Historically, Congress has mandated programs to help U.S. exporters compete with subsidies provided by other countries, to assist with financing for exports where credit is a constraint, or to promote U.S. agricultural exports. The enacted farm law repeals legislative authority for the major export subsidy program, but extends authority for a smaller program that subsidizes dairy product exports. Funded by using the borrowing authority of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), the farm bill agricultural export programs are administered by the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In the 2002 farm bill ( P.L. Four CCC export credit guarantee programs were authorized in the 2002 farm bill. Export Market Development

The 2002 farm bill authorized four programs to promote U.S. agricultural products in overseas markets, including the Market Access Program (MAP), the Foreign Market Development Program (FMDP), the Emerging Markets Program (EMP), and the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Program (TASC). The 2008 farm bill extends FMDP through FY2012 without change in the funding authorization. Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops

TASC aims to assist U.S. specialty crop exports by providing funds for projects that address sanitary, phytosanitary, and technical barriers that prohibit or threaten U.S. speciality crop exporters.
Agricultural exports, which are forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reach $108.5 billion in 2009, are an important source of employment, income, and purchasing power in the U.S. economy. Programs that deal with U.S. agricultural exports are a major focus of Title III, the trade title, in the new omnibus farm bill, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-246, H.R. 6124). The enacted farm bill repeals the major U.S. export subsidy program, and reauthorizes and changes a number of programs that assist with financing U.S. agricultural exports or that help develop markets overseas. Changes include modifying export credit guarantee programs to conform with U.S. commitments in the World Trade Organization (WTO), making organic products eligible for export market development programs, and increasing the funds available to address sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to U.S. specialty crop exports.
International food aid programs are the other major focus of the farm bill trade title. For a discussion of farm bill changes in food aid programs, see CRS Report RS22900, International Food Aid Provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill.