Farm Policy News roundup explores 2020 ag projections

Past and forecast meat imports to China (USDA chart)

American farmers are hoping for improved fortunes in 2020, thanks to the Phase I trade deal between the U.S. and China. But African swine fever, the coronavirus, and trade agreement loopholes that could favor Brazilian soybeans have muddied the waters.

Keith Good of the University of Illinois' Farm Policy News has an excellent—and extensive—roundup of how those issues could affect agriculture in 2020, including plenty of charts and links to reputable sources.

Current projections say meat imports to China will increase in 2020, and will eclipse soybeans as America's largest export to China. Though China is buying more U.S. soybeans, other marketers have scaled back on American soybean purchases. Forcing sales to China will likely cost the U.S. open sales to the rest of the world, according to a recent report from Agricultural Policy Review, a publication of Iowa State University's Center for Agricultural and Rural Development.