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USDA Export Development Program Helps Boost U.S. Blueberry Exports

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Allison Eckhardt, Foreign Agricultural Service Public Affairs Specialist, on April 16, 2014 at 11:00 AM

Deborah Payne, with the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, talks with potential customers at the Gulfood 2014 trade show in Dubai.

Spring is here and brings with it many fresh healthy foods, including blueberries. Known for their antioxidants, vitamins and fiber, blueberries are a healthy option that is becoming more popular around the world and the U.S. blueberry industry is taking advantage of this demand with the help of the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Market Access Program (MAP).

Through MAP, FAS partners with U.S. agricultural trade associations, cooperatives, state regional trade groups and small businesses to share the costs of overseas marketing and promotional activities that help build commercial export markets for U.S. agricultural products and commodities.

The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) represents over 2,500 growers in 38 states who sell fresh, frozen and processed blueberries. Members export to Canada (their largest market), Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, the Middle East and Mexico.  U.S. agricultural organizations representing producers, and individual small and mid-sized enterprises, benefit from MAP funding provided through nonprofit state and regional trade groups known as STRGs.  The funding, made available through the 2014 Farm Bill, supports marketing and promotional activities such as trade shows, market research, educational seminars and trade missions.

“Our market success begins with a visit to FAS staff in a particular country,” said Thomas Payne, USHBC market development consultant. “They give us a perspective of the market and facilitate valuable introductions with buyers. It’s essential for us to be in a U.S.-themed area so foreign visitors know where to find us.”

Through research, USHBC learned how different countries and regions use blueberries for health benefits. The Middle East is interested in blueberries to treat diabetes; in Asian countries there is a link between blueberries for health and beauty. To reach these markets, USHBC participates in the MAP through the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA), an SRTG, whose members are the 13 western state departments of agriculture.  WUSATA receives MAP funds to support small and mid-sized exporters, helping them explore and expand sales in international markets.

Payne said FAS also helps USHBC overcome trade barriers and navigate the required processes for U.S. blueberries to gain access to certain markets around the world. This is important as USHBC’s long-term goal is to export 15 percent of its blueberries.

“To achieve this we need to succeed in countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China. These markets are massive and complex and we’ll need FAS’ continued presence and guidance,” said Payne.

This year, FAS awarded funding directly to more than 60 U.S. agricultural organizations to help open and expand commercial export markets for American products.  USDA will begin accepting applications for 2015 export development program funding on April 17, 2014.   Applicants can apply via the Unified Export Strategy online application system. Information is available at http://www.fas.usda.gov/unified-export-strategy.

USHBC’s success in exporting is an example of how FAS helps promote U.S. agricultural exports, which are currently experiencing the strongest five-year period in our nation’s history.

For more information about FAS programs, visit www.fas.usda.gov.

USDA Grasshopper Warrior Wins Prestigious Award for Life's Work

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Natalie Loggans, USDA APHIS, Public Affairs, on August 9, 2013 at 11:55 AM

Nelson Foster inspecting cages used to test the effectiveness of different baits used to suppress grasshoppers.

Grasshoppers and Mormon crickets of the West beware: R. Nelson Foster, of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, is roaming the rangelands looking for you, and when he finds you, he’ll stop your feeding frenzy right in its tracks.

Foster serves as Assistant Laboratory Director at APHIS’ Center for Plant Health Science and Technology in Phoenix, Arizona. For over forty years, he has worked in the lab and in the field conducting groundbreaking research mainly on grasshoppers and similar insects such as Mormon crickets.

In April 2013, Foster’s colleagues nominated him for the Sir Boris Uvarov’s Award in Applied Acridology, given by the Orthopterists’ Society. This international group fosters communication and collaborative research among those dedicated to studying and controlling grasshoppers, crickets, locusts, and related insects. Every four years, the Orthopterists’ Society grants the Sir Boris Uvarov’s Award to one scientist worldwide who has significantly impacted the field of grasshopper, cricket, and locust research.

In June, the Orthopterists’ Society informed Foster that he had won the 2013 award, which will be presented in China next week.  Charles Brown, one of Foster’s APHIS co-workers and a co-nominator for Foster’s award, is not surprised. “This award is justified for all the work that Nelson has done in the field,” Brown said.  “Nelson is largely responsible for the increases in efficiency and safety of grasshopper and Mormon cricket management in the western States. He helped pioneer an effective method of strategic control, called RAATS, which uses less insecticide over less areas of land.”

Nelson Foster collecting grasshoppers with a sweep net on rangeland in South Dakota.

Foster has also helped to develop new insecticides that have reduced environmental impacts. For example, the insecticide Dimilin inhibits the growth of only insects, unlike many traditional insecticides that target the nervous system of insects and other animals alike.

Foster’s research doesn’t just help the USDA, he works with Universities, industry and landowners to develop management tactics, techniques and tools to curtail these insects.  Farmers and ranchers have personally thanked Foster and his teams for helping them decrease grasshopper and Mormon crickets on their land. “Most are a little wary at first, having government workers on their land,” Foster said. “But they warm up to us. They’re surprised to see us out there working from dawn ‘til dusk, just like them. I’ve had ranchers personally open up their homes to us because they love the work we did for them. That’s a truly wonderful experience.”

Reflecting on his life’s work, Foster is humble. “I never worked alone,” he said. “I have always been surrounded by a team of dedicated and cooperative partners who have all done their part to advance this field of study. I get to be a part of the work that helps save our agriculture and our farmers’ way of life. It’s not a job, it’s a joy.”

An early career picture of Nelson Foster examining vegetation for insect pests.