USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that U.S. farm exports reached a record $136.3 billion in calendar year 2011.  According to Vilsack the U.S. saw a rise in both the value and volume of agricultural exports worldwide in 2011, as international sales rose $20.5 billion over the previous record set in 2010.  Agriculture is one of the only industry sectors that runs a trade surplus.  Overall the U.S. ran a trade deficit of $560 billion last year, much of which was attributed to oil as Americans spent $331.6 billion—the size of the entire agricultural industry—on oil imports last year, up 32 percent from 2010.  Overall U.S. farm income is expected to drop in 2012 from 2011’s record, largely due to higher input costs for fuel, fertilizer, chemicals and seeds.