The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is launching agricultural trade promotion programs for fiscal year 2026 and accepting applications for four export market development programs. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) has opened funding opportunities for the Market Access Program (MAP), Foreign Market Development Program (FMDP), Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Program (TASC), and Emerging Markets Program (EMP) that will help U.S. agricultural producers promote and sell their goods internationally. The application deadline for those programs is on June 6.
This action follows U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rawlins’ recent announcement detailing six international trade trips in the next six months to promote U.S. ag exports. She will visit Vietnam, Japan, India, Peru, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.
She says their job at USDA is to open new markets for farmers, ranchers, and producers and says that the previous administration left agriculture with a 50 billion dollar trade deficit.
I’m Lorrie Boyer reporting for AgNet West.