U.S. Softwood Exports Making Headway in Thailand

From USDA:

Posted by Ryan Brewster, International Agricultural Training Specialist, Cochran Fellowship Program - Asia Region, Foreign Agricultural Service, on January 7, 2015 at 1:00 PM

A delegation of Thai lumber company executives (including Opas Panitchewakul, Pracha Thawornjira, Jaroonsak Cheewatammanon, Khomwit Boonthamrongkit and Wasant Sonchaiwanich) tours the Mauvila Timber distribution warehouse in Loxly, Ala., with Lane Merchant (left), the company’s general manager.

The pine forests of Georgia and the Pacific Northwest are a far cry from the crowded streets of Bangkok, where several shipments of U.S. softwood products are headed thanks to a collaborative effort by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), the Southern Forest Products Association and the Softwood Export Council.

In June 2014, executives from five Thai lumber companies visited the United States under the auspices of FAS’s Cochran Fellowship Program. Thanks to the knowledge they gained and the relationships they forged with the U.S. softwood industry during their visit, several participants subsequently made first-time purchases of U.S. softwood. These initial purchases are a big step for U.S. softwood producers to make headway into the $58 million market in Thailand.

The Thai visitors received an extensive overview of the U.S. wood products industry, focusing on everything from grading and treating of wood, to sawmill operations, to export regulations. They toured nurseries, sawmills, a treatment plant, export warehouses, and even construction sites where they could see U.S. softwood being put to use.

The participants credited the Cochran training with providing them a greater understanding of U.S. softwood, even helping them better differentiate qualities of U.S. softwood from similar products from New Zealand and Australia.

Mr. Khomwit Boonthamrongkit, managing director of SBP Timber Group, said, “The knowledge I gained from the Cochran softwood training program is very useful. I really want to learn more about U.S. softwood species and applications of those species, and because of the training I plan on setting up an agent to facilitate my company’s requirement and inspection of U.S. lumber imports.”

The Cochran Fellowship program is one way FAS helps promote food security and build stronger trade relationships with middle income countries and emerging markets. Since 1984, the program has trained more than 16,300 fellows from more than 120 countries. To learn more about the Cochran Fellowship program, visit www.fas.usda.gov/programs/cochran-fellowship-program.

The Women of Agriculture: Paving the Path for a New Tomorrow

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by USDA Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden, on March 28, 2014 at 4:00 PM

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden looks over olive blooms with Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard owner Sandy Winokur in Elemendorf, TX on Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. USDA photo by Melissa Blair.

During this year’s State of the Union address, President Obama laid out an important call to action for our country:

“This year let’s all come together, Congress, the White House, businesses from Wall Street to Main Street, to give every woman the opportunity she deserves, because I believe when women succeed, America succeeds.”

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, I would like to call attention to the remarkable work of women of agriculture. Not only are women the heart of many family farming operations across the country, women are starting and growing their own agricultural businesses– creating opportunity and economic growth for their families and in their local communities.

I have had the privilege of meeting many of these women.  Just last month, while in Texas, I met Sandy Winokur.  Sandy is a Ph.D., an artist, a farmer and a businesswoman.  Sandy decided to leave a career in the arts to move back to Texas and start an olive orchard, inspired by her time in the Mediterranean.  Today, Sandy’s orchard is home to thousands of olive trees, and her business sells everything from olive almond brittle to lip balm.

Pam Schreiber on her farm. USDA partnered with Pam as she received her organic certification.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Pam Schreiber, owner of Eight Mile Creek Farm, while traveling in New York.  In 2005, Pam set out to build her own diversified agricultural business, all while raising her three children.  She had no previous background in farming, but it was her deep connection to the land that inspired her to get started. She now produces more than 30 different kinds of fruits and vegetables, certified organic grass-fed beef, organic pork, organic heritage chicken, and cage-free organic eggs.

This month, I met with a new farmer from Georgia, Casey Cox.  Casey grew up in my hometown of Camilla, Ga., and returned home after college to work for the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District.  She’s also working on her family farm – learning the ropes in her family’s vegetable, grain, peanut, and timber operation.  Casey’s passion is not just cultivating crops but also enhancing the process of agriculture by innovating in the field.

USDA continues to partner with these women to help them get started and grow their businesses. Women’s History Month is a great time to shine light on the hard work women in agriculture do each and every day. Agriculture is an incredibly rewarding career path and I hope these stories will inspire more women to enter into the field of agriculture in the future.

Casey Cox on her family farm. USDA partnered with Casey’s farm through the EQIP and AWEP programs, which (among other things) helps farmers optimize water use through emerging technologies.