U.S. farm exports remain strong

Economic conditions in our country over the past several years have been challenging. Available jobs in most areas are scarce, and securing one of those jobs is a difficult task.

This is perhaps the most "economically dismal" period that most of us can remember.

The mid-1980's was likely a more devastating economic time for most farm folks when the land values halved in just a couple of years. This put everyone, whose most valuable asset was land, quickly into an unexpected -- often unsolvable -- financial bind. Some longtime and very capable farmers and ranchers, as well as the shorter term folks, were either forced out of their agricultural occupation, or forced to restructure their businesses significantly during those years.

One of the factors that has helped to stabilize most ag ventures through the recent cycle is the continued strong showing for exports of ag products.

Last year's figures were recently evaluated by USDA economists. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the following statement regarding data released recently showing U.S. farm exports reached a record $136.3 billion in calendar year 2011:

"The data released by USDA represents a record-breaking calendar year for farm exports, demonstrating-once again that American agriculture remains a bright spot in our nation's economy. We saw a rise in both the value and volume of U.S. agricultural exports worldwide in 2011, as international sales rose $20.5 billion over the previous record set in calendar year 2010. Total agricultural exports for calendar year 2011 were a robust $136.3 billion.

"These figures indicate how demand for the American brand of agriculture continues to soar worldwide, supporting good jobs for Americans across a variety of industries such as transportation, renewable energy, manufacturing, food services and on-farm employment. During the past few years, the U.S. farm sector has continued to support and create jobs on a consistent basis, strengthening an American economy that's built to last. Every $1 billion in agricultural exports supports 8,400 American jobs, meaning that U.S. farm exports helped support more than 1.1 million U.S. jobs in 2011.

"And that gets to the innovation of our American farmers, ranchers and growers. American agriculture continues to apply the latest in technology and achieve a nearly unparalleled level of productivity. In fact, U.S. agriculture is the second-most productive sector of our economy in the past few decades outside of information technology.

"Exports of almost all major U.S. commodities rose in calendar year 201l. Grains were the biggest contributor to the overall record, reaching an all-time high of $37.7 billion, a $9.2 billion increase over 2010.

"Cotton experienced the biggest year-to-year increase, up 44 percent from 2010, reaching a record $8.5 billion. Dairy and pork exports also set records in 2011, reaching $4.8 billion and $6 billion, respectively.

"Another success story is U.S. beef exports. Last year, the United States exported an all-time high of $5.4 billion worth of beef and beef products, surpassing the previous record by more than $1.6 billion. The volume of shipments also surpassed the 2003 levels, the last year before a detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Washington State disrupted U.S. trade. The return to pre-2003 levels marks an important milestone in USDA's steadfast efforts to open and expand international markets. Despite this progress, restrictions continue to constrain exports to many of our key markets and we remain fully committed to breaking down those trade barriers."

The latest export data is available via the Global Agricultural Trade System at http://www.fas.usda.gov/data.asp.

EVENT NOTICE: Local ag and conservation groups are promoting a No-Till Field Day, Thursday, March 29, 11:30 a.m., at the Wayne Peck farm; two miles east of U.S. Highway 69 on Jayhawk (Catt School) Road, then 1.5 miles south on 240th. Call ahead at (620) 756-1000 to reserve your lunch sponsored by AGChoice of Hepler.