Trade, Expansion Highlighting USMEF Meeting This Week

The U.S. Meat Export Federation is gathering in Tucson, AZ, this week for their Strategic Planning Conference.  As Randy Spronk looks back at his year as chair of USMEF, a highlight has been the investment in market diversification made possible through the USDA Regional Agricultural Promotion Program or RAPP.

“Any time that we get funding to be able to come alongside our producer funds from our checkoff is important to us here," he said.  "So, we've got some opportunities here to create more diversification in some of these new markets here. I did have the opportunity to travel to Indonesia.  You know, Indonesia, we don't have a free trade agreement with but on the other hand, the tariffs are mild when we go there.  And so you start talking about 280 million people, we'd have the ability to use RAPP funding for beef, pork and lamb to create new opportunities and diversify our markets."

A focus of the USMEF gathering will be on the personal relationships that drive global trade.  Guest speakers this week also include a leading expert on U.S.-Mexico trade relations.

“Mateo Diego, talking about Mexico - very important market for us. They've got a new administration here, and you know how our two countries are going to work together here, not only from a labor and a trade standpoint, but actually from exports of beef, pork and lamb.”

The USMEF Strategic Planning Conference runs Wednesday through Friday in Arizona.  To learn more check out USMEF's Website.

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