Your browser is not supported, please use a recommended browser here.
4-12-2023
SUSTA Celebrates Golden Anniversary
This newsletter comes on the heels of SUSTA’s annual Spring Meeting held just a few weeks ago. It was a special milestone meeting, marking SUSTA’s 50th Anniversary! The theme of the meeting is our pledge to you – “I’m in for the Next 50!”
Marketing representatives from our member States’ Departments of Agriculture gathered in New Orleans, along with the SUSTA staff, where we heard from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and other partners supporting our trade promotion activities. We discussed closing out the 2022 program year, the start of the 2023 program year – which I am happy to report is off to a solid start – and we even began preparing for the 2024 program year. Furthermore, given the theme of the meeting, we looked out on the horizon as to how we can continue to expand and improve SUSTA’s services to help your company grow in the international market.
As I mentioned, 2023 is starting strong.A few comments we’ve received already from companies like yours:
I plan on being one of the first people to sign up next year and will be there again.This is a great way for me to see several customers cost effectively.
It would be impossible to exhibit at this show as a small company on my own. It's not only important for new sales, but, to maintain my presence with international customers.
Great value for the cost, …. We look forward to participate in the next event.
This was my first time to attend an international trade show. … I considered this event to be one of the most beneficial to my business than any other opportunity I can think of.
At SUSTA, our mission since 1973 has been to help Southern region companies meet the rising global demand for high-quality U.S. food and agricultural products. Exports are a vital economic engine for the food and farm sector and our region; after all, 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the U.S.
According to the USDA, for every dollar utilized through market development programs like those administered by SUSTA, the return is $24 in additional U.S. food and agricultural exports. Those additional export sales go to the companies’ bottom line. That is why our Global Events and 50% CostShare programs are good investments for USDA and our Southern State Departments of Agriculture - and why participating is good for your company.
We have a full schedule for the rest of 2023. There are activities, markets, and opportunities for every type of company, from first time exporter – including export readiness training and market consultations with in-country experts – to the seasoned veteran. Be sure to go to your MySUSTA account and check out our offerings, from in-bound missions where buyers come to the Southern region, to world class trade shows, to outbound missions to target markets.
Also, if you haven’t already done so, be sure to complete your 2022 surveys. We are wrapping up the evaluation of our 2022 program year. Your responses help us find the best opportunities for you to market your products internationally and helps us measure the effectiveness of SUSTA’s investment in supporting your export marketing. These surveys are why we know that for every dollar invested there’s a return of $24 in export sales.
Be assured in this Golden Anniversary year, SUSTA is “in for the next 50” – we sincerely hope you are too!
