1%—based on tests by the USDA Federal Grain Inspection Service or other independent surveyors, while Brazil often has 5% or 6%, which impacts nutritional quality.
In the U.S., we don’t have deforestation or land conversion—the farmland here is the farmland we’ve farmed for generations. That’s different in Brazil. [There are political discussions about the U.S. deforested 200 years ago—sure.] But today, the U.S. is not converting land; Brazil is doing a lot of that and appears set to do more as the soy moratorium is taken apart. I don’t think consumers in Europe or anywhere want soybeans coming from deforested land. When you combine natural dry-down and low damage, it also affects digestibility. Animals consuming soybean meal produced from U.S. soy—crushed here or elsewhere—have higher digestibility, which means animals do better and grow faster. We bundle this as the four Ds: dried naturally, low damage, not deforested, and super digestible.
If you look five years ahead at the global food system, there’s a lot that could change, from diets to sustainability expectations. What single outcome would make you feel most proud of the role U.S. soy has played?
I’ll feel very good five years from now if we can look back and say global demand and consumption continued to grow, people have better diets, there’s less protein deficiency globally, and U.S. soy is doing a good job filling that need, with its value and sustainability recognized. Our initiative - the Right to Protein - tries to educate in countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, and other places where people have serious protein deficiency problems. As that happens, it creates opportunities for U.S. soy farmers. It starts with U.S. soy farmers doing things right, and then our industry connecting farmers with buyers around the world.
You might think in places like Bangladesh or Latin America, people don’t care about sustainability or where food comes from, but we’re seeing—especially with younger generations—that they care deeply about how food is produced and what it means for the planet. In many places, that concern is growing, and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds in the years ahead.
