U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts says Nebraska agriculture needs more export options and less reliance on China, as he proposes the MARKET Act to push the federal government to do more to improve trade opportunities.
Ricketts said agriculture is Nebraska’s top industry and noted that about a third of what the state’s farm and ranches produce is exported. Nebraska is one of the top exporting states and the Third District is an agricultural powerhouse, with greater market value for agricultural products than any other region Ricketts said that makes market access critical to the state’s economy.
“What we want to do is make sure that we are doing the best job we can to expand those markets,” Ricketts said in an interview with the Rural Radio Network.
The Moving Away from Risk to Key Export Targets Act, or MARKET Act, would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to conduct an annual assessment of market access for commodities that could be displaced during a trade dispute with China or another foreign adversary. The review would cover products including corn, soybeans, sorghum, beef, pork and chicken.
Ricketts argued that China has been an unreliable trading partner and said Nebraska producers need protection if Beijing pulls back from buying U.S. farm goods.
“We want to hold them accountable to that, but we also want to make sure we’re not dependent on that,” he said. “We want to be able to expand our markets to other places, especially in the Indo-Pacific, to be able to make sure our farmers and ranchers are not beholden to Communist China.”
He pointed to countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia as promising growth markets, saying young and increasingly affluent populations there will demand more high-quality food and protein.
Under the bill, USDA and USTR would also be expected to recommend legislative or regulatory steps to reduce barriers and improve access to those markets, while updating Congress each year on what needs to happen next.
In addition, Ricketts said the legislation aligns with funding in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill that authorized funds for market development to grow ag exports.
Ricketts said the legislation also fits with his broader effort to push back on Chinese influence in U.S. agriculture, including bills aimed at restricting foreign adversaries from buying American farmland.
“Agriculture is the heart and soul of what we do in Nebraska,” Ricketts said. “My MARKET Act will make sure that we are diversifying our export markets for Nebraskans, so that we are not dependent on Communist China.”