U.S. agriculture trade is soaring

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its second Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade in fiscal year 2013, and the latest forecast continues a trend for increasing American farm exports that began in 2009.

In the years since 2009, U.S. agricultural exports have climbed more than 50 percent in value, from $96.3 billion to the most-recent forecast of $145 billion in 2013. Overall, these exports support more than 1 million American jobs, suggested Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“Because USDA is working harder than ever to remove unfair barriers to trade and provide businesses with the resources they need to reach new markets, American agriculture is booming. Demand for products like American soybeans, wheat and tree nuts is surging across the world, with notable gains in China, Europe, and Southeast Asia expected to support strong cash receipts through the year,” Vilsack noted.

He said all the data shows a robust agricultural economy poised to recover from the worst drought in more than a generation.

“Since 2009, more than 1,000 U.S. companies and organizations—mainly small and medium sized businesses—participated in 110 USDA-endorsed trade shows in 24 countries, racking up 12-month projected sales estimated at more than $4.2 billion. We’ve led nearly 150 U.S. businesses on trade missions to China, Colombia, Georgia, Indonesia, Iraq, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Vietnam and Russia. And we’re keeping good-paying jobs here at home by resolving issues and removing barriers to trade that have freed up billions of dollars in American-grown products,” Vilsack added in taking credit for much of the increased interest in U.S. agricultural products.  

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