On the Economic Research Service website, navigate to the 'Publications' section. Filter the publications by the 'U.S. Agricultural Trade' topic. Locate the report titled 'U.S. Agricultural Trade: The Role of the Dollar, Competition, and Trade Barriers'. Once found, identify the primary reasons cited in the report for the shift in the U.S. agricultural trade balance from a surplus to a deficit, and state when this shift occurred.
Navigate to the 'Publications' section of the Economic Research Service website. Select 'U.S. Agricultural Trade' from the 'Filter by Topic' dropdown. Click the 'Next' pagination link repeatedly until the report 'U.S. Agricultural Trade: The Role of the Dollar, Competition, and Trade Barriers' is visible. Click on the report 'U.S. Agricultural Trade: The Role of the Dollar, Competition, and Trade Barriers' to open it. Read the report's summary or introduction to identify the year/period when the U.S. agricultural trade balance shifted to a deficit. Identify the primary reasons for the shift, specifically hindrances to export growth and drivers of import growth.
The agent successfully locates and opens the report 'U.S. Agricultural Trade: The Role of the Dollar, Competition, and Trade Barriers'. The agent states the year or period when the U.S. agricultural trade balance shifted to a deficit. The agent identifies 'competition, a strong dollar, and trade barriers' as hindrances to export growth. The agent identifies 'a strong U.S. economy, favorable exchange rates, and rising consumer demand' (especially for high-valued imports and tropical/off-season produce) as drivers of import growth.