By Joe Zenz, Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board Inc.

Traveling on the U.S. Grains Council’s 2009 Corn Mission to Morocco, Egypt and Jordan was an eye-opening experience both from a cultural perspective and a business perspective. First and foremost, I was very impressed with the effectiveness of Council programs there and the high level of people we have working for us in those countries.

From the chicken farm and feedlot in Morocco, the water buffalo dairy in Egypt and Jordan’s modern Holstein dairy, everyone we met loved our distillers’ grains. Producers talked about the excellent quality and how well the high energy component of the distillers’ grains worked in their rations.

We saw great disparities in conditions on the trip. There were farmers living the way their ancestors had for thousands of years; there were some of the most modern facilities you’d find anywhere. In Egypt, because they are trying so hard to keep people employed, we saw a lot of people doing menial labor. The dairy we visited in Egypt – which milked water buffalo – had a pipeline and refrigerated milk tank but then the milk was hauled out in milk cans on pickup trucks and even the occasional donkey cart! This seemed like it was a detriment to modernization and was in sharp contrast to the way things are in Jordan, which is a very contemporary country with dairy farms like you’d see in the United States.

Although taking the trip made harvest more stressful, it was a very meaningful trip and I’d encourage everyone given the chance to participate. I have a whole new appreciation for the Council’s programs, its staff and how well our money is being put to use. I also can say I’ve eaten pigeon and a few other foods I’m not really sure about! Thanks for the memories.