INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) -- U.S. Sen. Todd Young said Tuesday at a forum in downtown Indianapolis that American farmers are among the country's greatest sources of power from both a humanitarian and national security standpoint.The U .S. Global Leadership Coalition, a bipartisan advocacy group that seeks to advance U.S. engagement with the international community, sponsored the event. The forum focused on the role of America's so-called soft power. Soft power is a political science term that refers to a country's ability to influence events and outcomes through persuasion and attraction rather than coercion. Soft power typically stems from a country's culture, values and policies, including trade, while hard power typically derives from military and intelligence capabilities.Young said research shows countries that are food insecure are more prone to conflict and destabilization. He said it is in the U.S. national security interest to maintain strong agricultural ties with countries that do not have robust farming sectors.Beyond there just there being a real need, next to the national security reason, there's also a humanitarian imperative that's consistent with our values, he said.Young told Circle City Broadcasting afterward that government investment has often assisted advances in agricultural technology, such as drought-resistant crops. He said he plans to continue pushing for support of that research.According to the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, the Hoosier State exported about $6 billion worth of agricultural products in 2024. Soybeans and corn accounted for about half of that total. Indiana ranked fourth nationally for soybean and turkey production last year and fifth for corn and pork production.Canada, the European Union, and China all have imposed retaliatory tariffs on American agricultural products in response to the Trump administration's trade policies. Italy and Germany, both EU countries, are Indiana's largest and fourth-largest trading partners, while Canada is Indiana's second-largest. Young said he does not think the ongoing tariff war impairs Indiana farmers' ability to contribute to American national security.If the purpose of the tariffs is to get other countries that are engaged in unfair practices to end those practices, then they make a lot of sense, he said. And that's what I've been encouraging members of the administration to do, which is to only regard these tariffs as temporary measures to get more negotiating leverage. ...read more read less