Increasing Ag Exports

Increasing Ag Exports

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report.

USDA Undersecretary for the Farm and Foreign Ag Services, Michael Scuse spoke last week at the Tri-State Grain Growers Convention. He highlights the increasing ag exports in the last several years.

Scuse: “The last four years have been the biggest years for agricultural trade this country has ever had. The year before last, we set a record of over $137 billion in agricultural export. This fiscal year, we were just under that at $136 billion in agricultural exports. Next year we are projecting to have another record year of just over $143 billion in agricultural exports.”

Underscretary Scuse says that these record numbers are not just because of higher commodity prices but reflect higher volume as well.

Scuse: “We’ve really seen tremendous growth in our ag exports around the world. I think it is because our customers around the world seeing the high quality and value that they receive for purchasing ag products.”

Two programs that have helped to increase ag exports, the Market Access Program the Foreign Market Development Program, have expired with lack of action on the Farm Bill. Many foreign offices will have to be closed if Farm Bill is not addressed before then.

Scuse: “The studies we’ve done indicate that for every dollar that we spend on these programs, it’s a $35 return on investment. So it would be unfortunate to let these programs expire and not be in place.”