American Soybean Association (ASA) Director Joe Steinkamp called on Congress to double funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) programs, testifying in a hearing today to the effectiveness and necessity of export promotion programs in expanding U.S. agriculture exports.

Testifying on behalf of ASA, the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports and the Agribusiness Coalition for Foreign Market Development before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, Steinkamp touted agricultural exports as the strongest positive contributor to the U.S. trade balance and highlighted the need to increase funding for these programs.

“Despite the tremendous growth in U.S. agricultural exports, the effective level of federal funding that reaches the agricultural cooperators carrying out market development work has steadily eroded,” said Steinkamp, who farms in Evansville, Ind., and also serves as an Indiana Soybean Alliance director.

Steinkamp specifically urged Congress to increase funding for MAP to $400 million annually and for FMD to $69 million annually, with the increases phased in as part of the next Farm Bill.

“Increasing exports is a significant tool to improve the lives of America’s farmers and ranchers while creating jobs, expanding the farm economy and the larger U.S. economy, and increasing revenues to the Treasury,” Steinkamp testified. “The FMD and MAP programs have been critically important to this success.”
According to USDA’s Economic Research Service, the $150 billion in U.S. agricultural exports that occurred in 2014 supported 1.1 million full time U.S. civilian jobs, representing 7,550 jobs for every $1 billion of agricultural export revenue.

“Agricultural exports are one the brightest lights in the U.S. economy, with a strong multiplier effect that is especially pronounced in rural communities” testified Steinkamp as he reiterated his call to double funding for export promotion programs.

For a full copy of Steinkamp’s testimony, please contact the ASA Washington office.