Sioux City Times

In February, U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra from Hull cosponsored the Agriculture Export Promotion Act. This legislation, led by U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington, aims to double the funding for two key export promotion programs: the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD). The goal is to enhance exports of Iowa's agricultural products.

Representative Feenstra emphasized the importance of opening new export markets for Iowa farmers to increase demand and improve their financial outcomes. He expressed concerns over a lack of new trade agreements in recent years and criticized what he described as indifference towards Iowa farmers by previous administrations. "Opening new export markets for Iowa farmers is critical to increasing demand for Iowa agricultural products and putting more money in the pockets of our producers," said Rep. Feenstra.

Feenstra also mentioned his collaboration with Rep. Newhouse on this legislation as an effort to provide Iowa farmers access to new markets through increased funding for MAP and FMD. As a member of both the House Agriculture Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, he reiterated his commitment to supporting policies that expand export markets for Iowa's agricultural commodities.

The proposed legislation seeks to increase MAP funding from $200 million to $400 million annually, while FMD funding would rise from $34.5 million to $69 million per year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that programs like MAP and FMD add more than $8 billion in value to U.S. agricultural exports.