Learn more about Export Exchange
Press Release from October 15, 2018
Eastwood, KY – White corn buyers from Mexico will be in Kentucky this week to see U.S. grain production and infrastructure to better understand quality standards for U.S. white corn exports and make connections to facilitate future sales.
The team will tour several central Kentucky farms, local distilleries, and Consolidated Grain and Barge while they are in the Bluegrass State. After their Kentucky visit, the Mexico team will head to Minneapolis to attend Export Exchange, a bi-annual conference for grain buyers sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), Growth Energy, and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA).
KyCorn provided a grant through USGC to bring the Mexican team to the Commonwealth and Export Exchange.
“We are glad to bring these corn buyers directly to Kentucky to talk with our growers and shippers and show them a little southern hospitality,” said Laura Knoth, KyCorn executive director. “That is a real benefit of working with the U.S. Grains Council. Reaching out to our trade partners matters when we have tough markets.”
The trade team includes senior procurement staff members from a major Mexican corn flour and tortilla manufacturing company, and they are visiting the U.S. with hopes for building new relationships with U.S. white corn and specialty organic corn suppliers. Their visit will also include a trip to the Federal Grain Inspection Service’s National Grain Center in Kansas City and farm stops in Nebraska.
“At a time when we have just agreed to a new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, highlighting the importance of international trade can be no better illustrated than by Export Exchange and the trade team visits before and after the event,” said Tom Sleight, USGC president and CEO. “It is essential for us to strengthen the bonds between suppliers and partner countries, and the connections made at this critical event will not only help propel our industry this year, but for years to come.”
A total of 21 pre- and post-Export Exchange trade teams sponsored by USGC and grain checkoff boards will visit this month, offering the 200 participating grain buyers a chance to see the U.S. supply and quality for themselves.
In addition to networking opportunities, foreign attendees traveling to the Export Exchange conference will be briefed on the global supply and demand situation; transportation issues and challenges; the global grains outlook; new advances in DDGS and poultry, food regulations, and agribusiness; the current U.S. policy environment; and more.
Export Exchange also highlights the importance of strong trade policy and market development to U.S. agriculture. USGC, in partnership with KyCorn, works in more than 50 countries and the European Union to market U.S. grains and their related products to build long-term demand from loyal customers. This work is also supported by funding from USDA through the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program in the U.S. farm bill.
More information on Export Exchange 2018 is available at www.exportexchange.org.
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About KyCorn
Founded in 1982, the Kentucky Corn Growers Association and the Kentucky Corn Promotion Council works to grow opportunities for Kentucky’s 6,000 corn farmers in a changing industry through market development, research, education, and promotion. Learn more at www.kycorn.org.
About USGC
The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. With full-time presence in 13 key markets and representatives in an additional 15 locations, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Detailed information about the Council and its programs is online at www.grains.org.