By KEVIN WALKER

Michigan Correspondent

JAKARTA — USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney held a news conference last week highlighting his most recent trade mission, this time to Indonesia.

These trips, including this from July 16-19, are keeping the under secretary busy, with approximately triple the number of trade missions this year compared with previous years. The position McKinney holds was created under the 2014 farm bill and is intended to focus on trade with an eye toward exports.

He sounded upbeat and unperturbed by all the fuss in Washington, D.C., about trade, saying the people he's met in Southeast Asia aren't concerned by it. He said some people are "curious" about what's happening, but not worried, and he doesn't detect any negative feelings about it. He spoke to reporters by phone from Indonesia’s capital city.

"There is no cloud, no negativity at all, I can say unequivocally, there was no hostility," McKinney said.

He noted that U.S. CEOs are appreciative he is listening to their concerns. Twenty-four groups, including a number of small and mid-size U.S. companies, representatives from Georgia and Idaho ag departments, as well as some commodity groups, went along on the trade mission.

According to McKinney, more than 250 business-to-business meetings took place, as well as government-to-government meetings. During the call he said the increase in these trade-focused trips is completely due to his own requests for them and that without the under secretary role, would not be happening.

"Trade is a two-way street and we emphasize that all the time," he said. "I continue to be marveled that half the battle in trade is just showing up."

McKinney enthused that tempeh production in Indonesia uses all-U.S. soybeans. Tempeh, a cake made from soy, and tofu, or soybean curd, are staples in Indonesia, providing high-protein content for the country's rapidly growing population.

"Tempeh makers (in Indonesia) are committed to U.S. soy," he said. "A lot of that has to do with their commitment to the U.S. soy farmer. Tempeh makers want reliability and consistency in the market. The customers I met with really loved the U.S. product."

McKinney said depressed U.S. farm and ranch prices are driving his aggressive push for more U.S. agricultural exports. The depressed prices are now into year four or five, he pointed out.

"It's pretty clear what our job has to be – to keep markets open and, where they're not open, to open things up," he said. "If we think we can add value to somebody who wants to buy something, then I'm all in.

"I'm pretty enthusiastic, but I'm not ‘Pollyann(a)-ish.’ What I'm telling you here is what I'm hearing from customers."