The purpose of the cooperative agreement is to provide timely analytical support to inform the secretary's decisions about trade mitigation payments and new trade deals that will directly benefit…

The purpose of the cooperative agreement is to provide timely analytical support to inform the secretary's decisions about trade mitigation payments and new trade deals that will directly benefit farmers, ranchers, and producers. Activities to be performed are quantitative economic analyses to inform the office of the chief economist, the secretary, and U.S. Policymakers about the economic impacts of trade mitigation programs and to support new trade negotiations affecting U.S. Agricultural products. Deliverables of the collaborative project are rapid internal analyses to help decision-makers understand economic tradeoffs and design payment programs, briefings for the chief economist, the secretary, and U.S. Policymakers, articles for publication, and an organized research consortium. The benefit of this work is that IT safeguards U.S. Agriculture's competitive position. This work is also critical for estimating the potential benefits from new trade agreements to assist negotiators in achieving optimal outcomes for U.S. Producers. Deliverables on this secretary priority include: confidential written reports, and in-person briefings to USDA leadership, lawmakers, and their staff summarizing trade damages and trade mitigation program options; outputs to increase awareness of the importance of international trade to U.S. Producers, stimulate improvements in AG trade and policy research to aid USDA leadership and negotiators in future trade deals, and provide an analytical record to support the administration's actions: an article outlining general methodologies to quantify U.S. Agricultural trade damages (subject to approval and clearance); 2-3 policy briefs outlining export opportunities for U.S. Farmers and ranchers; at least one professional presentation at an organized research consortium; a report on the global competitiveness of U.S. Crop and livestock industries; and at least 2 articles in peerreviewed journals.