WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2018 -- The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today released an overview of the agency’s accomplishments in 2018 to support American farmers, ranchers and the farm-to-table supply chain. AMS achievements support Secretary Perdue’s primary goals including reducing regulatory burdens, improving customer service and enhancing consumers’ ability to make knowledgeable purchase decisions.
“American consumers trust the USDA grade shields and quality labels they see on a variety of products in the grocery store, from beef, poultry, eggs, and fruits and vegetables to the USDA Organic Seal,” said AMS Administrator Bruce Summers. “Farmers, ranchers, packers and shippers also count on our work to stay profitable using data from our Market News Reports, selling food to USDA for distribution to schools and needy families, and benefitting from our enforcement of fair-trading practices that ensure transparency and integrity in agricultural markets.”
In 2018 USDA successfully merged the Agricultural Marketing Service, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, and the Farm Service Agency’s Commodity Operations programs to better meet the needs of farmers, ranchers, producers, and consumers while improving customer service and maximizing efficiencies. The agency also expanded coordination with the Customs and Border Protection Service and federal food safety services to improve oversight of organic imports.
AMS staff contributed to USDA’s successful efforts to break down barriers and pursue export opportunities that resulted in new or expanded market access for numerous U.S. farm products in 2018. These included dairy and poultry to Canada under the USMCA, as well as lamb and goat meat to Japan, poultry to India and Namibia, lamb to El Salvador, beef and poultry to Morocco and Argentina, and dairy to Turkey.
AMS collaborated across USDA agencies to develop and implement a program to purchase $1.2 billion in targeted commodities to assist farmers and ranchers affected by unfair trade tariffs. The agency also increased transparency for American consumers by developing a national bioengineered food disclosure standard.
Read more about AMS’ successes in our end of year accomplishments report.
Learn more about the wide range of commodity and agricultural supply chain services and data on the AMS website.
Get the latest Agricultural Marketing Service news at www.ams.usda.gov/news or follow us on Twitter @USDA_AMS. You can also read about us on the USDA blog.
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