U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Michael Froman today announced the schedule of events for the 27th session of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), which will take place November 21-23, in Washington. Secretary Pritzker and Ambassador Froman will host the Chinese delegation, led by Vice Premier of the State Council Wang Yang. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will also participate in the dialogue to address key agricultural trade issues between the two countries.
Agriculture
Exporting Agriculture International Trade and Ag Summit 2016
Wed, November 2, 2016
8:30 AM – 3:00 PM PDT
Hilton Palm Springs
400 East Tahquitz Canyon Way
City of Palm Springs, CA 92262
Registration is FREE.
To register to attend the event please go to ‘TICKETS’ and choose General Admission.
Exhibitor Tables available under ‘TICKETS’
To register free for matchmaking appointments go to event website.
Hear from Leaders and Agricultural Experts about
The State of Agriculture in the United States for Export
- How do California Growers Fare as Exporters?
- What Role can Food Packers and Processors play to help Growers Export more?
- What International Markets are looking for Ag Products?
Opportunity to sell your product — Register for the No Cost match making event
Riverside County EDA – Office of Foreign Trade
Organizer of Exporting Agriculture International Trade and Ag Summit 2016
The Office of Foreign Trade (OFT) is part of the County Economic Development Agency and is the official agency and representative body for international trade, development, and foreign investment within the County of Riverside. The OFT was established by the Agency and with the consent of the County Executive Officer in 2009 in an effort to consolidate foreign trade and investment in one centralized office.
Mission:
The Office of Foreign Trade (OFT) assists business owners, corporate officers, investors, and entrepreneurs with export and import assistance with the objective of creating new jobs and investment within the county. The OFT serves as your link to developing and existing markets overseas, including our United States Export Assistance Centers, Foreign Agricultural Services, United States Chambers of Commerce operating abroad, Unites States Commercial Service, Foreign Trade Offices, and investors from other nations interested in establishing a business location in the County of Riverside.
The OFT is also directly responsible for government-to-government relations, as it pertains to economic development, trade, tourism, and good will building with the Organization of American States, United Nations, and all nations and governments formally recognized by the government of the United States of America. This office also exists to promote the use of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Central American Free Trade Agreement, and existing trade agreements or treaties. These treaties open markets for goods and products produced within the County of Riverside that are manufactured, or grown in Riverside County. OFT is strategically placed within the Economic Development Agency to have direct access to the vast resources, support, and assistance from its team of highly dedicated professionals within the agency.
Food & Hotel China 2016
November 9-11, 2016
Shanghai, China
The 19th International Exhibition for the Food, Drinks, Hospitality, Foodservice, Bakery & Retail Industries.
The Premier Business Exhibition for the global food and hospitality sector in China
22 years of FHC in China. 20 editions in Shanghai alone.
The exhibition of choice for exporters and importers of food and beverages. More International companies and country pavilions than any food exhibition in China.
2,150 food and wine exporters and distributors from 66 countries participated at FHC and ProWine China 2015.
Visitors are decision makers and buyers from China’s retailers 40%; Importers and distributors 35% and hospitality sector 25%.
53,295 visitor attended FHC 2015, 55% from Shanghai; 39% from other regions of China and 6% from overseas.
Organsied by CIE a member of Allworld Exhibitions, responsible for Organisation Asia’s leading food and wine trade exhibitions. 14 shows in 9 Asian countries.
China Moves to Reopen Market to U.S. Beef
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued the following statement:
“I welcome the announcement from China’s Ministry of Agriculture that it has lifted its ban on U.S. beef following a recently concluded review of the U.S. supply system. This announcement is a critical first step to restore market access for U.S. beef and beef products. We look forward to prompt engagement by the relevant authorities for further technical discussions on the specific conditions that will allow trade to resume. True access to China’s beef market—consistent with science-based, international standards for trade—remains a top priority for the United States. The United States produces the highest-quality beef in the world, and China’s 1.3 billion consumers are an important market for U.S. producers. The Obama Administration and USDA will continue to press trading partners to eliminate unfair barriers to trade that hamper American farmers and ranchers.”
Background for Reporters
Following the discovery of a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in December 2003, U.S. beef and beef product exports fell. Since 2003, USDA has led a multi-agency, full-court press, dedicating significant resources to restore foreign market access for U.S. beef. As a result, U.S. beef shipments had regained pre-BSE volumes by 2011 and even reached record values by 2014. Another central element of the U.S. strategy to maintain and expand foreign market access is insistence on policies that are based on the guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). Since January 2015, USDA has gained additional market access for U.S. beef in 16 countries, including: Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt, Guatemala, Iraq, Lebanon, Macau, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Singapore, South Africa, Ukraine, Vietnam and Brazil.
The past seven years have represented the strongest period in history for American agricultural exports, with international sales of U.S. farm and food products surpassing $1 trillion between fiscal years 2009 and the present.
Snapshot of the Beef Export Market in 2003
In FY 2003, U.S. beef exports (excluding beef products) totaled $3.0 billion (0.9 million tons) to 112 countries. As a result of the December 2003 BSE case, U.S. beef exports fell to $1.1 billion (0.3 million tons) in FY 2004.
Snapshot of the Current Market
In spite of some remaining restrictions, which USDA continues to prioritize, U.S. beef exports have recovered to pre-2003 levels. In FY 2015, U.S. beef exports totaled $5.8 billion (0.8 million tons) to 112 countries.
Snapshot of China’s Market Now and Then
In 2003, China’s imports of beef totaled $15 million (12,000 tons), including $10 million from the United States. In recent years, China’s imports have risen dramatically, reaching a record $2.3 billion in 2015. USDA forecasts that China will surpass Japan as the second-largest beef importer (after the United States) with imports estimated at 825,000 tons in 2016. Rapidly rising demand for beef has been fueled by middle-class growth and has made China the fastest-growing beef market in the world.
U.S. Forest Service and Coca-Cola Announce the Restoration of One Billion Liters of Water
WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Coca-Cola North America President Sandy Douglas today announced that their partnership to restore and protect damaged watersheds on national forests achieved a milestone of one billion liters of water restored, and that the partnership will commit to double that outcome through 2018. The 13 restoration areas are located on national forest land, which provides drinking water to more than 60 million Americans, and they ensure future generations will have access to fresh water.
“This milestone that Coca-Cola, USDA and our partners have reached is just the latest example of how partnerships between the public and private sectors can reach more people, harness more innovation, and do more good than either government or businesses can achieve alone,” said Vilsack. “America’s 193 million acres of public forests and grasslands supply the drinking water for 60 million Americans, support approximately 200,000 full and part time jobs and contribute over $13 billion to local communities each year. This partnership is based on shared goals of ensuring healthy watersheds and public engagement that serves those local communities, and will continue to deliver on that commitment for years to come.”
“A thriving watershed is critical to every community we serve and to our business,” said Douglas. “Coca-Cola is on a journey and plans to continue to replenish 100 percent of the water we use in our beverages and their production and return it to nature and communities. We could not accomplish the milestone we celebrate today without the expertise, guidance and resources of the USDA, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Forest Foundation and many other organizations and community partners. In the coming years, we will continue to work together to build scale and expand these projects and partnerships.”
This public-private partnership includes community organizations and taps their collective expertise to address increasing stress on water resources during challenging budget times. Dozens of local communities and hundreds of volunteers and youth worked together on water resource management education and stewardship activities.
The Carson National Forest in northern New Mexico is an example of the public-private partnerships approach. Local partners worked together to help restore an alpine meadow and enhanced a natural wetland habitat. By slowing the flow of Placer Creek, a tributary of the Rio Grande, the local team helped to restore a biodiverse meadow habitat and replenish the groundwater that contributes to the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico’s water supply. The meadow restoration project is expected to replenish approximately 49 million liters of water per year.
To date, Coca-Cola has contributed more than $2 million to the National Forest Foundation (NFF), a Congressionally chartered foundation, to support USDA Forest Service water restoration projects. NFF has also contributed funding, expertise and overall project management, including the meadow restoration on the Carson National Forest.
“One of the primary purposes of the 1897 Act that established our National Forests, was to ensure the long-term supply of water for our country” Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said. “More than 100 years later, the stewardship of these public lands for forest and watershed health continues to be essential in ensuring an adequate water supply and providing high-quality water for needs across the United States.”
Project listing by National Forest (some forests have multiple projects on site)
- Angeles National Forest, California: The Angeles National Forest provides critical resources for the approximately 13 million people who live within an hour’s drive of the forest. In 2009, the Station Fire damaged 252 square miles of forest, which allowed numerous invasive weed species to colonize upland in riparian ecosystems affected by the fire. In response to the fire’s devastation and associated ecological changes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service staff partnered with the National Forest Foundation (NFF) and local communities to develop a 5-year restoration plan for Big Tujunga Canyon, ultimately expanding this work to the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
- Carson National Forest, New Mexico: Historic and current recreational mining were threatening wetlands, a rare and critical resource in arid New Mexico. In addition, eroding gullies were adding sediment to area waterways. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service partnered with the National Forest Foundation, Coca-Cola, others to design a restoration strategy to prevent further loss of wetland, while also improving water quality in Placer Creek and Comanche Creek. The partnership also focused on enhancing important habitat for native flora and fauna.
- Eldorado National Forest, California: The Mokelumne River supplies drinking water to 1.3 million people in the East San Francisco Bay and is vulnerable to upstream environmental damage. Ecological restoration projects like the one completed by the Indian Valley partnership improve the function of forest and wetland ecosystems, providing for the species that rely on them. More resilient ecosystems benefit downstream communities—like those in the East San Francisco Bay—by helping provide a consistent and clean supply of water.
- Huron-Manistee National Forests, Michigan: Since 2008, the Huron-Manistee National Forests and the Oceana County Road Commission have been working to replace deficient road stream crossings in the White River watershed, including along Osborne and Brayton Creeks. Undersized road-stream crossings prevent aquatic organism passage and contribute to frequent flood events that were causing severe erosion and deteriorating the upstream valley. Replacing culverts with bridges helped resolve both environmental impacts.
- Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Illinois: The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie was established in 1996 on the U.S. Army’s former Joliet Arsenal. Portions of the prairie—including the South Prairie Creek Outwash Plain—were heavily degraded by previous management actions. Partners focused their efforts on this particular portion of the landscape, replanting native grasses, treating invasive weeds, and removing agricultural drain tile. This prairie restoration improves the capacity to retain water, contributes to the formation of wetlands, and connects this area to Prairie Creek.
- Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington: The Methow River basin provides spawning areas for Spring Chinook salmon, as well as spawning steelhead, cutthroat trout, and bull trout. By reestablishing active beaver colonies to area streams, the partnership helped reestablish key watershed processes that support these fish species. Beaver colonies reintegrate dams into the area surface water, establishing wetlands, expanding habitat, and increasing the regularity of flows. In addition, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and its partners gain a better understanding of the ecological effects of climate change, this project demonstrates an adaptive practice that offsets snowpack loss by storing water in beaver wetlands.
- Pike-San Isabel National Forests, Colorado: Burning nearly 140,000 acres, the 2002 Hayman Fire has had significant impacts on the municipal drinking water source area for the city of Denver, CO. The Pike-San Isabel National Forest worked with the National Forest Foundation, Coca-Cola, and other partners to address post-fire restoration needs through NFF’s Treasured Landscapes campaign, a multimillion dollar public-private partnership.
For more information and a full list and description of these individual restoration projects, visit the Forest Service partnership
Building Peace: Colombian Peace Presents New U.S. Business Opportunities
Bogota, Colombia
After decades of civil unrest, the Colombian government reached a ceasefire with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on June 23, 2016. The ceasefire deal was the last major step in reaching a final peace agreement, expected by the second half of August, according to Colombia’s Minister of Post-Conflict, Rafael Pardo. Peace is expected to bring many benefits to Colombia, including improved rule of law, security, and increased investment. This improved business environment has the potential to open a number of new opportunities for to U.S. companies.
The U.S. is an important trade and investment partner for Colombia. U.S.-based companies have been exporting an increased number products to Colombia since the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement went into effect in 2012. U.S. goods exports to Colombia stand at $16.3 billion in 2015, having grown 14% since the implementation of the agreement – compared to just 1.2% growth in U.S. goods exports worldwide over the same period. This makes Colombia our third largest export destination in Latin America.
Two industries that have made large gains are agricultural products and manufactured goods. Agriculture exports have doubled to $1.3 billion, and manufacturing exports grew 9.8% for a total of $14.5 billion in 2015.
One of the areas under negotiation as part of the peace process is comprehensive agricultural development. Therefore, a number of large agricultural development projects are planned as part of the government’s post-conflict strategy. The goal is to assist those areas most affected by the conflict and work to peacefully reintegrate the FARC and its former members into society. This priority has the potential to improve the standard of living for about 20% of the Colombian population that lives in rural areas affected by violence.
As Colombia seeks to develop and modernize its agricultural sector, U.S. agricultural equipment and services firms may find new business opportunities. For instance, new agricultural equipment imports can be subsidized by the government of Colombia, and the two-year, $500 million Colombia Siembra program is expected to increase agriculture growth in four years from 2.3% to 6.2% by 2018.
In addition, Business Monitor International found that total food consumption is projected to rise by 56.4% between 2014 and 2019. As a result, more opportunities may open up for businesses that provide value-add technologies to the sector, such as food processing and packaging companies.
Furthermore, Colombia’s post-peace development agenda includes a Contratos Plan (Peace Contracts) initiative led by the National Planning Department (DNP). This plan consists of about 1,450 priority peace projects for a total investment of about 14 trillion pesos, or USD$4.5 billion. The Peace Contracts will include long-term infrastructure projects, as well as other smaller development projects. The most important business opportunities for companies post-conflict include:
- Infrastructure: roads, airports, aqueducts, schools, hospitals, telecommunications infrastructure, and connectivity
- Tourism: development of rural tourism and ecotourism
- Logistics: storage centers and regional distribution centers
- Agriculture: commercialization of family farming, increased agricultural productivity at small scale farms, and development of irrigation districts.
Colombia is seeking international cooperation and private sector participation to fund several of these development projects. Some of the financial tools being considered are private investment incentives such as Free Trade Zones and Public-Private Partnerships in post-conflict areas. Minister Pardo has also proposed an adjustment to the private sector infrastructure tax. This will create tax incentives for businesses developing infrastructure projects in conflict-affected areas.
The post-conflict environment will present new business opportunities for U.S. companies. Accordingly, U.S. businesses should begin exploring the market now in order to take an advantage of these opportunities.
For information on doing business and exporting to Colombia, visit our web page, including information on upcoming trade events. The Colombian U.S. Commercial Service team is ready to support you in successfully doing business in Colombia.
Follow: Department of Commerce
Steven Armendariz is an Intern at the Colombia Desk at the International Trade Administration
U.S. Ethanol Exports Remain Strong as Markets Diversify in 2015
The USDA issued a report on August 6, 2016. The United States exported 836 million gallons of non-beverage ethanol in 2015, nearly all of which was used for fuel. This volume was unchanged from the previous year and remained the second highest volume on record. Despite a two-year decline in U.S. ethanol exports following the record 1.2 billion gallons in 2011, overall exports have trended upward since 2009.
These three overseas markets were instrumental to diversifying the U.S. ethanol export market in 2015.
China: U.S. ethanol exports to China increased 20-fold in one year to a record 71 million gallons in 2015. Previously, U.S. ethanol exports to China were small and excluded fuel. China’s ethanol imports surged in 2015 because imported ethanol was cheaper than domestic supplies and importers were allowed to test the international market for imports. China primarily uses corn to produce fuel ethanol, and following Brazil and the EU, China is the fourth-largest fuel ethanol market with use mandates in six provinces and 27 cities. China’s price support scheme for corn, originally established to safeguard farmer incomes and ensure food security, has resulted in internal prices for corn far above world prices. High feedstock costs inflate domestic ethanol prices and make imports more attractive.
Korea: U.S. ethanol exports to Korea increased 55 million gallons over two years to a record 60 million gallons in 2015. More than 90 percent of these shipments were intended for fuel use, which is a change from previous years when more non-fuel, industrial ethanol was shipped. Korea has not yet set an ethanol mandate, but there is interest to do so given its high dependency on crude oil imports and interest to reduce emissions. A roadmap has been set by the Ministry of Environment to begin distributing E3 and E10 in selected cities this year and E10 nationwide by 2035.
India: U.S. ethanol exports to India increased 26 million gallons over two years to a record 47 million gallons in 2015. These imports are reportedly used in the industrial chemicals market, thus freeing up domestic supply for fuel use. India fuel ethanol use-mandates are repeatedly missed due to unsupportive regulatory and taxation policies as well as periodic weather-related shortfalls in feedstock (sugarcane) supply.
USDA Announces $49 Million Public-Private Investment to Improve Critical Wetlands in 12 States
WASHINGTON, July 7, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is awarding $44.6 million through its Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership to support 10 wetland enhancement projects on private and tribal agricultural lands in 12 States. Recipients for each project are providing more than $4.3 million in matching funds, bringing the total investment to approximately $49 million. In total, the projects will help to protect, restore or enhance 15,000 wetland acres in critical watersheds across the United States.
“USDA is committed to protecting and enhancing our nation’s wetlands, which are critical to the quality of our nation’s waters, wildlife and landscapes,” said Vilsack. “By collaborating with private partners at the local and regional level, USDA is able to support innovative conservations solutions and expand the amount of dedicated resources. These are high impact projects that will ensure our land and water resources are healthy now and for the next generation.”
The Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP) was authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and is administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). WREP helps States, local governments, Tribes and other organizations collaborate with NRCS to work with private and Tribal landowners to voluntarily enroll eligible land into conservation easements that protect, restore and enhance wetlands on their property. WREP is a special enrollment option under the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).
Wetland reserve easements enable landowners to successfully reduce impacts from flooding, recharge groundwater, enhance and protect wildlife habitat and provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. The voluntary nature of NRCS easement programs allows effective integration of wetland restoration on agricultural land, providing benefits to farmers and ranchers who enroll in the program, as well as benefits to the local and rural communities where the wetlands exist.
Projects announcement today bring together partners leveraging technical and financial resources to address local concerns, such as water quality and flooding. Since 2009 private landowners, tribes and entities like land trusts and conservation organizations have enrolled nearly 1.3 million acres in NRCS wetland easement programs for a total NRCS investment of $3.2 billion in financial and technical assistance.
Today’s announcement includes projects in Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin.
A full list of projects funded is available on the WREP website. Examples include:
Iowa: Partners will address both long-term wetland restoration in the prairie potholes region and assist flood-affected landowners in the Iowa and Cedar River watersheds. The partnership will protect and restore up to 580 acres of prairie pothole wetlands and associated tallgrass prairie uplands on five sites within Prairie Pothole Joint Venture Priority Areas and Ducks Unlimited Living Lakes Initiative Emphasis Areas. Partner contributions will nearly double the acres of wetlands that will be protected and restored. NRCS plans to invest $3 million in this project.
Louisiana: Over the next three years, partners will enroll up to 2,100 acres of new conservation easements in seven Mississippi River Basin Initiative watersheds. Benefits to the region include increasing habitat for fish and wildlife, improving water quality by reducing nutrient and pesticide application, reducing flooding, recharging ground water and providing outdoor recreational opportunities. Significant wildlife benefits include restoration of critical habitat for the Louisiana black bear, migratory waterfowl and wetland-dependent wildlife. Special consideration will be given to historically underserved producers. NRCS plans to invest $5.1 million in this project.
New Hampshire: Due to projected increases in housing density by 2030, the U.S. Forest Service identified the Merrimack and Piscataqua-Salmon Falls River Watersheds as two of the most threatened watersheds in the nation. The goal of this project is to permanently protect, enhance and restore approximately 500 acres of wetlands, floodplains, riparian areas and upland forests in this rapidly developing area. The project will target priority wildlife habitat for the state-endangered Blanding’s turtle and New England cottontail as well as critical water resources providing multiple benefits to local communities. NRCS plans to invest $1.6 million in this project.
Tennessee: Partners in six states will enroll an additional 5,000 acres in conservation easements to improve water quality, expand habitat for federally protected species, reduce soil erosion and provide additional outdoor recreation opportunities. This is the third phase of work begun in 2012 that is on track to enroll more than 20,000 acres by 2019. The project area includes portions of 35 counties/parishes bordering the Mississippi River in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. NRCS plans to invest almost $12.2 million in this project.
Visit NRCS’s ACEP webpage to learn more about NRCS’s wetland conservation opportunities.
Since 2009, USDA has invested more than $29 billion to help producers make conservation improvements, working with a record 500,000 farmers, ranchers and landowners to protect land and water on over 400 million acres nationwide. For an interactive look at USDA’s work in conservation and forestry over the course of this Administration, visit USDA Results: Caring for our Air, Land and WaterThis is an external link or third-party site outside of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website.
African scientists, U.S. economists share 2016 World Food Prize
Two African plant scientists and two U.S. economists share the 2016 World Food Prize. Together, they have alleviated hunger by helping convince Africans to eat Vitamin A-rich orange sweet potatoes and by bringing other fortified crops to farmers and consumers in 30 countries.
The $250,000 award, created in 1986 and often called the Nobel Prize for agriculture, was presented in a ceremony June 28 at the U.S. State Department.
Three of the laureates are affiliated with the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru: plant scientists Maria Andrade and Robert Mwanga, based in Mozambique and Uganda, and economist Jan Low, the center’s regional leader for Africa.
The International Potato Center bucked the prevailing view that the best way to treat vitamin and mineral deficiencies was to give poor people capsule supplements.
The fourth 2016 laureate is Howarth Bouis, founder of HarvestPlus, which champions biofortification, an innovative breeding process to make a range of staple crops more nutritious.
Andrade, a Cape Verdean, and Mwanga, a Ugandan, are veteran researchers in plant breeding. Low arranged studies and organized a campaign that convinced almost 2 million households in 10 African countries to plant, purchase and consume orange sweet potatoes.
They worked with Bouis and HarvestPlus on the potato project from 2003 to 2010. Bouis and his HarvestPlus organization, following in the footsteps of the late Norman Borlaug, the father of the “Green Revolution,” have brought iron-and-zinc-fortified beans, rice, wheat and pearl millet to countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The campaign is currently trying to convince African farmers to grow maize (corn) with deep orange kernels instead of white, Bouis said.
Kenneth M. Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa, and a former U.S. ambassador to Cambodia, announced the winners, who were saluted in a keynote address by USAID Administrator Gayle Smith.
Thanks to the laureates’ work, Quinn said, more than 10 million people today eat more nutritious food, “with a potential of several hundred million more … in the coming decades.”
USDA Offers New Loans for Portable Farm Storage and Handling Equipment
Portable Equipment Can Help Producers, including Small-Scale and Local Farmers, Get Products to Market Quickly
COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 29, 2016 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide a new financing option to help farmers purchase portable storage and handling equipment. Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini and Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Administrator Elanor Starmer announced changes to the Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program today during a local and regional food roundtable in Columbus, Ohio. The loans, which now include a smaller microloan option with lower down payments, are designed to help producers, including new, small and mid-sized producers, grow their businesses and markets.
“As more communities reconnect with agriculture, consumer demand is increasing for food produced locally or regionally,” said Dolcini. “Portable handling and storage equipment is vital to helping farmers get their products to market more quickly and better maintain product quality, bringing them greater returns. That’s why we’ve added this type of equipment as a new category for our Farm Storage Facility Loan program.”
The program also offers a new “microloan” option, which allows applicants seeking less than $50,000 to qualify for a reduced down payment of five percent and no requirement to provide three years of production history. Farms and ranches of all sizes are eligible. The microloan option is expected to be of particular benefit to smaller farms and ranches, and specialty crop producers who may not have access to commercial storage or on-farm storage after harvest. These producers can invest in equipment like conveyers, scales or refrigeration units and trucks that can store commodities before delivering them to markets. Producers do not need to demonstrate the lack of commercial credit availability to apply.
“Growing high-value crops for local and regional markets is a common entry point for new farmers,” said Starmer. “Since they often rent land and have to transport perishable commodities, a loan that can cover mobile coolers or even refrigerated trucks fills an important gap. These producers in turn supply the growing number of food hubs, farmers markets or stores and restaurants interested in sourcing local food.”
Earlier this year, FSA significantly expanded the list of commodities eligible for Farm Storage Facility Loan. Eligible commodities now include aquaculture; floriculture; fruits (including nuts) and vegetables; corn, grain sorghum, rice, oilseeds, oats, wheat, triticale, spelt, buckwheat, lentils, chickpeas, dry peas, sugar, peanuts, barley, rye, hay, honey, hops, maple sap, unprocessed meat and poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt and renewable biomass. FSFL microloans can also be used to finance wash and pack equipment used post-harvest, before a commodity is placed in cold storage.
AMS helps thousands of agricultural food producers and businesses enhance their marketing efforts through a combination of research, technical services and grants. The agency works to improve marketing opportunities for U.S. growers and producers, including those involved in specialty crop production and in the local and regional food systems. Visit http://www.ams.usda.gov to learn more about AMS services.
Today’s announcement will further advance the efforts of USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative, which coordinates the Department’s work to develop local and regional food systems. USDA is committed to helping farmers, ranchers, and businesses access the growing market for local and regional foods, which was valued at $12 billion in 2014 according to industry estimates. Under this Administration, USDA has invested more than $1 billion in more than 40,000 local and regional food businesses and infrastructure projects. More information on how USDA investments are connecting producers with consumers and expanding rural economic opportunities is available in Chapter IVThis is an external link or third-party site outside of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website. of USDA Results on MediumThis is an external link or third-party site outside of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website.
To learn more about Farm Storage Facility Loans, visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport or contact a local FSA county office. To find your local FSA county office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.
( usda.gov)