FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 12, 2023
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) are celebrating 40 years of working together to support small-to-medium sized food and beverage businesses and increasing exports of U.S. agricultural products.
The partnership anniversary is being recognized at the 2023 NASDA Annual Meeting this week in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with a newly produced video featuring remarks from NASDA members, NASDA leadership and USDA FAS leadership.
“NASDA has been an invaluable partner for FAS throughout our 40-year partnership as we work together to expand trade opportunities for U.S. exporters,” said FAS Administrator Daniel B. Whitley. “I hope our partnership will continue to flourish as we continue to successfully promote and connect U.S. food and agriculture to the world.”
USDA FAS foreign service officers support NASDA’s trade show events by recruiting qualified international buyers to attend its shows. NASDA works with state departments of agriculture to connect small-to-medium-sized companies to foreign buyers interested in purchasing U.S. food and beverage products. As part of the Market Access Program, NASDA hosts “A Taste of the States” at the National Restaurant Show and Americas Food & Beverage Show to facilitate these connections.
Since the establishment of the nation-wide cooperative agreement between USDA FAS and NASDA in 1983, NASDA has hosted over 50 trade show events in the U.S. and assisted with scores of U.S. pavilions in events outside the U.S.
“Today, we are celebrating NASDA and USDA FAS’s work of uplifting small businesses and sharing high-quality American food products around the globe,” said NASDA CEO Ted McKinney. “With the creation of new markets, we have expanded our ability to feed the world and support local communities through the growth of small businesses. NASDA looks forward to years ahead of working with USDA FAS to ensure agriculture leads the way toward a healthy and resilient world.”
The next trade show funded by the USDA FAS-NASDA partnership, “A Taste of the States: Miami,” takes place next week at the Americas Food & Beverage Show. For more information about the partnership and NASDA trade shows, visit nasda.org/tradeshows.
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NASDA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association which represents the elected and appointed commissioners, secretaries and directors of the departments of agriculture in all 50 states and four U.S. territories. NASDA enhances American food and agricultural communities through policy, partnerships, and public engagement. To learn more about NASDA, please visit www.nasda.org.
Contact Information
max.london@nasda.org
