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Nebraska Department of Agriculture expanding trade
The Nebraska director of agriculture says the department looks to build on trade progress that took place in 2020.
Steve Wellman tells Brownfield efforts extend past the Phase one Trade Deal and the United States Mexico Canada Agreement.
“For beef, in particular last year, we saw increases to China, Vietnam and Israel,” he said. “And on pork, we saw increases to China, Canada, New Zealand and Vietnam.”
Wellman said while the department is focused on Nebraska’s top trading partners, there is increased opportunity in the U.K. post Brexit.
“We have customers there that are featuring Nebraska beef in their restaurants and their food service,” he said. “So, we’d like to build on that.”
Wellman said more than 60 percent of U.S. beef exports to the European Union come from Nebraska. And he says Vietnam signed a letter of intent for $3 million worth of trade in February. Currently, Nebraska’s top trading partners are Japan, Mexico, China and South Korea.
