(BLOOMINGTON) Ahead of talks on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), 13 Illinois Farm Bureau members and staff traveled to Mexico earlier this month, visiting food markets and sitting down with agencies and industry professionals to see firsthand how deeply U.S. agriculture is woven into Mexico’s food system. With efforts ramping up to assess the trade agreement ahead of its first six-year review by July 1st, the information gathered is important to the process. Since U.S. agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico have risen by $20 billion since the agreement took effect July 1st, 2020, reaching $60 billion in 2024, involving 40 farm and agricultural groups, Mexico alone accounts for over 17% of the U.S. agricultural exports.
