International trade has never been more important than now to Iowa crop and livestock farmers, rural communities and our entire state. With technology and advancements helping farmers sustainably boost production of corn, soybeans, pork, beef and other ag products, robust international demand is essential to absorb the abundance, create much-needed jobs in our rural communities and grow our state’s economy.

Iowa ranks second only to California in agricultural exports. In 2016, Iowa farmers exported more than $10.6 billion worth of agricultural products: $3.1 billion worth of soybeans and another $557 million in soybean meal, just under $2 billion worth of pork, $1.7 billion worth of corn and $384 million of beef. In all, more than 100,000 jobs in Iowa depend on exports, much of it farm ...