Join more than 400 strawberry growers, researchers and industry representatives for this year’s Strawberry Center Field Day on Thursday, August 8th from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (check-in beginning at 7:30 a.m.). Participants will rotate through stations, hearing from students and staff about the latest research taking place at the Strawberry Center at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Topics include the newest automation technology, predatory mites, soil-borne pathogens of strawberry and much more. “We look forward to sharing the center’s latest research and happenings,” shares Julie Tillman from the Strawberry Center. Registration opens in April/May and includes lunch. For attendee and sponsorship information (now available), click HERE.
Category: Non-Video
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Fall River Junior-Senior High School’s Rick Neugebauer Named California’s “Ag Educator of the Year”
After recognizing six exceptional California teachers as finalists through the Golden Owl Award, the California FFA Foundation, in partnership with Nationwide and the California Farm Bureau, selected Rick Neugebauer, agricultural teacher at Fall River Junior-Senior High School, as California’s 2023-2024 “Ag Educator of the Year.”
Neugebauer was formally recognized as the Golden Owl Award grand prize winner during the California FFA State Leadership Conference in Sacramento on March 22. In addition to the title of California’s Ag Educator of the Year, Neugebauer received the coveted Golden Owl Award trophy and a $3,000 Nationwide-funded donation to further Fall River Junior-Senior High School’s agricultural education efforts.
Upon receiving the award, Neugebauer expressed heartfelt appreciation for his supportive community. “I am deeply honored and humbled by this recognition. Receiving the Golden Owl Award means a great deal to me personally, however I would be remiss to take all the credit,” he said. “This award represents the collective effort of an entire community dedicated to educating and guiding the leaders of tomorrow. It reflects the unwavering support and belief of everyone within the Fall River/McArthur Valley. I am honored to continue my service and contribute positively to the growth and development of the students at Fall River Junior-Senior High School and McArthur FFA.”
Each Golden Owl Award finalist was also presented with an individualized plaque in front of attendees at the California FFA State Leadership Conference and received a $500 donation to support future educational efforts. The finalists were:
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Daniel Crookham – Exeter FFA
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Rebecca Freeman – Lodi-Tokay FFA
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Randy Mendes – St. Helena FFA
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Deanna Morton – Shandon FFA
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Marlisa Nordstrom – Buena Park FFA
Neugebauer’s passion for agriculture and his commitment to his students have made him an outstanding educator, and his recognition is well-deserved. His nomination, submitted by a fellow teacher, describes Neugebauer as hard-working, dedicated, and involved in his community. “Mr. Neugebauer has been an ag teacher at our school for 24 years. In those years, he has led many students to success in public speaking and leadership roles; earning state champion titles and mentoring numerous regional and state officers. He has taught kids how to be confident in their abilities and become well-rounded, productive members of society.”
As the number one insurer of farms and ranches in the United States, Nationwide established the Golden Owl Award with its state partners to shed light on the contributions of California’s leading agricultural teachers and provide additional resources to support their programs.
“Nationwide is proud to recognize the dedicated teachers who are educating and inspiring students to pursue careers in agriculture,” said Brad Liggett, president of Agribusiness at Nationwide. “We’re honored to have the opportunity to appreciate their contributions, highlight the growing need for their services, and supply additional resources to help provide their students with optimal learning experiences.”
In conjunction with the Golden Owl Award, Nationwide is also donating $5,000 to the California FFA Foundation to further support the personal and professional growth of students, teachers, and advisors alike.
The Golden Owl Award is the result of partnerships between Nationwide, the California FFA Foundation, and the California Farm Bureau.
About the California FFA Foundation
California FFA Foundation serves more than 103,000 California students and strives to make a difference in their lives by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. To learn more about the California FFA, visit calaged.org.About the California Farm Bureau
The California Farm Bureau works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of more than 26,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of 5.8 million Farm Bureau members.
About NationwideNationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. An industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities, mutual funds and ETFs; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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Reflections on the 2022 Census of Agriculture
Did you know, that the United States started collecting statistics on agriculture before we had a United States Department of Agriculture? In 1840 the first Census of Agriculture was tallied and in February 2024 the 2022 Census of Agriculture was released. The surveys, completed once every five years, are distributed nationally and collect data from any farm that produces $1000 per year or more.
About 60% of farmers and ranchers responded to the survey and while the data is far from perfect, it represents an important opportunity to reflect on the changes in an industry that we all rely on for our daily sustenance and a critical component of our economy. It is also important to reflect upon how our policies shape and are shaped by the trends that we see. This is especially true for an industry that can contribute to climate change and be a critical part of the solution.
Key Findings and Implications
A bleak data point that stands out among the census data is that unfortunately, the number of farms decreased by 7% since 2017 coupled with an increase in larger farms while mid-size and smaller farms declined. Having few, very large farms and losing the “agriculture of the middle” is a disturbing trend. Fred Kirschenmann detailed why we should care about this loss twenty years ago. While not directly related to farm scale, it is, as he details, scale-dependent in that mid-size farms are the most vulnerable in highly consolidated markets. As we know, access to profitable markets is key for farmers to sustain a living and contribute to their communities.
Photo of Fred Kirschenmann (Photo by Connie Faulk) Additionally, we also see a loss of small farms. While average farm income in 2022 was up 85% or almost double from 2017, when you look at farms by value of sales, all categories saw a decrease except for those farms that sold $500,000 or more.
Additional key statistics from the 2022 Census include:
- The land in farms decreased for all categories except for the very largest (farms with 5,000 acres or more)
- 85.2% of farms are 499 acres or less
- The number of farms classified as family or individual farms decreased by more than 8% while the number of farms classified as corporations increased by more than 9% in the same period
Connecting Trends to Policy and Climate Change
“Climate-smart” Agriculture is a term being used by the USDA, large commodity groups, and agribusinesses. While there may be varied definitions of what that means, we can be sure of one thing, good soil health is fundamental to an agriculture system that sequesters carbon and limits nitrous oxide emissions.
Let’s take a look at some of the basic tenets of good agricultural management system components in the context of the 2022 Census and climate change.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued a 2019 report titled “Agriculture and Climate Change: Policy Imperatives and Opportunities to Help Producers Meet the Challenge”, which details four principles of soil health management supported by USDA NRCS. These principles provide scientific guidelines for soil organic carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation to climate.
The four principles supported by the USDA are:
- Maximize soil cover
- Maximize living roots as much of the year as practical
- Diversify the cropping system to build maximum soil biodiversity
- Minimize soil disturbance (physical, chemical and biological)
In addition to the USDA principles, NSAC recommended the addition of two more:
- Integrate crop and livestock production
- Return organic residues to the soil (“law of return”)
4 Principles of Soil Health (Credit: NRCS-USDA) The 2022 Census found that five commodities accounted for two-thirds of all ag production value including corn and soybeans. While we may see corn and soy rotations in parts of the country, the use of highly diversified production systems is not the norm, especially for the 1% of farms which sold more than $5 million and accounted for 42% of sales.
When it comes to farm production expenses, $78 billion dollars or 18% of production expenses went to fertilizer, chemicals and fuels all of which can be minimized to avoid GhG emissions, protect water quality, soil health and biodiversity.
Navigating the Road Ahead: Opportunites and Challenges
There is good news in that a recent policy investment can help farmers make positive changes and adopt many of the practices listed above. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) invested almost $20 billion of additional money into the farm bill’s agricultural conservation programs and is targeted to a list of Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry practices. Analysis from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy showed that while more farmers have been able to access conservation funding through the IRA, 3 out of every 4 farmers who applied for EQIP or CSP were still turned away due to lack of funding further demonstrating that demand is still outpacing supply, Protecting and growing agricultural conservation funding to support farmer adoption of voluntary, in-demand conservation practices is a priority.
When USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack shared comments at the 2022 Ag Census release in February he was troubled by the loss of farms and asked if there was a better way forward referring to a report from the Carter Administration in 1981 titled, A Time to Choose: Summary Report on the Structure of Agriculture from then Ag Secretary Bob Bergland. Secretary Bergland foresaw many of the changes that have been borne out in 40 years of ag census data. At that time he was concerned about the loss of farmers, the increasing concentration of land in small and very large farms, and what he, and others saw as, a narrow reactionary focus as opposed to comprehensive and visionary policymaking for agriculture.
So, as we reflect on the latest agricultural census data trends, let us heed the call of the likes of Bob Bergland, Fred Kirschenmann and Tom Vilsack and create a visionary approach to our policy around food and agriculture. There is still time to choose.
For more information or to learn more about how you can help protect and grow agricultural conservation funding, contact amalie@calclimateag.org. —By Amalie Lipstreu, California Climate & Agriculture Network
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Livestock Marketing Association Members Advocate for Critical Needs in Washington D.C.
Nearly two dozen Livestock Marketing Association members and staff met with members of both the House of Representatives and Senate, agriculture staff, and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials March 20-22, during the association’s 18th D.C. Fly-In. The event offered an opportunity for livestock auction market owners to share their stories and connect with elected officials.
Throughout the visit, LMA members advocated for the passage of the Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States, or A-PLUS Act (H.R. 530), and its Senate companion the Expanding Local Meat Processing Act (S. 813), to end an outdated prohibition and allow an auction owner to own or invest in a small or medium packer. These bills would provide an avenue to increase packing competition and capacity. At the same time, the bills maintain necessary safeguards by prohibiting the largest packers from owning auctions.
The auction market owners also urged Congress to update Packers and Stockyards Act prompt payment requirements in light of slowing mail service and a desire to incentivize electronic payment as the more efficient and secure method. Finally, livestock auction market owners at the Fly-In pushed to ensure that any upcoming rule requiring electronic identification for cattle is not an unfunded mandate.
Their visit to D.C. coincided with a busy and historic week in Congress. There is an active effort by Congress to overturn an administrative rule that would allow fresh beef imports from Paraguay. The Senate voted on a Congressional Review Act resolution that if becomes law, would prevent the rule from taking effect.
Livestock Marketing Association and other cattle industry groups agree that given Paraguay’s history of food and mouth disease the rule poses a significant risk to our nation’s beef herd. The same day members asked Senators to support the resolution, the Senate voted 70-25 for the resolution to overturn the rule. The vote was the largest margin on a Congressional Review Act resolution ever recorded in the Senate.
Brody Peak, LMA board member and chairman of the government and industry affairs committee, said it was a productive trip and he’s grateful for all who took part.
“I know how difficult it is to take time away from your business and family to travel across the country, especially in the spring.” he said. “But the impact a visit like this has on the industry is significant. Developing and maintaining relationships with those making federal policy decisions is key to ensuring the interests of livestock marketers are considered. Those who visited can take pride in protecting our beef industry and given the vote in the Senate, being a part of history.”
Members who participated in the fly-in were Joe Don, Brecklynn, Jett and Marly Eaves from Tulsa Stockyards Inc.; Lindsey and Julie Grant from McAlester Union Stockyards; Ben Hale from Western Livestock Commission Company & Order Buying, Inc. and Woodward Livestock Auction Inc; Jim Akers from Bluegrass Stockyards; Brody Peak from Emporia Livestock; Rich Robertson from Crawford Livestock Market; Todd Eberle from Broken Bow Livestock and Burwell Livestock Market; John Willis from Columbia Livestock Market of Lake City; Chad McNew from Greencastle Livestock Market Inc.; Kale McGuinness from Stockland Livestock Auction; Larry Schnell from Stockmen’s Livestock Exchange Inc.; Giles and Kelly Brown from Kinder Livestock Auction; and Mandy Geistweidt from Gillespie Livestock Company.
About the Livestock Marketing Association
The Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, is North America’s leading, national trade association dedicated to serving its members in the open and competitive auction method of marketing livestock. Founded in 1947, LMA has more than 800 member businesses across the U.S. and Canada and remains invested in both the livestock and livestock marketing industries through member support, education programs, policy representation, insurance programs and communication efforts.
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Survey Says Most familiar + High Trust = Organic
Consumers recognize the USDA Organic seal more than any other certification in the marketplace, finds a new survey released by the Organic Trade Association (OTA).
Compared to a dozen claims and certifications that can be found on various products in today’s grocery aisles, almost 90 percent of consumers are familiar with organic claims. That deep familiarity with organic carries over into a solid public trust. The USDA Organic seal is trusted by 70 percent of consumers – the most trusted of any agricultural label, and the second-most trusted food label existing, second only to the American Heart Association’s iconic checkmark.
“The results of our survey were incredibly encouraging,” said Tom Chapman, co-CEO of OTA. “As organic has become more accessible to consumers, the benefits of organic have become more widely known, boosting the trust in the organic seal. That’s why our advocacy efforts to honor that trust and to ensure that organic standards keep evolving and strengthening are so critical.”
OTA partnered with Euromonitor International in a survey conducted in December of 2023 of around 1,200 consumers across the country to evaluate what today’s consumers understand about organic, as well as their willingness to pay for USDA Organic products and the individual attributes supported by organic certification.
A look at how organic stacked up against various claims and certifications was also done. The other food and beverage claims included in the survey were natural, local, grass-fed, raised without antibiotics, vegan, pesticide free, free range, hormone free, humanely raised, allergen free, fair trade and regenerative.
Millennials and Gen Z driving organic and setting the future
The Millennial and Gen Z generations are today’s biggest organic buyers. Millennials, individuals from 28 to 43 years old in 2024, have been leading the organic charge for close to a decade. Now the young adults of Gen Z (ages 12 to 27) also are making their presence known in the organic market.
Millennials and Gen Z pay more attention to labels than older generations, with over 70 percent of those age groups reporting that the USDA Organic seal matters and is an important consideration when choosing their food. These generations see food claims as more important than previous generations – with four claims in particular standing out: organic, allergen-free, regenerative and vegan.
“Younger consumers want to know about the products they’re buying,” said Matthew Dillon, co-CEO of OTA. “This isn’t just a short-term trend … these information-seeking shoppers will continue to dig for the facts, and so will their kids. The more we can educate them about their food – and about organic – the better.”
Consumers place high value in organic
Organic products often command a price premium over non-organic. That’s due to a variety of factors, including generally higher production costs for organic including certification fees, higher processing costs, and limited federal support for organic agriculture and food production.
Today’s price-conscious shopper considers organic to be the food claim that most justifies a higher price. When asked in the survey about the value of various claims, organic was ranked the most valuable, with nearly 60 percent of consumers saying that the organic claim warrants higher prices.
The OTA survey found that the more consumers know about organic, the more willing they are to pay the higher costs.
Consumers who are unaware of organic’s benefits often think that organic does not justify its higher prices; that changes dramatically when that consumer learns about some of the attributes of organic such as exclusions of GMOS, growth hormones, antibiotics and most pesticides. The justification to pay more for
organic jumps by some 16 percentage points once the formerly unaware consumer is more knowledgeable about organic.
Knowledge gaps – and opportunities – in the organic aisles
Today’s shopper puts a high value on the attributes of certified organic. The claims that are most important to consumers – pesticide-free, natural, raised without antibiotics, humanely raised and hormone free – are all supported or partially supported by USDA Organic certification.
But even with increasingly well-informed consumers, some knowledge gaps exist.
Most consumers are aware that organic products do not contain toxic synthetic pesticides or synthetic hormones, or GMOs, but are often unaware of other attributes like sustainable animal welfare practices. As the world struggles with climate change, a large portion of consumers remain unaware of organic’s ability to contribute to biodiversity, help mitigate the causes of climate change and improve the health of our planet. Less than half of consumers are aware that certified organic agriculture is regulated and enforced by the federal government.
“Education is key to expanding organic,” says Chapman. “Even in this lack of understanding, the survey shows organic incorporates most of what consumers care about. Organic has a tremendous opportunity here to use the trust and the recognition of the USDA Organic seal to help consumers understand even more about its attributes and to expand the organic sector.”
Media interested in obtaining the Executive Summary of the survey can contact Maggie McNeil at mmcneil@ota.com.
About the Organic Trade Association
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 10,000 organic businesses across 50 states through direct membership and its Farmers Advisory Council. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers’ associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA’s mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace.
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Cal Ag Leadership Program Class 54 Applications Due April 17
Applications are due on April 17 for Class 54 of the California Agricultural Leadership Program. Applicants should be mid-career growers, farmers, ranchers, horticulturalists, foresters and/or individuals working in other areas of California’s diverse agriculture industry.
For links to the application, informational resources and upcoming prospective applicant events, visit www.agleaders.org/class54apply/.
The Ag Leadership Program, operated by the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation (CALF), is considered to be one of the premier leadership development experiences in the United States. Through the program, fellows learn leadership skills that help them expand their impact. More than 1,400 individuals have participated in the program and are influential leaders and active volunteers in agriculture, communities, government, business and other areas.
Over the course of the intensive 17-month program, fellows are immersed in numerous topics, including leadership theory, effective communication, motivation, critical thinking, change management, emotional intelligence and other skills and tools that contribute to improved performance. Along with individualized leadership development coaching, fellows engage in situations and discussions focused on complex social and cultural issues. They are provided with opportunities to build enhanced critical thinking skills that, combined with a broader perspective, help graduates guide creative solutions throughout their lives.
The program includes approximately 55 days of formal program activities. Four partner universities — Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Fresno State and UC Davis — deliver integrated, comprehensive and diverse curriculum at the seminars. Fellows learn from first-rate educators and subject authorities from many professions and backgrounds. As a valuable extension to the monthly seminars, fellows participate in national and international travel seminars that provide further opportunities to understand interconnected systems and governments, dialogue with policy leaders and compare and contrast cultural dynamics.
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USDA Scientists Develop Technology to Reduce Pathogens in Intact Eggs
Radio Frequency unit. (Photo by Joseph Sites, ARS) CDC estimates Salmonella bacteria causes about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year. Despite their appearance in everyday meals and snacks, the truth is that raw eggs and egg products can carry Salmonella and cause foodborne illness and outbreaks, and even death, in some circumstances. But researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently found a way to combat this through Radio Frequency (R.F.) technology.
A simple solution to foodborne pathogens in eggs would be to pasteurize all raw eggs before they are consumed; however, less than 3 percent of commercial eggs are pasteurized in the United States. Conventional thermal pasteurization of intact eggs is usually a long process that involves submerging eggs in hot water for more than 57 minutes to inactivate Salmonella cells. Researchers at the Agricultural Research Service’s (USDA-ARS) Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, Pa., used a novel thermal technology that pasteurizes eggs and inactivates Salmonella cells with a short processing time.
During the study, the water molecules inside the egg rotate and align with the RF instrument’s electric field. This molecular friction causes the liquid inside the egg to heat up quickly and subsequently reduce Salmonella by 99.999 percent within 24 minutes. The R.F.-processed eggs were transferred to the refrigerator and kept at 7°C for seven days to simulate the commercial cold chain temperature.
“After treatment with the system, no intact Salmonella or sub-lethal Salmonella cell remnants were recovered, and no cell recovery was found in the R.F. – treated eggs when stored at retail refrigerated temperature,” said USDA-ARS Research Food Technologist Daniela Bermudez-Aguirre. “The egg quality, such as the color and other parameters, were also preserved through the processing.”
This technology has shown several advantages when used in food, all without a negative effect on food quality. Statistics also show that Americans consumed a total amount of 93.1 billion eggs in 2023. So, this is a promising advancement for small farmers or egg processors and can ensure food-safe eggs while minimizing Salmonella. Consumers will also benefit from this technology since it preserves the quality of the eggs that can be used for special markets such as nursing homes, hospitals, or schools.
ARS researchers will continue to develop this technology’s capabilities and expect it to be commercially available in the near future.
The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.
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Edible Blue-Green Algae to Protect Honey Bees Against Viruses
Scientists at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) developed an edible antiviral treatment that can be used to protect honey bees against Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) and other viruses, according to a recent study published in Sustainable Agriculture.
Honey bees are important agricultural pollinators. However, viruses, including DWV, are linked to the deaths of millions of colonies worldwide. DWV, like other viruses, is most often spread by Varroa mites who carry the disease inside them and infect bee colonies. Infection typically causes deformity and death in bees, especially in the pupae and brood. These colony losses devastate beekeeping industries and pose a major risk to agriculture and the global food supply.
While there are medicines for other bee diseases and parasites, there is currently no treatment available to help beekeepers reduce viruses in their colonies. Nearly all colonies have DWV and can often be infected with multiple viruses at any given time. Effective antiviral treatments could help to improve colony health and survival as well as crop pollination efficiency.
“We found that engineered algae diets suppressed DWV infection and improved survival in honey bees,” said Vincent Ricigliano, research scientist at the ARS Honey Bee Laboratory in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “When mixed into bee food, the engineered algae boost the bee’s immune system to fight off the targeted virus.”
According to Ricigliano, blue-green algae is the “bee’s knees” of bee food additives. Ricigliano and other ARS researchers previously studied blue-green microscopic algae, also known as microalgae, as a potential food source for honey bees. The algae showed promise since it has a nutritional profile that resembles pollen and is scalable to the level of commercial beekeeping.
“In addition to the nutritional benefits and immune-boosting effects, engineered algae strains have the potential to protect bees against a wide variety of pathogens,” said Ricigliano.
Blue-green algae grow via photosynthesis and can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, making it an ecologically friendly approach to improve the health of honey bees.
“This technology represents a potential new class of treatments for honey bees that is highly sustainable and scalable,” said Ricigliano.
“It can be added directly to supplemental feed without additional processing and easily integrated into beekeepers’ existing management practices. However, there are regulatory considerations that must be addressed before these applications can be fully realized.”
The researchers filed a patent application for the technology and plan to use variations of it to target additional bee viruses and other pathogens in future studies.
The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.
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USDA Foreign Ag Service Accepting Applications for 2025 Export Programs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service is accepting applications from eligible organizations for fiscal year 2025 funding for five export market development programs. FAS recently published the FY 2025 Notices of Funding Opportunity for the Market Access Program, Foreign Market Development Program, Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Program, Quality Samples Program and Emerging Markets Program.
The application deadline for the five programs is June 14, 2024.
Background
Under the Market Access Program, USDA provides competitive, cost-share assistance to U.S. exporters and agricultural, fish, and forest product trade organizations for international marketing and promotion of U.S. commodities and products. More information about the program and the FY 2025 funding opportunity is available at: https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/market-access-program-map.
Under the Foreign Market Development Program, USDA partners with nonprofit agricultural and forest product trade associations to build longer-term international demand for U.S. commodities. More information about the program and the FY 2025 funding opportunity is available at: https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/foreign-market-development-program-fmd.
The Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Program funds projects that address sanitary, phytosanitary, and technical barriers that prohibit or threaten the export of U.S. specialty crops. More information about the program and the FY 2025 funding opportunity is available at: https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/technical-assistance-specialty-crops-tasc.
The Quality Samples Program helps agricultural trade organizations provide small samples of their products to potential importers. More information about the program and the FY 2025 funding opportunity is available at: https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/quality-samples-program-qsp.
The Emerging Markets Program supports technical assistance activities for the development of emerging markets for U.S. agricultural, fish, and forest products. More information about the program and the FY 2025 funding opportunity is available at: https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/emerging-markets-program-emp.