Marketing, Promotion & Grants

Expanding Illinois' Economy by Increasing Usage of Illinois Food and Agricultural Products

Since 1968, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) has actively and aggressively engaged in international market development and product promotion for the state’s food and agribusiness sectors.  Headquartered in Springfield, Illinois, the Department also maintains offices in Hong Kong and Mexico City to promote Illinois products worldwide.

Many of the Department’s services compliment other public and private market development efforts.  The Department maintains close contacts with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service to help Illinois firms gain access to federal marketing programs.  IDOA is a member of the Food Export Association of the Midwest USA, which helps coordinate export education and market entry opportunities for processed food and agricultural products from 12 Midwestern states.  The Department also works in partnership with many commodity organizations’ market development programs.

The United States Livestock Genetics Export, Inc., (USLGE), is a nationwide not-for-profit trade association representing the international marketing interest of the US dairy, beef, sheep, goat, swine and horse breeding industries. It is the branch of the USDA-FAS that distributes federal monies from the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) programs to member State Departments of Agriculture like IDOA.

IDOA’s Bureau of Marketing, Promotion and Grants activities that support Illinois exports are also listed below and include a compiled value for actual and projected sales. Values are obtained by collecting on-site and follow-up evaluations for activities we host, organize, or sponsor. Those activities are both domestic and international and include buyers’ missions, trade missions, domestic and international trade shows, industry tours, and other marketing activities.