Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 1/25/18

Trump's hard-line rhetoric toward Cuba may have led to a fraying of Obama-era diplomatic ties, but exports to the island nation paint a very different picture. Agricultural exports to Cuba equaled more than $250 million in 2017, according to reports from the U.S.-Cuba Trade Economic Council. These numbers - from January to November 2017 - show an $50 million increase in exports of food products and ag commodities compared with 2016. 

Lots of chicken in Cuba: In terms of dollar value, more than half of what's being sent to Cuba is chicken, according to the New York-based business group's numbers. For the past decade, chicken - whether as leg quarters or whole - has consistently topped the list of products Cubans most purchase from the U.S. The island nation has also regularly bought U.S. soybeans and corn. 

But those numbers are a drop in the bucket: Cuba largely relies on imports with an over $2 billion annual market to buy agricultural products abroad. However, U.S. producers are still unable to fully tap into the market because the American government does not allow private financing for Cubans, posing a huge challenge for the cash-strapped island.

"The community clearly wants to export to Cuba and for agribusiness - where it's often been seen as off-limits - we see the movement there's been," Madeleine Russak, communications director for Engage Cuba coalition, told MA. "More people are encouraged and looking to Cuba as a potential export market."