Ed Maixner

President Donald Trump, to say the least, has American farmers and ranchers variously worried and bewildered about his intentions and the direction of U.S. trade policy.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue likes to tell people that he’s a “grow it and sell it kind of guy” who is always on the lookout for opportunities to do so. Increasingly, that means understanding world population and demand growth – outside of U.S. borders.

Ensuring that U.S. farm productivity keeps growing at its robust clip will take a whale of a lot of doing, say experts in crop and livestock production and research.