July 18, 2023 
USAEDC Chair Jim Sutter thanks keynote speaker Liz Moskow following her address at the Attaché Seminar.
McLean, Virginia – Last week, the U.S. Agricultural Export Development Council (USAEDC) held its annual Attaché Seminar on July 12 and 13, hosting a slate of dynamic speakers as well as one-on-one meetings between its members and foreign service officers stationed throughout the world.
USAEDC, a trade association whose membership is comprised of organizations that promote U.S. agricultural products internationally, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. USAEDC holds two seminars annually and acts as a bridge between its membership and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service.
To mark this milestone, the seminar’s theme focused on the past, present, and future of agriculture. Food futurist Liz Moskow of Bread & Circus Ltd. delivered a keynote address on Thursday, delving into food trends and consumer behavior. An interagency panel featured USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor and Ambassador Doug McKalip, Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Shawna Morris, Senior Vice President of Trade Policy for the U.S. Dairy Export Council and National Milk Producers Federation, moderated the panel.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to hear from Under Secretary Taylor and Ambassador McKalip and learn how they are collaborating to increase global opportunities for U.S. agriculture,” said USAEDC Executive Director Lorena Alfaro. “Our members are eager to expand on their partnership with the U.S. agencies that open doors to more trade opportunities for American agriculture in foreign markets.”
Thursday’s agenda also included a look at the past and present of the Foreign Agricultural Service with Administrator Daniel Whitley and former FAS Administrator Sue Heinen, and a peek into the future as USAEDC’s newly released Strategic Plan was unveiled. Laura Geller, the outgoing FAS attaché stationed in Ukraine, and Paul Harrison, Director of the Office of Agricultural Policy for the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, discussed the conflict in Ukraine and what it means for global agriculture. Rounding out the agenda were breakout sessions covering agricultural groups’ work in Africa, opportunities in the European Union, sustainability, logistics, and trade data.
Jim Sutter, who is USAEDC Board Chair and CEO of the U.S. Soybean Export Council, noted: “This meeting is unique because it provides our members and Foreign Agricultural Service officers with valuable face time to discuss the issues our industries encounter in export markets. Our partnership is crucial to building on the export successes that U.S. agriculture has enjoyed thus far, and we look forward to working with our colleagues to continue that growth.”
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USAEDC’s members are U.S. commodity trade associations, farmer cooperatives, and state regional trade groups that represent the export promotion interests of growers and processors of virtually all U.S. agricultural products. Members collaborate closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) to increase worldwide knowledge, preference, and demand for U.S. agricultural exports.