Continued market growth is important to U.S. agriculture. The recently awarded Agricultural Trade Promotion funds allow organizations like the U.S. Meat Export Federation to continue doing that in a challenging time for trade. In the latest round of payments, the USMEF received $10 million. President and CEO Dan Halstrom says those funds are being used to sharpen competitiveness for U.S. products in countries like Japan. “The additional ATP funds allow us to a few things like offering broader programs on the retail level. We can also use the funding for longer periods of time.” With the funds, Halstrom says USMEF is trying to balance opportunity expansion in well-established markets and investigating a future in emerging markets. “Central America and South America aren’t new markets, but they are developing markets. These funds can help us accelerate the progress. We are also investing in new markets like Africa.” So far, USDA says the USMEF received more than $27.5 million via the ATP program. Listen to the interview.