Members of the Iowa agriculture sector are finding hope in the tentative trade deal announced between the United States and China.

President Donald Trump says China has agreed to buy between 40 and 50 billion dollars in U-S agriculture products if the deal goes through. Iowa State University economics professor  Wendong Zhang Zhang welcomes what he calls important first steps as the two sides each still angle to come out ahead.

Zhang says a shallow agreement on big issues like technology transfer and intellectual property protections is likely. But significant increases in Chinese imports of U-S corn, ethanol and beef could also be part of the deal.