Please Note: To be considered for the Madigan Award, a private sector entity must do one of the following:

• apply to become a member of the Board of Evaluators (see link to the application, below) or
• be nominated for it by the governor of a state.

Application for membership on the Board of Evaluators (.pdf)
Form AD 755: Advisory Committee Membership Background  Information (required)
Form SF-181: Ethnicity and Race Identification (optional)

Establishment

The Edward R. Madigan United States Agricultural Export was established by Congress in the Federal Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act of 1996. The award commemorates Edward R. Madigan who, as a congressman from Illinois and later as Secretary of Agriculture, played a major role in reshaping U.S. agricultural policy to enable farmers and ranchers to respond more effectively to market signals and pursue export opportunities.

Purpose

The Madigan Award is designed to help increase U.S. agricultural exports by:

• identifying efforts of U.S. entities to develop and expand markets through new products and services and innovative marketing techniques;
• recognizing achievements of those who have demonstrated or supported entrepreneurial efforts to expand and create new markets for, or increase the value or volume of, agricultural exports; and
• disseminating information on successful methods for developing and expanding markets for U.S. agricultural exports.

Categories

Entities may apply or be nominated for the Madigan Award in one of three categories:

• Development of new products or services for agricultural export markets;
• Development of new agricultural export markets; or
• Creative marketing of products or services in these markets

Qualification Criteria

To qualify for the Madigan Award, an entity must have:

• exhibited significant entrepreneurial effort to create new markets for, or to increase exports of, U.S. agricultural products; or
• provided significant assistance to others in creating new markets for, or increasing exports of, U.S. agricultural products.

In addition, entities must:

• not have received another award in the same category for 5 years; and
• meet other requirements that the Secretary of Agriculture deems appropriate.

Application Procedures

To be considered for the Madigan Award, an entity must apply to the board in writing or be nominated for it by the governor of a State.

Application Address

All applications and nominations should be sent to: Coordinator, Edward R. Madigan United States Agricultural Export Excellence Award, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, Office of Trade Programs, STOP 1020, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-1020.

Awards for Entrepreneurial Effort

Applications and nominations of entities that have exhibited significant entrepreneurial effort to create new markets for, or to increase exports of, U.S. agricultural products can include one or more of the following:

• statistical evidence of a substantial increase (by value or volume) in exports over the past 3 years
• information showing that exports constitute a significant share of the entity's total product sales or significantly exceed the industry average
• opening of a market previously closed to U.S. companies
• expansion of a market previously limited by difficult competitive conditions
• introduction of a new product or service to U.S. agricultural export trade
• key exporting difficulties that have been overcome
• details on foreign competition
• information about the entity's product(s) or service(s)
• the entity's market research and strategic planning
• the entity's international marketing program
• opening or expansion of a sales office to serve a foreign market
• information on organizations (financial institutions, freight forwarders, etc.) used in the entity's export operations
• a description of the development or expansion of the entity's distributor network and/or joint ventures
• participation in trade missions and shows.

Awards for Assistance in Entrepreneurial Effort

Applications and nominations of entities that have provided significant assistance to others in creating new markets for, or increasing exports of, U.S. agricultural products can include one or more of the following:

• a detailed description of service(s) provided to exporters
• information on innovative solutions to trade problems
• a description of promotional program(s)
• statistical evidence of the effectiveness of the service(s) or program(s).

Eligibility

The eligibility of an entity to receive the Madigan Award will be based on a background check to disclose such factors as that entity=s financial status, debarment or suspension from Government programs, and violations of Federal law as and regulations.

Board of Evaluators

The Secretary of Agriculture appoints a board of at least five individuals from the private sector, chosen for their knowledge and experience in exporting U.S. agricultural products, to evaluation applications and nominations for the Madigan Award.

The board meets at least once a year to evaluate all applications and nominations from the States. The board reports its recommendations for award recipients to the Secretary of Agriculture.

The members of the Board serve at the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture and at their own expense; they are not compensated for their services and do not receive per diem or travel funds.

Recipient Selection

On the basis of recommendations received from the board of evaluators, the President of the United States or the Secretary of Agriculture presents the award to entities that significantly contribute to the advancement of U.S. agricultural exports.

Frequency

The Madigan Award is presented to up to 12 recipients a year.

Publicity

Entities may publicize their receipt of the Madigan Award in advertisements and other materials.

Recipient Obligations

To help fulfill the purpose of the Madigan Award, recipients are expected to provide general information on export techniques they have found successful to interested parties.

Confidentiality

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will preserve the confidentiality of information about entities that falls under the categories of trade secrets, proprietary information, and privileged commercial or financial material.

For More Information

Contact Coordinator, Edward R. Madigan United States Agricultural Export Excellence Award, Foreign Agricultural Service, Office of Trade Programs, (202) 690-0752; E-mail: Dale.Miller@fas.usda.gov.