Ag Trade and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Peter Thornton International Marketing NCDA&CS

Total NC Ag Exports Exports double since tobacco buyout – Expect continued growth

Analog vs. Digital Hearts Local and Small Traditional Micro Face to face Rural Minds Global and Big Technology Macro Interface 2 Interface Urban

The Future’s Sweet Spot

What NC Ag Needs for Success in Trade The trade message delivered both ways at the county – Trade – Investment County relationships/dialog – Raleigh – Internationally County stories County input

True or False Products NC cannot export now will see significant export volumes, while we will see imports of products that normally hold 100% domestic market share. For example, NC strawberries will be purchase in Singapore and South Africa and NC buyers will have choices on sweet potatoes from five different countries.

NC Sweet Potato Exports to EU About 20% of Production - Expect to double in 3-5 years Prices and production at all time highs Industry counting on exports to address issue of oversupply Because of success, expecting USDA Sweet Potato Programs to start One time Appropriations Effect

NC Soybean Exports Soybean container exports raise basis by 70 ₵

True or False Consumers will expect through social media and internet searches complete knowledge and communication with farmers who produce their food. Farmers that embrace the technology will survive. Farmers that fight the technology will struggle to survive.

Specialty Foods Success Stories Potential Impact for over 500 family owned businesses Export sales measured in 40 foot containers Recent Successes include: – Bone Suckin’ in 60 countries – Texas Pete rapid expansion – Miss Jenny’s Pickles in China – Ginny ‘O’s in China

Tobacco Leaf Exports to China China counters worldwide smoking trends Currently China imports about 20% of total crop With CTI office in Raleigh, expect exports to double again Tobacco gets no USDA support, only NCDA

The Question is… What does 2022 look like? – In 1965 we used the postage stamp – In 1975 we used the telephone (rarely) – In 1985 we used the telex machine – In 1995 we used the fax machine – In 2005 we used on our PC – In 2015 we use wechat and snapchat – In 2022 it will be smaller, faster, more informed and closer than ever to the final consumer.

Future Trends Smaller and smaller world International Markets/Trade Next generation social media Mass Data Continued information explosion/demand Increased competition, increased opportunity You

International Markets for NC Differentiating North Carolina in an increasingly commoditized market will be the difference between success and failure Getting that message across will be more difficult with more competing information The final consumer will have to pay more for the products they want

A Weeks Worth of Groceries USA China Kuwait Sudan