The potentially murkiest policy questions facing the new Trump administration concern trade, an area where U.S agriculture has a very large stake. At its founding, the United States was primarily a rural country where the principal economic activity was farming. This ensured that agriculture and politics were intertwined during its early history. The U.S. economy and demographics have changed greatly since then. Barely more than a half-percent of the estimated U.S. population of 325 million is actually engaged in commercial agricultural production today.Yet, agriculture and politics are as interwoven today as they were 200 years ago. Agriculture maintains a level of political influence well beyond what population demographics would suggest...