Before the baby food shortages, skyrocketing gas prices, and low inventories of new and used vehicles — the issue of the day was high lumber prices.

No doubt, lumber prices have been at record levels the past couple years, but, for lumber buyers, some relief is on the way. Like many commodity industries, lumber markets experienced the “perfect” (or worse?) storm of demand/supply and its certainly not a question of “gouging”. How did we get here and what can we expect in the future?

The appetite for Mississippi’s packaged agricultural products overseas is expected to grow along with packaged produce from other Southern states over the next decade.

This presents potentially lucrative opportunities for Mississippi’s small specialty farmers and packagers, says Jerry Hingle, executive director of the Southern United States Trade Association, a non-profit agricultural export trade development organization comprised of the Departments of Agriculture of Mississippi and 14 other states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Various geographic regions of the United States have their own agricultural trade export association.

There is good news and bad news concerning next year’s projected U.S. agriculture exports. The bad news is the U.S. Department of Agriculture expects a decrease in exports in 2014 compared to 2013. The good news is USDA foresees 2014’s exports just missing this year’s activity, which was an all-time record.

“Each time a country lowers its import tariffs, we see an immediate and direct increase in interest in that country for food and agricultural products from our region. I can only imagine the boon to our industry if tariffs were reined in globally.”

-Southern U.S. Trade Association Executive Director Jerry Hingle

The Farm Bill currently making its way through Congress is important to everyone who lives and works in Florida because it provides critical support to one of the pillars of the state’s economy: international trade.

Paul Prudhomme is one of America’s most famous chefs – he has cooked for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W Bush, and has won almost every fine-dining culinary award that the United States has to offer.

But here in an industrial suburb of New Orleans, far away from the white tablecloths, he is munching happily on lavender pods from a giant rubber dustbin.

The last few years have been ripe for U.S. vintners. Wine exports have surged 64% since 2007.

by Trevor Williams | December 20, 2012

When Ron Kirk addressed the Metro Atlanta Chamber this month, there likely wasn’t a farmer in the room. Yet one of the brightest statements woven into the U.S. trade rep’s speech on national problems like the fiscal cliff and K-12 education was his assessment of agricultural exports.

Even with a historic drought, America is on pace for its best year ever for selling food, timber, meat and plants overseas. U.S. ag exports hit $137 billion in 2011 and were up 2 percent through October compared to the same period last year, even as export growth slowed overall.

By BRAD HAIRE

U.S. farm exports are experiencing a golden age, but Jerry Hingle says that open door of global opportunity for U.S. agriculture could narrow or even close if not properly maintained. Many countries are looking to squeeze through it ahead of the U.S., if given the chance. “Right now we are blowing and going strong overseas. … And we need to keep riding that wave,” says Hingle, executive director of the Southern United States Trade Association who is based in New Orleans.