California Ag Network

Tag: USDA Trade Missions

  • USDA Announces Roster for Trade Mission to Australia

    The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service announced the participant list for its upcoming trade mission to Melbourne, Australia, Aug. 30 to Sept. 2.

    Participants  from California include Best Buy Grocers, Carriere Family Farms, the California Table Grape Commission, the California Milk Advisory Board, Western United Dairies, the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and Valley Pride Ag Co.

    Through FAS agribusiness trade missions, American agribusinesses connect directly with overseas buyers to expand market access and boost exports for U.S. producers. Luke J. Lindberg, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, will lead the delegation to Australia. The delegation includes 38 agribusinesses and trade organizations, as well as representatives from 10 State ag departments.

    “There’s no substitute for getting our producers face-to-face with overseas buyers – it’s the best way to showcase the best of what American agriculture has to offer,” said Under Secretary Lindberg. “Growing demand across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands makes this an ideal time for us to expand trade, strengthen partnerships and support American producers.”

    In 2025, Australia imported nearly $1.7 billion in American agricultural products, making it the 18th-largest export market for U.S. agricultural products. Consumer-oriented goods – such as packaged snacks, wine and fresh meats – account for 85% of that value. In New Zealand, U.S. exports reached $612 million in 2025, with consumer-oriented products making up more than half of the total.

    In addition to brokering business-to-business meetings, FAS staff and regional experts will hold in-depth market briefings and host site visits and networking events to strengthen trade relationships. — Story contributed by the USDA Foreign Ag Service

  • USDA Accepting Applications for a Trade Mission to Singapore

    The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) announced it is now accepting applications for its upcoming trade mission to Singapore, scheduled for Dec. 7 to 9.

    FAS Agribusiness Trade Missions directly connect American agribusinesses with overseas buyers, expanding market access and boosting exports for U.S. producers. Current and potential U.S. exporters interested in exploring trade opportunities in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand must submit their application via the official online form by 11:59 p.m. EST, Sept. 8, 2026.

    “Expanding our footprint in Southeast Asia is critical as we work to diversify export opportunities and build new, resilient paths for getting safe, high-quality American agricultural products into more markets,” said Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke J. Lindberg. “Getting producers face-to-face with buyers cultivates long-term trade relationships in vibrant, rapidly developing markets—ensuring our producers have multiple avenues to meet global demand instead of relying on a single buyer.”

    In 2025, U.S. agricultural product exports to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand reached more than $3 billion in total. This regional total includes $1.3 billion to Thailand and $1 billion to Malaysia. In Singapore, U.S. exports reached $769 million, with consumer-oriented products— such as tree nuts, dairy products, wine and processed foods—making up 65% of that value.

    In addition to brokering business-to-business meetings, FAS staff and regional experts will hold in-depth market briefings and host site visits and networking events to strengthen trade relationships throughout the mission.

    USDA anticipates significant growth opportunities in the region for several product categories, including:

    • Tree nuts
    • Food preparations, such as baking ingredients
    • Seafood
    • Beef
    • Wine and distilled spirits
    • Processed fruits and vegetables
    • Dairy, eggs and egg products
    • Pet food
    • Pulses, such as dry yellow and green split peas

    In 2025, USDA trade missions connected more than 250 U.S. companies with buyers in Hong Kong, Thailand, Peru, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Taiwan and Mexico, generating projected 12‑month sales of $125 million.

    Singapore will be USDA’s final Agribusiness Trade Mission for 2026—a year in which USDA sent delegations to Malaysia, Indonesia, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Philippines, Vietnam, Argentina, and Ecuador. USDA will announce 2027 missions soon.

    For information on these and other trade missions, visit https://www.fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-missions.

  • USDA Reveals 3-Point Plan to Support U.S. Farmers, Ranchers and Exporters

    Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke L. Rollins and Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, Luke J. Lindberg, has announced an aggressive three-point plan that will support American agricultural producers and exporters.

    “President Trump is putting American agriculture first by negotiating fair, reciprocal deals that benefit U.S. producers, farmers, and ranchers,” said Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke J. Lindberg. “Secretary Rollins is focused on expanding market access, enforcing trade commitments, and boosting rural prosperity. Market promotion support, rapid response to reciprocal trade agreements, and better financing programs will translate to progress in chipping away at the $50 billion agricultural deficit.”

    The three-point plan was announced during remarks at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

    America First Trade Promotion Program

    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act authorized an additional $285 million per year for trade promotion programs beginning in fiscal year 2027. USDA will kickstart that program one year early with $285 million in FY26 and launch the American First Trade Promotion Program.

    T.R.U.M.P. Missions (Trade Reciprocity for U.S. Manufacturers and Producers).

    USDA will launch a new model of trade missions — as a supplement the current model — targeting reciprocal trade deal countries and new market access opportunities. The focus of these will be determined country-by-country to maximize high-return, low-risk agricultural export prospects and connect buyers and sellers.

    Revitalize export finance opportunities

    The GSM-102 credit guarantee program is authorized to offset $5.5 billion in market risk for purchasers of American commodities. Currently, the program has only $2 billion in liabilities on its books. USDA will reinvigorate this program to ensure it is best aligned to facilitate American exports to new markets. The GSM-102 program provides credit guarantees to encourage financing of commercial exports of U.S. agricultural products. By reducing financial risk to lenders, credit guarantees encourage exports to buyers in countries that have sufficient financial strength to have foreign exchange available for scheduled payments.

    “Advancing these programs, as supplements to our existing programs, ensures the health, prosperity, and security of rural America, our farmers, ranchers and producers,” said Lindberg. “Restoring the United States to the Golden Age of the American farmer is an exciting journey and will once again culminate in our status as the breadbasket to the world.”

  • USDA Secretary Rollins Leads Trade Delegation to Italy, Continues Aggressive Travel Agenda to Promote US Ag Worldwide

    U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins will visit Rome, Italy, on June 2-3. During her visit, Secretary Rollins will reinforce the Administration’s expectations for improved agricultural market access to Italy and the European Union and will encourage the United Nations organizations in Rome to prioritize American interests, reduce costs, and focus on their core mandates.

    “The United States’ relationships with Italian buyers and consumers foster tens of billions in bilateral trade and investment. However, U.S. agricultural stakeholders have been unfairly left behind for far too long by the European Union and Italy’s high tariffs on U.S. agricultural products and numerous non-tariff barriers,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “In coordination with Ambassador Tilman Fertitta, we at USDA will continue working to level the playing field and increase market opportunities with the EU and Italy for hard-working U.S. farmers, ranchers, foresters, and food processors.”

    Secretary Rollins will meet with senior Italian government and International Organization officials, including the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forests Francesco Lollobrigida, Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d’Affaires for the U.S. Embassy Marta Youth, Charge d’Affaires for the U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome Rodney Hunter, UN Food and Agriculture Organization Director General Qu Dongyu, and UN World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain.

    Secretary Rollins has made it a top priority to advocate on behalf of American agriculture on the world stage. This means increasing access for American products in existing markets, opening new markets with strong demand for our products, and making sure trading partners are treating American farmers, ranchers, and producers fairly. This comes after four years of inaction by the Biden Administration, which caused America’s agricultural trade balance to go from a surplus under President Trump’s first term, to a significant deficit under President Biden.

    This trade mission follows Secretary Rollins’s trip to the U.K. in May, and precedes future trade travel to India, Vietnam, Japan, Peru, and Brazil over the next four months. Other USDA Trade Missions this year include Peru, the Dominican Republic, Taiwan, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mexico.

    United Kingdom: The U.K. is the United States’s fourteenth largest agricultural export market. U.S. producers face disproportionately high tariffs, small tariff-rate quota volumes, and unjustified non-tariff barriers when exporting to the U.K.

    India: The United States is India’s sixth largest supplier of agricultural products. The U.S. has a $1.3 billion agricultural trade deficit with India.

    Brazil: The United States has a $7 billion agricultural trade deficit with Brazil.

    Japan: Japan is a top five market for many key U.S. commodities, including corn, beef, pork, wheat, rice, and soybeans.

    Vietnam: Vietnam is the United States’s tenth largest agricultural export market. The U.S. has no trade agreement with Vietnam while major competitors like China do.

    Peru: Peru is the United States’s third largest South American market for agricultural exports, and the U.S. remains Peru’s second largest agricultural supplier. Key prospects for U.S. agricultural exports to Peru include ethanol, dairy products, meat, tree nuts, and pulses.