Soy growers are urging President Donald Trump to support the provision contained in the 2014 Farm Bill requiring the U.S. Trade Secretary to establish an Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.

The American Soybean Association (ASA), along with other agriculture groups sent a letter to Trump this week, emphasizing the importance of international trade to the U.S. economy and highlighting how the Under Secretary would help bring unified high level representation to key trade negotiations with senior, foreign officials and within the Executive Branch.

“Trade currently accounts for more than 25 percent of U.S. farm receipts, and the production from one out of every three acres planted is exported. Our vast and efficient export system, including handling, processing and distribution of our food and agriculture products, creates millions of U.S. jobs and helps feed hundreds of millions all over the globe,” the groups state in the letter. “Our $17 billion net trade balance in agriculture and food products in 2016 represented the single largest contribution to our balance of payments.”

But the groups said despite the success, the trade structure has remained the same since its last reorganization in the ‘70s at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“The U.S. agriculture and food industry is ideally positioned to experience significant growth in the decades ahead given projected population growth of an additional 2.5 billion people by 2050. Yet with these opportunities will also come significant changes to keep existing foreign markets open and gain access to new emerging markets for U.S. farm and food products,” the groups state.

The ag groups added the creation of this Under Secretary position would help modernize USDA’s trade structure and streamline management.

“We believe it is vitally important for U.S. agriculture to fully capitalize on the long-term, increased global demand for farm and food products in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Overseas markets represent 73 percent of the world’s purchasing power, 87 percent of the economic growth, and 95 percent of the world’s customers,” they said. “We can take a major step towards that goal by ensuring that the trade structure at USDA is effectively positioned to address the trade challenges and enormous opportunities that await us in the decades ahead.”

Click here to read the entire letter.