The theme for this year’s USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum is centered on managing risk in today’s markets. The forum will feature several international trade sessions highlighting strategies, challenges, and prospects for growth for U.S. agricultural exporters.
One of the international trade sessions, “Prospects for Export Growth in Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey,” will feature a panel of experts highlighting the many promising market opportunities for these countries. Commonly known as MIST, these markets accounted for more than 21 percent of U.S. exports with shipments reaching $29 billion compared to $18 billion only five years ago.
Panelists include Mitch Skalicky, the U.S. Wheat Associates Regional Vice President for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean; Dennis Voboril, a returning USDA agricultural counselor from Indonesia; Michael Francom, a returning agricultural attaché from South Korea; and Kyd D. Brenner of DTB Associates, LLP, discussing Turkey.
Other trade-focused sessions include “Export Strategies of Farmer Co-ops,” “Challenges in Trading with the European Union” and “Genetically Engineered Organisms: Trade and Domestic Use.” The international trade sessions during the Forum will help shed light on how U.S. agricultural exports have been a bright spot of the nation’s economy. With an estimated record value of $145 billion in fiscal year 2013, U.S. agricultural exports are on pace to surpass the previous record of $137.4 billion set in 2011. More than one million American jobs are reliant upon agricultural exports.
For more information on this session and the rest of the Forum, visit the Outlook Forum’s website.
