The Obama administration’s “Made in Rural America” regional forums to help rural entrepreneurs gain more access to U.S. government export programs will begin in western Pennsylvania in June, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said today.

Vilsack made the statement at an Export-Import Bank conference at which he also called on Congress to reauthorize the bank, citing its importance to rural America.

The Ex-Im Bank, he said, offers insurance for exports in which banks would not provide financing without a guarantee of payment.

“Those kinds of programs are extremely important,” Vilsack said.

The secretary also noted that there will be USDA trade missions to China in the spring and to Thailand and Malaysia in the fall.

A USDA official also said that the components of the “Made in Rural America” initiative are:

• Host five “Made in Rural America” regional forums;
• Provide export training to USDA Rural Development business programs staff, helping them provide better support to businesses they already work with throughout rural America;
• Expand the reach of the Commerce Department’s U.S. Export Assistance Center deeper in rural America, in part by collaboration with USDA field staff;
• Better promote rural-produced goods and services at trade events including trade missions, buyer programs, trade shows, and other promotion programs;
• Work with partners at the National Association of Counties to educate community leaders on the importance of rural exports;
• Use the BusinessUSA platform to connect rural businesses with export and investment resources.

▪ Export-Import Bank of the United States ▪ White House — Fact Sheet: Made in Rural America Initiative