Meeting with more than 25 key customers and trade partners in Japan, Taiwan and China, a six-member delegation of U.S. corn farmers and industry representatives returned Saturday from a 13-day trade mission.<\/p>\n
Exploring the use of U.S. corn and its co-products in established and emerging markets, the 2010 U.S. Grains Council Corn Mission worked to strengthen relationships and encourage future partnerships with foreign agricultural producers.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We had very positive visits in all three countries,\u00e2\u20ac\ufffd noted Kent Kleinschmidt, a corn farmer from Emden, Ill., and treasurer of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We assured our customers that U.S. farmers can and will produce the quantity of corn to meet their needs at the high quality they desire.\u00e2\u20ac\ufffd<\/p>\n
The delegation began their mission in Japan, the number-one buyer of U.S. corn \u00e2\u20ac\u201d importing more than 625 million bushels in 2009. While there, the delegation focused conversations on the quality of the 2010 U.S. corn crop when meeting with trade partners and end-users.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Japan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s number-one concern is quality,\u00e2\u20ac\ufffd noted Larry Klever, a farmer from Audubon, Iowa, representing the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The United States is well positioned to meet their demands. This year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s corn crop produced hard kernels, which should transport very well and maintain high quality.\u00e2\u20ac\ufffd<\/p>\n
While in Taiwan, the group aimed to maintain important relations with key traders, users and buyers of U.S. corn and distiller\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a co-product of U.S. ethanol production.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153As the fourth-largest importer of U.S. corn, Taiwan is a very important customer,\u00e2\u20ac\ufffd said Kenny McNamar, a grain farmer from Gorin, Mo., and president of the Missouri Corn Growers Association. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153While focus in Japan is primarily on quality, for Taiwanese markets, U.S. farmers must also ensure our prices are competitive with countries, such as Argentina and Brazil, in order to maintain our market share.\u00e2\u20ac\ufffd<\/p>\n
The last leg of the mission brought the delegation to China where they met with grain traders and explored the outlook for U.S. corn and DDGS. Visits were also made to a feed mill and container port to gain a better understanding of the trade process.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153China has unlimited potential, which is just now starting to crack open,\u00e2\u20ac\ufffd concluded John Whaley, corn farmer from Brook, Ind., and director for the Indiana Corn Marketing Council. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They will need to import \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the question now is from who and how much. Whether or not they take U.S. corn, China\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s corn needs will increase global corn demand, strengthening corn markets worldwide.\u00e2\u20ac\ufffd<\/p>\n
Other members of the mission included Becky Frankenbach, director of communication for the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council and Kelsey Pope, agriculture promotion coordinator for the Nebraska Corn Board.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Meeting with more than 25 key customers and trade partners in Japan, Taiwan and China, a six-member delegation of U.S. corn farmers and industry representatives returned Saturday from a 13-day trade mission. Exploring the use of U.S. corn and its co-products in established and emerging markets, the 2010 U.S. Grains Council Corn Mission worked to … <\/p>\n