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International trade boosts Iowa’s economy

By Staff | Sep 23, 2011

International trade is an important contributor to economic prosperity in Iowa.

While some parts of the world economy are sluggish, Iowa’s agricultural products remain highly marketable and continue to sell well abroad.

This summer, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and Iowa Department of Economic Development Director Debi Durham announced that the international demand for Iowa’s agricultural output remains very strong and is growing.

They cited recently released numbers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture showing that Iowa exported $7.04 billion in agricultural goods in fiscal year 2010.

“Iowa remains the number two state for ag exports as international demand remains strong and our corn, soybeans and meat products have a great reputation around that world,” Northey said in a statement released by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in late July.

“As countries in Asia continue to develop and incomes rise, I expect our exports to continue to grow.”

The good news for Iowa farmers is that not only is demand for Iowa’s products strong, it is once again increasing.

in 2010 grew about 8 percent up from $6.55 billion in 2009.

The more than $7 billion in exports in 2010 is still not as robust as the $7.38 billion in 2008, but the trend is clearly in the right direction.

Northey and Durham are working closely with other state officials to strengthen the picture for already favorable export situation.

“IDED is committed to helping Iowa companies find new international outlets for their products as increasing trade is key to economic recovery and job creation,” Durham said.

Farm News applauds that commitment to marketing Iowa’s agricultural products and strongly backs the carefully crafted initiatives being pursued by Northey, Durham and other officials in the agencies they lead.