Stakeholder Workshops Help Establish Priorities for MAP, FMD Funding

USMEF Chair Roel Andriessen addresses industry stakeholders at this week’s UES planning workshops

This week USMEF conducted two full-day workshops to gather input from key industry stakeholders on its global marketing activity plans for the 2017 fiscal year. In June, USMEF will present its Unified Export Strategy (UES) to USDA, outlining its priorities for utilizing Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program funds. The feedback collected at this week’s workshops will guide USMEF’s preparation of the UES.

Separate workshops were held for pork and beef, and both included an in-depth analysis of current market conditions in key export destinations, including the level of competition from domestic production as well as other foreign suppliers. Opening remarks for each workshop were provided by Roel Andriessen, who heads international sales for Tyson Fresh Meats. He emphasized the importance of thorough planning and research as USMEF charts its course for the coming year, and thanked workshop participants for their contribution to this process. These sentiments were echoed by Zack Henderson, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service marketing specialist assigned to USMEF. Henderson noted that effective strategic planning, and the ability to follow through on those plans, are among the reasons USMEF consistently receives USDA’s “highly effective” rating when the results of MAP and FMD-funded programs are evaluated annually.

USMEF Vice Chair Dennis Stiffler, chief executive officer of Mountain States Rosen, provided workshop participants with an update on USMEF’s organizational strategic planning process. The beef workshop also included remarks from Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Don Brown, who thanked participants for their leadership in building international demand for U.S. meat products.

More information on the FY 2017 UES will be presented at the USMEF Board of Directors Meeting in St. Louis, May 25-27. Committee meetings at which the UES will be discussed in detail are scheduled for Thursday, May 26.