The U.S. Trade Representative’s office is scheduled to hold a hearing this week on a possible trade agreement with Japan. America’s dairy farmers are urging President Trump to work on opening up that market as soon as possible. Minnesota Milk Producers Association Executive Director Lucas Sjostrom says having full access to Japan’s market holds great potential for U.S. dairy producers.

He says the U.S. has already been able to serve the Japanese market, even without complete access.

However, Sjostrom says with a fully open market U.S. dairy exports and income would grow substantially. This is critical for the U.S dairy industry which has been struggling with low prices.

It is estimated U.S. dairy exports to Japan could grow by 450 percent and dairy farmers income would rise by up to $12 billion over the next decade