Aug 30, 2019

U.S. exporters join Under Secretary McKinney on Canada trade mission

U.S. fruit exporters plan to join U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney on a trade mission to Canada Sept. 3-6

“With the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) poised for passage, this is a great time for U.S. agricultural exporters to be shoring up ties with our neighbors to the north,” McKinney said in a press release. Participants will meet with current and potential customers in Toronto and Montreal.

Some of the fruit-related associations and companies that plan on participating are:

1. American Peanut Council, Alexandria, Va.
2. American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute, Benson, N.C.
3. B & R Farms, LLC, Hollister, Calif.
4. Bard Valley Date Growers, Yuma, Ariz.
5. California Cherry Marketing & Research Board, Sacramento, Calif.
6. California Pear Advisory Board, Sacramento, Calif.
7. California Prune Board, Roseville, Calif.
8. California Strawberry Commission, Watsonville, Calif.
9. G&B Growers, Lynden, Wash.
10. Northwest Wine Coalition, Seattle, Wash.
11. RainSweet Inc., Salem, Ore.
12. Raisin Administrative Committee, Fresno, Calif.
13. Royal Ridge Fruits, Royal City, Wash.
14. Simonian Fruit Company, Fowler, Calif.
15. Washington Apple Commission, Wenatchee, Wash.
16. Wine Institute, San Francisco, Calif.
17. Western United States Agricultural Trade Association, Vancouver, Wash.

McKinney will also be joined by Maine Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Amanda Beal, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring, and officials from the Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin departments of agriculture.

Above, USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agriculture Affairs Ted McKinney speaks about “The Current State and Future of U.S. Ag Trade: Challenges and Opportunities” at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C., March 14, 2019. Photo: USDA/Preston Keres