The American Soybean Association (ASA), the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), and ASA’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) expressed strong support for the America First Trade Promotion Program (AFTPP) recently announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). This initiative, which establishes an estimated $285 million in funding for 2026, offers a timely and strategic opportunity to bolster U.S. soybean export development in non-traditional markets for American farmers.
“This funding mechanism reflects a clear commitment to expanding the global footprint of U.S. agriculture,” said ASA President Caleb Ragland. “For U.S. soybean growers, the AFTPP offers renewed momentum behind efforts to work with new markets, deepen existing relationships, and keep American-grown soy at the forefront of global feed and food chains.”
“USSEC welcomes the AFTPP as an important complement to established programs such as Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD),” said USSEC Chair Janna Fritz. “With the pool of resources increasing and an emphasis toward non-traditional markets, U.S. Soy exporters are well-positioned to leverage our proven supply chain, sustainability credentials and industry partnerships to capture next-generation growth.”
In coordination with USSEC and ASA, the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) also plays a vital role in emerging-market development through various capacity-building, education, and technical assistance initiatives on behalf of U.S. Soy.
“WISHH is excited about the potential of the AFTPP to empower new market opportunities, especially in regions where animal-feed and human-food protein demand are expanding,” said WISHH Chair Morey Hill. “Through strategic investments and partnerships enabled by USDA’s funding, U.S. Soy can deliver sustainable, high-quality nutrition solutions while supporting trade and global food-security goals.”
For U.S. soybean farmers, this source of funding will help accelerate efforts to diversify export destinations, strengthen value-added processing, highlight the sustainability profile of U.S. Soy, and reinforce supply-chain reliability for global customers.
By aligning resources toward strategic markets, the U.S. Soy industry stands to enhance its competitiveness and contribute to broader U.S. agricultural export efforts.
