By Chuck Abbott
Successful Farming
Exporters sold $15.2 billion worth of American farm products to China in the first six months of 2021, raising the possibility of record sales this year, wrote economist David Widmar on Monday on the Agricultural Economic Insights blog. Sales are on pace to hit $33.7 billion, with some of the most active months for sales — during and after the fall harvest — still to come.
“Right now, analysts are saying it’s like the trade war never happened,” said Widmar. “Trade has been an area of stability amid rising tensions between the United States and China on myriad other issues. But China’s purchasing targets expire at the end of the year, and the Biden administration hasn’t indicated what its next steps on China trade will be.”