With the Farm Bill passed and the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development program (FMD) reauthorized at current levels, we pause to remember why the proven partnership between USDA and the U.S. Grains Council is so important.

The United States is not the world’s leading agricultural exporter by accident. We start with the world’s most innovative and productive farmers. We also enjoy a durable national commitment to the reduction of trade barriers – and, last but not least, cooperation across all sectors of the value chain and between the private sector and government to develop, expand, and defend markets for U.S. products around the world.

MAP and FMD are USDA’s primary export promotion programs. They comprise the federal portion of a unique public-private partnership through which the Council, and many other cooperator organizations, leverage federal funds to support market development initiatives around the world. Here are some examples:

• USGC Sees Program Fruition: Algeria Imports US Corn Products for First Time
  The U.S. Grains Council, in September 2012, successfully fostered the removal of the value added tax (VAT) and custom tax on all feed imports in Algeria, including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and corn gluten feed (CGF). That effort paid off in September 2013 with the first importation of U.S. DDGS and CGF in to the nation.

  To accomplish this, the Council used funds from the USDA to educate large commercial feed companies and other large end-users in Algeria, so they would become comfortable using DDGS and CGF in livestock rations. Read More

• US, Colombia Agreement Yields Purchase of US Corn – USGC Program Fosters $6 Million in Corn Sales
  The United States has been uncompetitive in the Colombia market for many years due to more favorable duty treatment for South American producers. However, in April 2013, the Colombian Price Ban System increased the duty on South American origin imports to 5.75 percent. With the help of U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, U.S. corn imports have a zero percent duty on the first 2.1 million metric tons (82.7 million bushels) of corn imports. U.S. farmers are finally starting to reap benefits of the agreement as USDA announced the recent sale of 180,000 tons (7.1 million bushels) of U.S. corn to Colombia worth approximately $40 million.

  In response to the improving market opportunities, the Council has been ramping up its promotion efforts in Colombia, with funds from the USDA. Since June 2013, the Council has sponsored two Colombian trade teams to meet with U.S. grain producers and exporters. Read More

• History in the Making: US Sorghum Unloads in China Port
  October 18, 2013, is a day that will go down in history as the first-ever bulk shipment of U.S. sorghum to China berthed and began unloading at the Guangzhou Port Facility.

  In September 2013, the Council, along with the United Sorghum Checkoff Program, provided technical seminars and assistance to help the industry understand the nutritional value of sorghum, how to incorporate it into feed formulations and the potential for future sorghum export supplies from the United States. Funding for these seminars came in part from USDA. Read More