Enabling Trade: Council Joins Cooperators Conference In Latin America

Last week, U.S. Grains Council (USGC) staff attended the United States Soybean Export Council’s (USSEC’s) 2024 Americas Agricultural Cooperators Conference in Bogotá, Colombia to update stakeholders in the region about market trends and outlooks for U.S. crops.

USGC Senior Director of Global Strategies Kurt Shultz presented research studies comparing the quality of U.S. corn to other origins and took part in a panel on animal nutrition. USGC Regional Director for Latin America (LTA) Marri Tejada was also on hand to meet influential industry participants and establish relationships for future programs and sales.

“The Council presented the results of the Auburn University poultry study that concluded U.S. corn has higher digestible starch levels than other origins,” Shultz said. “This translates into more efficient and profitable poultry production for companies that choose U.S.-origin corn over other corn suppliers.”

Rachel Nelson, agricultural counselor at the U.S. embassy in Bogotá, provided welcome remarks and USSEC CEO Jim Sutter followed to emphasize the importance of collaboration between everyone along the agricultural supply chain to ensure harmonious trade relations.

The rest of the conference’s schedule was packed with topics and speakers ranging from crop quality reports from U.S. farmers to the latest on geopolitical factors that could influence international trade.

“This is a very well-respected forum in the region, and it attracts top industry professionals including CEOs and purchasing managers from large importers,” Tejada said. “Developing program strategies with the Council’s partners like USSEC and getting to speak directly to buyers at the same time is a fantastic opportunity to continue developing markets for U.S. agriculture.”

Read more about the Council’s work in Latin America here.