As President Donald Trump continues his pursuit of “better” trade deals, some advocates say one "win" in Washington could help producers in South Dakota.
This month USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins posted on X that President Trump had secured a trade win with Taiwan that would be a “game-changer for our farmers and ranchers.”
Taiwan signed a letter of intent to purchase $10 billion in US agricultural products such as soybeans, corn, wheat and beef. South Dakota Trade President and CEO Jesse Fonkert said that could spell good news for South Dakota.
"Those four commodities are in ample supply in South Dakota. So, at South Dakota Trade, we’re excited to be a part of this historic event, part of this historic commitment to buying US commodities," Fonkert said. "And of course, excited to be part of this letter of intent ceremony that highlights Taiwan’s intention to be purchasing US wheat, but especially South Dakota wheat.”
Fonkert’s referring to a letter of intent ceremony at the Capitol Building in Pierre where a Taiwan trade group signed a letter of intent to purchase South Dakota wheat as part of its $10 billion US investment.
“And in the remarks, we talked about the possibility of Taiwan engaging with other commodity groups here in South Dakota," Fonkert said.
He said getting Taiwan trade representatives in the state is an important step in continuing to foster and strengthen South Dakota’s relationship with the country moving forward.
“And so, we talk about trade, of course our number one priority is moving commodities out of South Dakota. But to do that, it’s about building relationships and building trust and building mutual respect. And so, these goodwill delegations Taiwan has now led for a number of years also include this cultural component that is so important for their people to understand why they want to be doing business in South Dakota," Fonkert said. "Helping them understand the way that we produce our goods, the way that we grow our commodities, the way we treat our people, but also the landmarks that we get to experience every single day as residents of this great state.”
Fonkert said the Taiwan delegation visited Sioux Nation, CHS, farms outside of Wall, and landmarks like the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore.
