FAS

The Washington Apple Commission, together with the Pear Bureau Northwest, Northwest Cherries and the Washington Potato Commission conducted a series of workshops in January 2011 for major modern retailers in Malaysia, offering the latest insights on how to increase the sale of U.S. produce.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti. The earthquake devastated the already fragile and poor country, killing more than 300,000 people, and brought economic activities to a standstill leaving the capital of Port au Prince in a condition that is almost...

Last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met with Mexican Agricultural Secretary Francisco Mayorga in Merida, Mexico to discuss agriculture and trade. The two agricultural leaders engaged in a very productive dialogue on a wide range of issues important to both the United States and Mexico.

Did you know that Canada is the United States’ largest agricultural trading partner, accounting for 16 percent of all U.S. agricultural trade? In 2009, U.S. agricultural exports to Canada were valued at $15.7 billion. Geographical proximity, similar business practices and eating habits make Canada...

In mid-October, USDA’s Under Secretaries for Natural Resources & Environment, Rural Development, and Farm & Foreign Agriculture Services launched a major new Wood-to-Energy Initiative that seeks to build a forest restoration economy by integrating wood-to-energy activities within the larger forest...

Earlier this week I traveled to Paris to attend the 24 th edition of the Salon International d’Alimentation (SIAL). This 5-day event is one of the largest international food and beverage trade exhibitions in the world, attracting 5,500 exhibitors and over 147,000 trade-only visitors representing 188...

On October 5, it was my great privilege to kick off Rural Development (RD) and the Foreign Agricultural Service’s (FAS) joint celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month at USDA’s Jefferson Auditorium. The theme for this month’s celebration is “Heritage, Diversity, Integrity and Honor: The...

In September, I was one of 28 Junior Professionals and two advisors from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) who traveled to the Midwest for an annual agricultural training trip. This training opportunity exposed members of FAS’s Junior Professional Advisory Committee (JPAC) to a broad range...

I was delighted to be in China last week to officially open USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service’s new Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) in Shenyang. This new office will serve as a bridge between American and Chinese businesses, opening opportunities for trade and collaboration between our two nations...

A Florida grapefruit by any other name would surely taste as sweet. Recently, agencies across the U.S. Government worked with representatives of the Florida grapefruit industry to protect the grapefruit industry while underscoring the value of U.S. engagement in international organizations. A...