Opinion: Consider Exporting Your Fresh Produce
February 10, 2014 
David Eddy, Senior Western Editor, American Vegetable Grower
Ordinarily I don’t point out stories in the magazine because I figure you’ll probably see them as you go through the pages. But I have to make an exception this time, because in talking to miniature pumpkin grower Dylan Wells — a member of that nice looking family on the cover — I learned some details about an exceptional program.
Believe it or not, it’s a government program. I was reminded of that famous quote from President Ronald Reagan on how government programs affect agriculture, so I looked it up. Reagan had been traveling abroad, talking to people in business about agricultural subsidies, and said: “There seems to be an increasing awareness of something we Americans have known for some time: that the 10 most dangerous words in the English language are, ‘Hi, I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’”
Wells, who farms in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, could not have been more enthusiastic about a program run by the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA). It’s funded through USDA’s Market Access Program to help increase U.S. exports. In fact, Wells was so enamored with the program that he just wished he had heard about it earlier.
The program has enabled the family’s company, Autumn Harvest, to make solid connections with buyers down in Mexico. The Wells have ventured down to Mexico with international trade specialists from WUSATA four times. Each time the agency has set up meetings and provided translators. “We couldn’t have done it without them,” says Wells. “They take a huge planning burden off our company, and they know the market so well they can help you out during the meetings.”
Wells says he recommends WUSATA to any grower who asks him about exports. The trade specialists would meet with Wells each morning in the hotel lobby, and off they’d go to a meeting with buyers. Wells didn’t have to find the buyers, he didn’t have to set up the meeting, nothing. He didn’t even have to speak Spanish, as WUSATA provides translators.
You don’t have to be a big grower in order to participate. In fact, David Anderson, a trade specialist who has worked with Wells, says most growers are eligible and the emphasis is on smaller growers who might not otherwise export their produce. You don’t have to be a western grower, as there are three other regional programs serving growers in the rest of the country. The best way to get started, says Anderson, is to call your state’s Department of Agriculture.
To take advantage of the program, you don’t necessarily even have to travel. These agencies bring groups of foreign buyers into various regions of the country. In fact, there might be a group of hungry buyers on their way to your region soon. You might want to check it out.
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