Transcript Made in Rural America”

White House Rural Council
“Made in Rural America”
USDA-RD PRESENTATION TO NACO
WESTERN INTERSTATE REGION
ANCHORAGE, AK MAY 22, 2014
“I’m directing my administration to launch a new
“Made in Rural America”
Initiative to help more rural businesses expand
and hire and sell more products stamped
Made in the USA to the rest of the world”
President Barack Obama, February 7, 2014
Trade and investment
are critical to
growth and the health of our economy
 More than 95% of consumers and 80% of projected
growth in middle-class consumers over the next
few years are outside the United States.
 Companies across the United States are seizing the
opportunity to make global sales. Exports drove
nearly one-third of U.S. economic growth since
2009.
 American businesses have driven record exports for
four consecutive years, reaching $2.3 trillion in
2013.
 Exports now support 11.3 million jobs throughout
the United States. Every $1 billion in U.S. exports
supports 5000 U.S. jobs.
2013 was a record year for exports of American food and
agricultural products at $148 billion.
According to the Council of Economic Advisors,
overall U.S. net farm income for 2013 was $131
billion, a 46% increase from 2008 when
adjusted for inflation, the highest since 1973.
President Obama stated: “We’ve had the strongest
stretch of farm exports in our history. We are selling
more stuff to more people than ever before. What we
grow here and what we sell is huge boost to the
entire economy, but particularly the rural economy”
Its time to build on the success of
agricultural exports and expand to
other rural goods and services.
 For many small rural businesses entering the export
market is challenging.
 They are often unaware both of the opportunity and the
federal resources supporting exports.
 Ensuring that rural companies can capitalize on
international opportunities to grow their business is
key to advancing economic growth in rural areas
 A strong rural economy is essential to our nation’s
overall economic health.
At the signing of the Farm Bill in February
President Obama announced the “Made in Rural
America” initiative. It is based on the results of a
national fact finding tour of rural communities by
the White House Rural Council, which is chaired
by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Based on the tour, President Obama instructed the
Council to bring together federal resources to help
rural businesses and leaders take advantage of new
investment opportunities and access new
customers and markets abroad.
“I’m directing my administration to launch a new
“Made in Rural America” initiative to help more
rural businesses expand and hire and sell more
products stamped Made in the USA to the rest of
the world”
“Made in Rural America” commits to connecting
more rural businesses of all types to export
information and assistance through a
comprehensive strategy that involves the:
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U.S. Department of Agriculture,
U.S. Department of Commerce,
Small Business Administration,
Export-Import Bank
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
“Made in Rural America” is designed to
 Show the way for rural companies to export goods
and services by connecting them to information
and assistance.
 Meet rural businesses where they are and educate
local leaders on ways to export.
 Make sure more rural businesses of all types and
sizes can compete in the global economy.
Seven objectives for “Made in Rural America”
by the end of 2014

Host five “Made in Rural America” regional forums.
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Convene an “Investing in Rural America” conference
later this year to connect major investors with rural
business leaders, high-level government officials,
economic development experts, and other partners.
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Train local USDA Rural Development staff with the
tools they need to counsel businesses on export
opportunities and resources.
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Provide export counseling for rural businesses to connect
with foreign buyers through the U.S. Export Assistance
Center.
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Promote rural-produced goods and services at trade
missions, buyer programs, trade shows, and other
promotion programs.

Partner with the NACo to educate local leaders on the
importance of rural exports and to connect them with
federal export resources.
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Use the BusinessUSA online platform to better connect
rural businesses with export and investment resources.
Regional Forums
Five “Made in Rural America” regional forums will
be held. The forums will convene a significant
number of small and medium-sized businesses with
export potential, and local leaders and community
organizations, to provide tailored information on
global opportunities and export resources.
One of the biggest hurdles to a company starting to
export is understanding that it can be done and
ways to do it.
The forums will address that “fear factor” and lay
the groundwork for a local assistance network that
will support rural business growth into the global
marketplace.
The forums will help rural businesses identify
growth opportunities by finding new customers
overseas or by selling more to their existing
international customers.
They will showcase successful rural exporting
operations and examine hurdles associated with
rural exporting.
The regional forums will be held in the:
 Northeast,
 Southeast,
 Midwest,
 Pacific
Northwest, and
 Southwest.
Hosting Partners include the
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Appalachian Regional Commission,
Delta Regional Authority,
National Association of Counties,
federal field staff,
state regional trade groups, and
state governments.
The date, place and agenda for the first forum in the Northeast
is set, see handout.
Targeted Forums
The Administration intends supplement regional
forums with location-specific and issue-specific
forums. Supplemental forums will be limited by
local partner commitment and the capacity of
headquarters and local staff. Likely targeted
forums include: a Native America owned business
event; a Hawaii and Pacific region event; and
potentially a veteran-owned businesses.
Partnering with the Private Sector
Following the President’s announcement several
private companies have offered to join the effort and
potentially contribute resources including:
infrastructure by communications providers,
assistance from logistics firms, and transportation
assistance from freight service providers.
Thank You