Export Market Development for Agricultural Commodity Promotion Programs

Export market development activities are an integral part of today's agricultural marketing due to increasing competition worldwide. Marketing activities include promotion, advertising, and research financed by private and government-supported commodity groups. Cooperatives and private industry primarily market brand products but they also support generic promotion through legislated commodity programs. Federal and State agricultural commodity promotion programs are supported by growers and/or handlers, including cooperatives and their members. These legislated commodity programs promote domestically and overseas. Half of the 256 State checkoff programs reported export promotion expenditures totaling more than $27 million in 1986. Exporting cooperatives pay assessments to 59 State checkoff programs with export promotion expenditures. Four case studies detail effective export promotion programs.