Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 5/2/11

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today USDA’s fiscal-year 2011 funding awards to approximately 70 U.S. agricultural organizations to help expand commercial export markets for their goods.
"We are pleased to announce that through the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD) and the Market Access Program (MAP), we are able to award approximately $226 million to help dozens of U.S. agricultural organizations and businesses increase export opportunities," Vilsack said in a news release.

Under FMD, the Foreign Agricultural Service will allocate a total of $31.7 million to 22 trade organizations that represent U.S. agricultural producers and will promote U.S. agricultural commodities overseas. Under MAP, FAS will provide $194.4 million to 68 nonprofit organizations and cooperatives.

"Through FMD, MAP and other market development programs, USDA is helping farmers, ranchers and the businesses that support them open and expand international markets for U.S. agricultural exports," Vilsack said. "Ultimately, these efforts are helping achieve President Obama's National Export Initiative goal of doubling all U.S. exports by the close of 2014."

Exports of U.S. farm goods in fiscal year 2011 (Oct. 1, 2010 – Sept. 30, 2011) are projected to surpass previous records by $20 billion, USDA said. Moreover, the agricultural trade balance—a balance of U.S. exports versus foreign imports—is also projected to set a record surplus of $47.5 billion in 2011.

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