Programs to help U.S. farmers build markets overseas boosted agricultural exports by an average of $9.6 billion annually from 1977 to 2019, representing 13.7% of total agricultural export value and returning $24.50 in additional net export revenue for every dollar spent on export promotion. Those are the key conclusions from a study commissioned by the U.S. Grains Council on behalf of members of the U.S. Agricultural Export Development Council (USAEDC) to evaluate USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program. The study was conducted by IHS Markit in cooperation with Drs. Gary Williams and Oral Capps at Texas A&M University, both experts on evaluating the economic performance of trade promotion programs.

The MAP and FMD programs are authorized by the Farm Bill and administered by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. The programs form part of the public-private partnerships that offer competitive cost-share grants for foreign market development activities to USAEDC members. The study reported that these market development programs effectively leveraged industry contributions, averaging between 70–77% of expenditures from 2013–19, valued at an estimated annual average of $567 million.

Source: USAEDC News, May 18, 2022

Zoetis, in partnership with American Horse Publications (AHP), presented the Equine Industry Vision Award to Dr. Billy Smith at the AHP Equine Media Conference in Lexington, Kentucky. The award is given annually in recognition of outstanding leadership, creativity, and meritorious contributions toward positive changes in the equine industry. He has held leadership roles with the American Horse Council and served as chair of the USLGE board of directors.

Source: American Horse Publications Press Release (Christine Brune), May 13, 2022

See also: APHA innovation helps Billy Smith win Equine Vision Award