After suffering through a very tough year in 2019, American farmers can expect a better year in 2020, in part because of an expected surge in agricultural exports, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said last week.

“I see better days ahead because trade deals will help export demand and there is strong demand from consumers in the United States,” Perdue said at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual convention in Austin, Texas. “As a farmer, I’m always an...