News and Events from the U.S. Commercial Service in Fargo, North Dakota

 

World Trade News and Events - September 2017

Newsletter of the U.S. Commercial Service in Fargo, North Dakota

LOCAL NEWS AND EVENTS
- Carter Pedersen Departs the U.S. Commercial Service / North Dakota
- Early Bird Deadline October 6 - NAFTA & Three U.S. Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) Seminar - October 17, 2017
- SABIT Delegation Visits North Dakota - Eurasia Trade and Investment
- Big Iron Draws Visitors from 15 Nations
- Congressman Kevin Cramer's visit to Kazakhstan
- North Dakota - State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) Award 
- Canada 150th Anniversary Celebration

NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS
- Free Disaster Services listing Opportunity 
- The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITARs)
- Brazil Imposes a 20% Tariff on U.S. Ethanol 
- EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic an Trade Agreement (CETA)

WEBINARS
- Aerospace and Defense Supplier Summit (A & DSS) -  October 18, 2017

LOCAL NEWS AND EVENTS 

Carter Pedersen departs the U.S. Commercial Service / North Dakota
Carter Pedersen, a recent Business Administration graduate of North Dakota State University, worked for the U.S. Commercial Service / North Dakota and North Dakota District Export Council from August 2016 to September 2017 as an Export Assistant. Carter will be joining the WCCO Belting as their Marketing Information Manager, using market research skills learned as an Export Assistant. The Export Assistant position is also supported by the North Dakota Trade Office.

Early Bird Deadline October 6 - NAFTA & Three U.S. Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) Seminar
Please join us at the Introduction to NAFTA & 3 New U.S. FTAs seminar on Tuesday, October 17, and learn first-hand from Mike Allocca of the Allocca Enterprises how to use the NAFTA Rules of Origin (a.k.a. Annex 401) and 3 U.S. FTAs with Colombia, Panama and South Korea. This seminar will help you be in full compliance with all NAFTA regulations and avoid unnecessary NAFTA penalties. Click here to learn more about this seminar. Register now

SABIT Delegation Visits North Dakota - Eurasia Trade and Investment
The U.S. Department of Commerce funded SABIT program brought a delegation of 20 Eurasian agribusiness professionals to North Dakota and Northwest Minnesota from September 2-6, including delegates from Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Moldova and Ukraine. During their stay in the region, the delegates visited agricultural machinery companies, farms, dealerships and even the Northwest Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion in Rollag, MN. They took part in the networking reception hosted by SABIT and CS North Dakota. For more information on SABIT, visit their website or Facebook page.

Big Iron Draws Visitors From 15 Nations
A group of agribusiness leaders and officials from the government and U.S. Embassies from 15 countries participated in the Big Farm Machinery Show in Fargo. During their week-long stay, delegation members toured various regional agricultural companies, and they took part in agriculture seminars led by North Dakota State University Extension personnel which covered topics on growing soybeans, corn and cereal grains as well as animal husbandry (livestock). Click here for more details.

Congressman Kevin Cramer's visit to Kazakhstan
U.S. House Representative Kevin Cramer was designated by President Donald Trump to attend the EXPO International Fair on "Future Energy" in Astana on August 28, 2017. During the visit, the Congressman stressed that he is honored to help represent the interests of North Dakota and the United States while attending the Expo 2017. Click here to read more information about the Congressman's visit to Kazakhstan.  

North Dakota - State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) Award
The U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of International Trade has awarded the North Dakota Trade Office (NDTO) a $228,225 grant to assist North Dakota small companies in export expansion. The objectives of STEP program include but not limited to services provided by the U.S. ND CS. Click here to learn more about the STEP program. The STEP program is managed at the national level by the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of International Trade. See the full list of STEP awardees for FY2017.

Canada 150th Anniversary Celebration
Fargo Moorhead and West Fargo Chamber of Commerce hosted Canada's sesquicentennial celebration on September 22, 2017. In a gift exchange, Consul General Khawar Nasim presented Governor Doug Burgum with paintings resembling building and strengthening the Canada/ND partnership. Click here to read the full article.

NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Free Disaster Services listing Opportunity
The U.S. Commercial Service has partnered with ECHO Splashlink to link businesses to areas hit by natural disasters. SplashLinks' proprietary Emergency Notification and Response System expedites the deployment of materials, equipment and services to disaster-affected communities for restoring water and wastewater services. To sign up or learn more about their services click here. 

The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITARs)
A frequently asked compliance question among government contract firms is whether they are required to register under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)? ITAR are the State Department controls that regulate defense products, technical data and services. Williams Mullen, a regionally based, full-service law firm provides an ITAR overview that explains in detail what companies need to know about ITAR. Also, the ITAR resource covers topics on the ITAR registration procedure and penalties for ITAR violations. Please click here to view the Williams Mullen post.

 

Brazil Imposes a 20% Tariff on U.S. Ethanol
Brazil, the largest ethanol export market for American producers imposed a 20% tariff on U.S. ethanol on August 23, 2017. The tariff was imposed by Brazil's Chamber of Foreign Trade, and is reported to be in place for the next two years. Click here to read the full article. Also of note, Brazil's largest corn-only ethanol production facility opened during the first week of August 2017. For more reading, please click here. 

EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic an Trade Agreement (CETA)
On Thursday, 21 September, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the European Union and Canada entered into force provisionally. Now Canadian companies have much greater access to one of the world's largest markets and over 98 percent of Canadian goods will be able to enter the EU zone without tariffs. What will this mean for North Dakota companies? Click here to learn more about the CETA.

WEBINARS

Aerospace and Defense Supplier Summit (A & DSS)
Date: October 18, 2017
Time: 11:00 am (Eastern)
Location: Seattle, Washington
Cost: FREE, but pre-registration is required

This is a great opportunity for companies in aerospace industry to meet with potential partners. For more information please click here.

---

Your U.S. Commercial Service / North Dakota Office 

	Heather Ranck Office Director and International Trade Specialist Ph: 701-239-5080 Email: Heather.Ranck@trade.gov
	Bryan Starner Export Assistant Ph: 701-239-5033 Email: Bryan.Starner@trade.gov
	Joseph Mwagura Export Assistant Ph: 701-239-5033 Email: Joseph.Mwagura@trade.gov

---

US Commercial Service | United States Department of Commerce | 811 Second Ave. N | Suite 436 | Fargo | ND | 58102