Report Date: April 2017
Approximately 30 individuals interested in learning more about the food exporting industry attended a “Foundations of Food Exporting Seminar" that was organized by the Food Export Association of the Midwest and DATCP's International Agribusiness Center. The all-day event was held April 20, 2017 in Appleton and was led by Dennis Lynch, a Food Export Helpline counselor who has been directly involved in monitoring, troubleshooting, and facilitating export transactions for more than 25 years.
During the seminar, companies were introduced to crucial information for exporting products, including the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which customs authorities worldwide use to identify products for tariffs, duties, and quotas. Details related to types of tariffs and trade agreements that affect the type or amount of a tariff were also covered. Attendees also learned how to price their products in the international market by applying export-pricing strategies that account for transportation costs of the product.
Modes of transportation were discussed, and Lisa Waller, vice president of BDG International, informed attendees of logistics services in exporting. She described freight-forwarding, which is the process of helping exporters in moving cargo overseas. She emphasized the importance of understanding the legalities of the country a company wishes to export to, and MCT Dairies talked about their own experiences with exporting their products to various countries around the world. Additionally, commercial banker Tom Beube from Wintrust helped explain some of the services a bank provides in facilitating the relationship between the importer and exporter.
Attendees reported that they came away from the seminar with a wealth of information and ideas that will be helpful in their efforts to grow their food exporting businesses. One attendee said that they “found the BDG and the banking sessions to be extremely helpful. It is not hard to understand why the thought of exporting could strike fear in a small company about the complexity of the transaction and risk." Another attendee commented that they are “new to the exporting business and this seminar was extremely educational for our company. We look forward to taking part in more of the events that you offer."
The Food Export Association of the Midwest USA (Food Export-Midwest) and Food Export USA-Northeast (Food Export-Northeast) are non-profit organizations composed of 22 Midwestern and Northeastern state agricultural promotion agencies that use federal, state, and industry resources to help U.S. suppliers increase product sales overseas. These services include export promotion, customized export assistance, and a cost share funding program.
Since 1966, the International Agribusiness Center at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has provided export assistance to Wisconsin's food and agriculture industry. Services include export education, market access support and development, and promotion.