USDBC Response to COVID-19

We, like all of our fellow agricultural trade groups, are impacted by the spread of the novel Coronavirus, figuring out creative ways of moving forward in this new paradigm. Due to the fact that we already run the majority of our operations remotely, we have been able to keep our programs running at 100% with very little adjustment. With all global trade shows and our own trade missions cancelled through the end of May and likely longer, we are working hard to move our programs to digital platforms and create new and innovative content to keep our US beans front and center around the world.

What will this look like? Expect to see enhanced social media, new recipe features, new global websites in some of our countries/regions, and webinars, among other things. Some of our global reps will be taking on new and enhanced roles in their respective regions as it will take a lot of initial work to make this transition and keep these programs going.

We also know that global demand for dry beans is sky rocketing and here in the U.S. and in many other countries, our beans are flying off of shelves. As agriculture is a critical industry, our growers and traders and our supply chain are all going at full capacity and getting ready for planting season. We are ready to meet the demand. We are keeping a close eye on transportation and infrastructure required to keep global trade flowing and how this might impact the ability to move our products around the world. While there have been some delays and may be others forthcoming, we are confident that things will keep moving and we will be doing our part to ensure that happens including voicing our endorsement of critical U.S. government programs that support agriculture and trade. Please check our website for more information and keep checking back for updates.