Russian agriculture's quiet rise

The challenges of rural America and Russian political interference seem on opposite spectrums of connectedness, until one stops to examine how Russia is poised to benefit from the current turbulence in global trade policy. Is the Trump administration truly crafting new trade frameworks, or is the Russian agriculture sector building its future on the bankruptcies of America's breadbasket? The current deck is undeniably stacked against U.S. soybean producers: global supply glut, a strong dollar, newly effective tariffs in the only important export market, and the uncertainty of previously enjoyed sales contracts due to hanging trade negotiations. While Brazil remains the lead competitor this year in the global soybean market, are we paying close enough attention to how Russia is capitalizing on this instability? Specifically, consider Russia's recent focus on highlighting partnership opportunities with neighboring China.Russia offered 2.5 million acres of land to Chinese investors for agriculture-specific purposes. Whether this offer will become planted acres remains unseen, but the two countries have also further invested together, opening borders for the purchase of agriculture chemicals and farm machinery from China. With additional logistical benefits of geographic proximity and an apparent Kremlin commitment to fostering a proactive relationship with the world's pre-eminent agriculture import market, can the U.S. recover lost market share in the long term?In stark contrast, United States leadership has failed to provide measurable action to stop the hemorrhaging in certain key markets. It is hard to argue that the White House has meddled in markets where the causality will ultimately be devastating to some of President Trump's most loyal voting base.