|
Download the PDF
USGC DDGS Dairy Trial in Jordan Showed ‘Extremely Satisfactory’ Results – News Spreads Across Region
In November 2009, the U.S. Grains Council, in partnership with the Hammoudeh Dairy Farm, initiated a distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) feeding trial in Amman, Jordan. Results of the study, which completed last month, were “extremely satisfactory” with improvement in both daily milk production and cost savings on feed ingredients, according to Joe O’Brien, USGC regional director in the Middle East and Subcontinent.
“There is a significant amount of interest in DDGS in the region,” said O’Brien. “Only a few months into the test, purchases were made of U.S. DDGS along with U.S. corn and other U.S. commodities. Before this, no DDGS had been imported into Jordan.”
The Council estimates Jordan’s domestic use will exceed 100,000 metric tons per year.
Before the Council entered the market, there was little knowledge of the feed ingredient. For the past two years, the Council developed a relationship with the Hammoudeh farm, Jordan’s largest milk producer, providing market information and education on how to use and import the product.
“The Council’s success with introducing DDGS into Jordan is attributed to the relationship with Hammoudeh and the market development work of the Council. This cooperation and its success is a direct reflection of effective international marketing,” said Chris Corry, USCG senior director of international marketing.
A Dairy Field Day was held at the Hammoudeh Farm following the trial to showcase the use of DDGS in dairy farming throughout the Middle East. Representatives from all of Jordan’s commercial dairy producers were in attendance, along with importers and members of the academic community.
“The current and upcoming issues of Bovine & Ovine, a regional Middle East and North African dairy and agricultural publication, feature the Hammoudeh trial and use of U.S.-supplied DDGS and its benefits. News this valuable U.S.-supplied ingredient is becoming part of daily feed rations is now being spread across industry throughout this wide region,” said O’Brien.
US Chief Ag Negotiator to Speak at USGC Anniversary Meeting
Ambassador Islam A. Siddiqui, chief agricultural negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), will address more than 300 attendees during the U.S. Grains Council’s 50th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting July 19, 2010. The Ambassador is responsible for bilateral and multilateral negotiations and policy coordination regarding agricultural trade.
“We are pleased to have Ambassador Siddiqui speak to our membership about the happenings in the international marketplace,” said Thomas C. Dorr, USGC president and CEO. “He is in a key position in world trade negotiations and his insight will be of great benefit.”
Prior to his post at USTR, Ambassador Siddiqui served as vice president for science and regulatory affairs at CropLife America. There he was tasked with regulatory and international trade issues related to crop protection chemicals.
Want to see and hear the Ambassador’s remarks? Videos and presentations of the meeting speakers will be available on the Council’s website www.grains.org, thanks to a sponsorship from CLAAS of America Inc.
To find more information about the meeting and its speakers or to register, click here.
US Corn Products Sales Arise Shortly After Council Seminar
A 25,000 metric ton vessel carrying 15,000 tons of U.S. distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and 10,000 tons of U.S. corn gluten feed (CGF) arrived in Spain this week, closely following a U.S. Grains Council seminar held in May. The Council conducted DDGS and CGF promotional programs in selected European Union (EU) markets, including Spain and Ireland. The seminars brought together U.S. exporters with local major feed and livestock companies and key feed ingredient importers. Immediately following the meeting, Spanish importers requested prices from U.S. suppliers for bulk shipments of U.S. DDGS and CGF.
“Despite all the negative economic news coming out of Spain and the uncertainty of the Euro, the Council’s program in Spain brought some major interest from the Spanish feed industry,” said Cary Sifferath, USGC senior director in the Mediterranean and Africa. “Questions and discussions since the meeting have been flying at high speed.”
The vessel unloaded a portion at a port in Spain and will unload the rest at a second port starting today.
“Increasing prices for soybean meal and rapeseed meal this past week generated more interest in DDGS by the Spanish feed industry. We hope to confirm additional sales next week,” said Sifferath.
Council sources indicate a potential for additional vessels to arrive this summer and early fall.
Japanese Biotech Experts See US Biotech Corn Production Firsthand
Sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council, in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, a team of Japanese biotech experts traveled to the United States to see U.S. corn production firsthand and meet with U.S. regulatory agencies.
The team members are biotechnology and ecology experts from individual academic societies. They are influential to safety assessments by the Japanese government of biotech product applications for food, feed and environmental uses.
“The continuing cooperation between the United States and Japan regarding biotech regulations helps ensure that trade between the two nations will continue to flow without interruption,” said Rebecca Fecitt, USGC director of biotechnology programs.
The team was exposed to the large scale of U.S. production upon their visit to the Iowa corn farm of Gordon Wassenaar, director for Council member Iowa Corn Promotion Board.
“We brought the team members to a national park close to my farm to show them that biotech crops can co-exist with other parts of the environment,” Wassenaar said. “The corn quality looks good this year, better than last year, and the yields are increasing.”
The team also met with U.S. biotech regulatory agencies and life science companies.
“As the team was briefed on the U.S. regulatory processes, we are hopeful their increased knowledge base will help to continue to foster the U.S. corn trade with Japan,” Fecitt said.
COUNCIL NEWS
Farewell to Jennifer Sydney
Please join the Council in wishing Jennifer Sydney the best of luck as she leaves her post at the Council to pursue an opportunity with the U.S. Wheat Associates. Jennifer has been with the Council since 2006 and has been a true assist to Council staff. She kept the Council’s relations with FAS on an even keel and we are grateful for her terrific contribution to the Council. Jennifer’s last day was Tuesday, July 6.
COUNCIL ACTIVITY CALENDAR
July 11-17, August 1-7 and August 22-28: Three teams, comprised of Mexican representatives of the livestock and feed milling sectors, will travel to Texas to meet with sorghum producers and traders and visit elevators to learn about the characteristics and quality of the current sorghum crop. For more information, contact Gina Tumbarello, USGC manager of international operations for Rest of the World, at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
July 12-16: The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) will hold its annual Corn Congress in Washington, D.C. Voting bodies of NCGA gather twice a year, Corn Congress and Commodity Classic. During Corn Congress, action teams and committees meet for two days of informative sessions and trips to Capitol Hill. U.S. Grains Council Chairman Rick Fruth will present the current international trade and export situation at one of the two-day sessions. For more information, contact Marri Carrow, USGC manager of communications, at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
July 19-22: Council members, guests and staff will travel to Boston, Mass., for the Council’s 50th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting. Videos and presentations of the meeting speakers will be available on the Council’s website www.grains.org. Contact Valerie Smiley, USGC manager of membership, at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
July 20-30: The Council will sponsor a Chinese DDGS team to travel to Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and California to further develop and strengthen the relationship between Chinese DDGS buyers and U.S. suppliers. Buyers will be encouraged to purchase more U.S. DDGS in order to better understand the value of the U.S. DDGS in their feed milling and/or livestock operations. For more information, contact Kimberly Karst, USGC manager of international operations for Asia, at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. |
