The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is a partner with every aspect of the U.S. agricultural community - forest, field and stream - in promoting the growth of overseas markets for U.S. agricultural products. This partnership is vital to the continuing development of new markets and the maintenance of developed markets as recipients of the quality products that the U.S. agricultural community raises.

A history of this public-private partnership is available on this page. It will describe the evolution of the program, the philosophy behind it, what drove its creation and how it works. Information on the relationship between FAS and U.S. agriculture, the funding history and the benefits to the U.S. economy and the farm community is also included.

For a complete history of this relationship that has benefited not only U.S. agriculture but the U.S. economy, please download to public/private partnership and read all about it.