By: Kurt Shultz, U.S. Grains Council Regional Director of the Americas

The U.S. Grains Council has experienced several notable successes in Colombia last year. From the successful fostering of the implementation of U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement which has led to a surge in U.S. corn imports, to conducting a successful U.S. distiller’s dried grains (DDGS) feeding trial on more than 1,500 dairy cattle, this market is on the precipice of expansion.

Following up on the DDGS feeding trials, this week the Council hosted a group of Colombian dairy producers to the United States. The team was composed of representatives from five key Colombian dairies. Focused on learning how to supplement grazing based systems with feed concentrates to maximize milk production, the team completed short courses on dairy management through South Dakota State University and toured an ethanol plant, as well as visiting modern U.S. dairies.

The use of concentrates in dairy ration is imperative to reach full milk potential. However, it is a balancing act. The investment in feeding concentrates to dairy must balance the added costs of feed concentrates with the additional revenue generated through more productive animals. These Colombian dairy producers got a first-hand look at how to achieve that balance.

The Colombian dairy industry is a key sector whose adoption of DDGS will eventually lead to an expansion of DDGS use in the Colombian poultry and swine sectors. If the Colombian co-product market becomes fully developed, Colombia has the potential to increase annual imports of U.S. co-products by 800 percent. To help reach this potential, the Council will continue programs to introduce and expand the usage of previously underutilized U.S. commodities in Colombia that benefit from the U.S.-Colombia FTA.