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USDA market development programs show strong return on investment

The undersecretary for trade and foreign affairs wants more funding to support USDA market develop programs.

Alexis Taylor tells Brownfield Congress can do that with investments in the next farm bill.

“These are highly effective programs. We see that the cost-benefit ratio for the dollars we spend and the economic activity that we see on the backend is really important.”

For every dollar the federal government spends on USDA market development programs, she says the return is around $24 dollars in additional U.S. ag exports.

“So as Congress considers the farm bill and where to put really valuable limited resources, I think there’s a good opportunity to continue to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of these programs.”

Taylor calls the Foreign Market Development and Market Access Programs critical to the success of U.S. exporters and in turn American farmers and ranchers.