exports

For many American farms, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. The Robison and Stennes family orchards combined equal more than 200 years of growing apples in Washington.

American agriculture remains strong. Total U.S. agricultural exports reached $174.9 billion in 2023. American farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness owners continue to have success abroad as USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service works for U.S. agriculture.

When people think of farmers or ranchers in rural America, what image comes to mind? It probably isn’t a mother-daughter duo in Hawaii. Lorie and Joan Obra exhibit the essence of women in agriculture. Together, they are continuing the dream of Rusty Obra, the late founder of Rusty’s Hawaiian – a specialty coffee farm, mill and roastery in the Ka'u District of Hawaii Island.

Food and service have a special place in Walter Brooks, Jr.’s heart. Today, he runs Brooksmade Gourmet Foods in Atlanta, Georgia, which exports clean-label condiments, sauces and rubs.

Sometimes, even the most successful and experienced entrepreneurs need a little extra help navigating ways to diversify and expand their business model. For dairy products and ingredients company, Tedford/Tellico, Inc. in Knoxville, Tennessee, that was the case in 2022, when its Global Sales Director Matthew Tedford attended his first-ever USDA-sponsored agribusiness trade mission more than 8,500 miles away in the Philippines.

Retirement – for many – is a time for reconnecting with what you love and who you love. Laura Cristobal-Andersland and David Andersland have spiced up retirement with their seasoning business, Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salts.