Each year, the global staff of U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) develops the blueprint for market development activities that expand international markets for U.S. wheat farmers. From January 5 to 16, USW’s Asian offices gathered to kick off the first set of planning meetings to develop the next Unified Export Strategy (UES), a comprehensive evaluation of past efforts and a roadmap for future work.
The UES serves as a critical guiding document for USW as a cooperator with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). The annual plan evaluates past efforts, documents progress against previously identified goals and suggests future wheat export market development activities for markets across the globe.
FAS reviews this annual plan, analyzing results from previous years and matching commitments from USW’s 17 state wheat commission members to determine USW’s share of program funds. These funds are made available through several key FAS export market development programs, including the Market Access Program (MAP), the Foreign Market Development (FMD) program and other ad hoc promotion programs like the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program.
Strategic Planning Yields Strong Returns
The partnership delivers a remarkable return on investment. In the 2022/2023 marketing year, federal funding provided $2.20 for every $1.00 contributed by farmers through their state wheat commissions.
“USW and USDA have a long history of partnering together with our state wheat commission members to pursue activities that have a solid return on investment,” said Jennifer Sydney, USW vice president of planning and human resources. “We are excited to continue identifying and proposing innovative approaches to develop and expand markets for our U.S. wheat farmers.”
By aligning regional expertise with these federal programs, USW ensures that every dollar is strategically allocated to turn market insights into an actionable plan to connect diverse international customers with high-quality American wheat supplies.
Additional UES planning sessions for Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, Mexico, the European Union and the Middle East/North Africa will take place in February and March.
Learn more about the value of U.S. agricultural exports and FAS market development programs at https://agexportscount.com/.