Grain and oilseed/protein traders and purchasing officers from compound feed industry from Eastern Europe gathered in Warsaw, Poland in May for USSEC’s International Trade Risk Management Workshop. While most of the audience represented Poland, there were also customers from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia.

Jay O’Neil, International Grain Program, Kansas State University, laid the foundation for the training event by presenting about U.S. grain and soy production and the marketing system. Then he explained the relationship between cash markets and futures, trading terminology and definitions, and how to read the futures prices and determine carry versus inverse markets.

Bob Bresnahan, Trilateral Inc., Chicago, introduced the audience to the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) as a clearing house and counter party risk to later move to fundamental analysis and technical analysis. He next focused on where and how to hedge and principals of futures and options trading.

On the second day of the workshop, the customers were given some examples of hedging for traders and producers and end users that allowed them to better understand how to apply what they were learning. Different trading strategies for different market conditions were also explained to them.

Jerzy W. Kosieradzki, USSEC Technical Director – Northeastern Europe, made the audience aware of the importance of sustainable food production to consumers in Western hemisphere and pointed out that U.S. Soy’s production system sets global standard in this respect. He also spoke on the U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP) certificates that are available to U.S. soybean and soy products importers that do not carry any extra cost to them.

The risk management workshop finished with a round of questions and answers and comments and the students were presented with their certificates of completion.

Eszter Magyari of Cargill-Hungary in Budapest shared that once she had attended a training course on managing risk in international trade organized for Cargill staff, but the USSEC workshop gave her a much deeper and more practical insight into these professional issues. A thank you call from Marek Brzozowski, Bunge-Poland’s commercial manager, whose staff members came back from Warsaw truly thrilled with the quality of know-how they received at the USSEC workshop, was a special reward.

Bob Bresnahan backed up his explanations with many charts and tables; his overview of world soy and soymeal markets was first class

The customers from Northeast Europe and Southeast Europe were very diligent and involved in the training process

Jay O’Neil shows the audience his unusual skills to explain very difficult terms, processes, and issues in a simple and visual way

Every coffee break or lunch pause was used to take more knowledge from the speakers and get to know the other participants including those from other countries

The participants were happy to receive certificates of completion from the training event

Poultry expert, USSEC consultant, and University of Arkansas professor Dr. Craig Coon visited Russia May 21-24. Poultry products are very important for Russian customers, as poultry meat occupies a 47 percent share in the structure of meat production in Russia. In 2016, Russia produced more than 4.6 million tons of poultry meat in slaughtered weight (fourth in the world) and more than 44 billion eggs (fifth worldwide).

On May 22, Dr. Coon, accompanied by Maria Domoroshchenkova, USSEC local consultant, and Rachel Vanderberg and Maria Vecherkovskaya, Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) – Moscow ag specialists, visited the innovative laboratory complex of Cherkizovo Group, the largest producer of meat products in Russia. Cherkizovo Group’s infrastructure includes 8 full cycle poultry production complexes, 15 modern pork production complexes, 6 meat processing plants, 9 feed mills, and grain storage facilities.

Cherkizovo Group’s research center, which is close to Moscow, was started in 2016 with an investment of 350 million roubles (around 70 million USD). It is an innovative laboratory complex equipped with the most modern equipment from American, European, and Japanese manufacturers, which makes it possible to test any of the products produced at the Cherkizovo facilities. The research center also features a highly qualified staff with an average age of 30 looking for new knowledge and technical training.

Dr. Coon shared his expertise in broiler breeding by providing an onsite technical seminar for the employees of the center. His presentations were followed by a lively discussion and an invitation for new visits. These offered the opportunity to further explain the advantages of U.S. Soy or soy in general in poultry rations.

USSEC was a bronze sponsor of the Meat & Poultry / Fish & Seafood Summit, which took place in Moscow on May 23-25, along with International Trade Show VIV Russia, a specialized exhibition for animal husbandry and processing in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. VIV Russia showcases the industry’s developments by the Feed to Food concept that brings together supply and demand within the complete animal protein chain.

More than two thousand visitors registered for the summit, which included several technical conferences. Dr. Coon’s presentation at the conference “Poultry Farm 2.0/17” was met with a high level of interest. Attendees were predominantly representatives from Russia’s feed and poultry.

The visit was used to network and get a better understanding of the Russian markets. Currently, Russia could be regarded as one of the most challenging markets. Recent developments have shown that the growth of the local feed and livestock industries are becoming reality. The growth trend seems to continue for the coming years and switching from imports of meat protein to vegetable protein provides opportunities for U.S. Soy exports.

Dr. Craig N. Coon accompanied by FAS Moscow ag specialists and USSEC local consultant visited the Cherkizovo R&D Center in Moscow and submitted on-site technical seminar

Dr.Coon submitted a presentation at the Meat & Poultry / Fish & Seafood Summit organized in tandem with VIV 2017 Trade Fair in Moscow

USSEC’s St. Louis headquarters is happy to welcome two summer interns, Tori Lock and Reed Greatting. In their own voices, here’s a bit about each.

Tori Lock: My name is Tori Lock and I will be serving the United States Soybean Export Council this summer as a communications intern. Originally from the rural community of Carrollton, Missouri, I decided to follow my passion for agricultural communications to the University of Missouri. This December, I will graduate with my Bachelors of Science in Science and Agricultural Journalism with minors in Agricultural Economics and Plant Sciences. Outside of my major, I have become very involved in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) through various organizations. Throughout the school year I work with the MU Ag Alumni Board planning events and promoting the college and our organization to CAFNR Alumni. I have also served as the President of Sigma Alpha – Professional Agricultural Sorority, the CAFNR Week Steering Committee Chairwoman and as a CAFNR Ambassador.

This summer I will be working strategically with the USSEC communications team on various projects including website and social media content creation and content management. I am also fortunate enough to be traveling with the team to gather information from conferences around the nation and globe to advocate for U.S. Soy for a growing world. Experiences such as these do not come about every day, so I am ready to see what is in store for the summer of 2017!

Reed Greatting: Being from Columbia, Illinois, I have grown up around agriculture. My hometown is a pretty big rural community, so I have been around agriculture my entire life. Personally, I have never farmed, but my uncle has a small farm in Menard County, Illinois where my brother and I spend a lot of time in the fall. In my free time, some of my favorite hobbies include hunting, fishing, watching Mizzou football, and enjoying the outdoors. Both my grandfather and my mother went to Mizzou, so when it was time for me to make my college decision, it was easy for me to follow in their footsteps. I knew from the beginning of my college career that I wanted to go into business, so I thought it would be a great career path for me to combine that with my passion for the outdoor which led me to Agricultural Economics. When I learned about USSEC, I thought it would be a great opportunity to gain experience and knowledge in the agricultural industry. This summer through my internship, I hope to better my understanding on how an agricultural business runs and operates in all aspects. I also hope to gain experience in interacting and working with international markets. I haven’t fully decided the exact career path that I would like to end up in but commodity trading and logistics are big areas of interest for me that I could see myself going into. I hope with this internship that I will be able to find my exact niche for the agricultural industry that I would like to end up in. I am very excited for this opportunity.

USSEC welcomes Tori and Reed and hopes that they will gain valuable experience as they learn about the U.S. Soy industry’s efforts to build demand worldwide.

USSEC Regional Director – EU / Middle East North Africa (MENA) Brent Babb gave a presentation on sustainable U.S. Soy production to an audience of more than 200 in Budapest, Hungary. The Hungarian Research Institute (AKI) of Agricultural Economics and the Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) regional office hosted the event, which focused on the feed and livestock chain.

The seminar highlighted the opportunity to increase awareness of sustainable agriculture in Hungary and utilized a multinational panel of speakers to emphasize the prospects and concerns of increasing global agriculture. Mr. Babb described U.S. soybean farmers’ efforts to increase conservation, while at the same time increasing productivity of the land. Discussions included the U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP), success in key environmental indicators, and the role of innovation such as biotechnology in sustainable crop production.

USSEC held one-on-one workshops in Morocco May 7-10 to further expand knowledge on aquafeed, fish nutrition, and production.

Escorted by USSEC consultant – Morocco Khalid Benabdeljelil, USSEC consultant Tim O’Keefe, president of Aqua-Food Technologies, Inc., visited with several operators in the aquafeed industry to address specific issues.

Extensive fishing of small wild fish species caught and transformed into fishmeal and oil for aquafeed needs pushes feed manufacturers to look for alternative ways to face ecological, economical, and nutritional challenges.

A strong reliance on fishmeal and oil as sources of nutrients for farm-raised fish is not sustainable. Reducing dependence on fish oil and meal and developing alternative sources of protein and oil contributes to the success of the aquaculture industry.

Soy-based aquafeed helps reduce the “fish-in: fish-out” ratio in the production of major farm-raised fish species. U.S. soybean meal and soy protein concentrate inclusion in sustainable feed can produce wholesome nutritious fish for Morocco’s growing market.

Formulating high performance soy-based feed for Mediterranean fish species on sound nutritional considerations were among the issues discussed with major feed producers, as well as the current challenge in finding alternative sources.

As new aquaculture projects are being developed, growing sustainably ultimately builds opportunities for U.S. Soy products in aquafeed.

One-on-one workshop with Aqua Mdiq Company

One-on-one workshop with Aqua Mdiq Company

One-on-one meeting at Alf Sahel Company

More and more exhibitors are signing up to take part in the 2017 U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange and Midwest Specialty Grains Conference & Trade Show, taking place in Omaha, Nebraska from August 15-17.

Thus far, 2017 exhibitors include:

• Agniel Commodities
• AgriLogistics
• Al Dahra ACX Global Inc.
• Bridge Import Group – Nordic Dry
• Bühler, Inc.
• The DeLong Co., Inc.
• Eden Organic Grains
• EnviroLogix
• Gavilon
• Grain Millers, Inc.
• Healthy Food Ingredients
• International Feed
• KTI Inc.
• Midwest Shippers Association
• Norseman, Inc.
• North Dakota Soybean Council
• Northwest Grains International, LLC
• OMIC USA Inc.
• Perdue Agribusiness, LLC
• Pneumat Systems
• POET Dakota Gold DDGS
• Premier Tech Chronos
• J. O’Brien & Associates
• Satake USA, Inc.
• SB & B Foods, Inc.
• SGS North America, Inc.
• Stonebridge Ltd.
• USSEC

If you are interested in becoming an exhibitor at the U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange and Midwest Specialty Conference and Trade Show, please visit http://www.grainconference.org/trade-show.

The U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange and Midwest Specialty Conference & Trade Show will be held in conjunction with the 6th annual Trade Team Invitational at the CenturyLink Center and the Hilton Omaha. Early bird rates are available through June 16.

The U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange and Midwest Specialty Conference & Trade Show is USSEC’s biggest event of the year, bringing together international trade teams and U.S. Soy industry representatives for key discussions and personal networking. Stay tuned for the speaker line-up as well as details on customer teams that will be attending.

To register, please click here.

For more information, contact Will McNair at (314) 413-5522 or wmcnair@ussec.org.

During the second week of April, USSEC met with integrated companies and feed mills from Romania to listen to and understand their challenges and offer technical assistance to customers of U.S. Soy. USSEC consultants Dr. Craig Coon, professor of poultry nutrition at the University of Arkansas, and Dr. Jan van Eys, animal utilization consultant from France, traveled to Romania to visit with large and rapidly expanding companies; all were top companies in their respective fields in southern Romania. Meeting with managers, quality control managers, nutritionists, and veterinarians was instructive and enhanced the access of U.S. Soy to these customers.

Together with the specialists at the companies visited, the USSEC experts reviewed the businesses’ quality control programs and laboratory methods. At this stage, the feed mill laboratories are pre-formatted and are under excellent management, thanks to the investments and high level of investment in the education of young professionals.

Dr. Craig Coon and Dr. Jan van Eys emphasize the nutritional and logistics advantages of purchasing U.S. Soy for feed manufacturers and poultry producers

High levels of certain mycotoxins have been detected over the past year in the imported South American soybean meal in Romania and continue to be a problem for feed and livestock producers. Dr. Coon emphasized seasonal advantage (September to March), good infrastructure, and logistics as key advantages of U.S. Soy during discussions with the technical personnel of the companies visited.

USSEC animal utilization consultant Dr. Jan van Eys discusses soybean meal analysis results during field visits in Romania

Dr. van Eys, the author of the USSEC Soy Quality Manual, pointed out that careful attention should be paid to KOH protein solubility index since feed manufacturers around the world often found this quality parameter below the recommended levels and needing to be constantly investigated. Similarly, soybean meal carbohydrate levels are highly variable and have to be constantly analyzed compared with reference values.

The meetings with feed mill managers, quality control managers, nutritionists, and veterinarians were informative and allowed USSEC to gain a better understanding of the reality of the Romanian poultry and feed industries and its potential for progress and expansion. It clearly showed the opportunities and potential that exist in the Romanian market for growth in poultry production, and, consequently for the use of U.S. Soy products.

Specifically, USSEC should assist or continue provide local feed producers and integrations with information and support to enhance the understanding and importance of quality measures and formulation advantages/techniques to increase the performance of feeds and animals and, through this, show the potential of U.S. Soy.

USSEC, in cooperation with the Egyptian Poultry Producers Association, organized a poultry nutrition seminar in Cairo, Egypt on May 14.

Dr. Craig Coon, animal nutrition professor at the University of Arkansas, gave two presentations to the Egyptian Poultry Producers Association, speaking about broiler breeder nutrition and broiler nutrition. He focused on how the breeder has changed over the past 25 years, discussing some of the nutrition and reproduction problems that occurred in the 90s, comparing them to some of the main issues of concern with the modern breeder. Dr. Coon’s students have generated data on breeders over the past 20 years and he discussed some of the key biological concepts that his students have developed.

A key phenomenon that has been uncovered is how protein turnover changes are linked to body composition in the pullet and breeder hen in production. The breeder dramatically decreases the fractional protein synthesis rate in breast and leg muscles at sexual maturity and elevates fractional protein breakdown rates. The breeder loses lean mass from peak production through 40 weeks and then gains lean mass from 45 to 65 weeks. The breeder supplements the feed nutrients with the breakdown of body skeletal protein during the early production period from sexual maturity to 37 weeks and then switches fuel and mobilizes body fat during the last portion of production (45 to 65 weeks). The breeders were also evaluated in metabolic chambers and the data shows that the respiratory exchange rate (RER) is highest during early production with the largest decline occurring at 45 weeks. The lower RER values in breeders shows that the largest amount of body fat is used near the 45 week mark. The body fat increases in breeders from sexual maturity until 45 weeks of age and then declines from 45 to 65 weeks. A key observation is the large amount of heat produced in breeders during the last portion of production. The Arkansas team believes the increased heat production is because of the protein accretion that occurs during the late production period. Dr. Coon thinks that future feeding systems for breeders will need to account for the protein accretion that is occurring in breeders. The maintenance requirement of broiler breeders is much larger than the requirement for daily egg production or weight gain and the requirement will continue to increase with the added protein accretion in the modern breeder.

In the second presentation, Dr. Coon discussed the response of the modern broiler to dietary amino acids and energy. The University of Arkansas team has worked with Evonik and showed with four large feeding studies that the modern broiler responds to added amino acids above the standard requirements. The broiler improves weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), processing weight, and yield with amino acids. The broiler also shows that increasing AME with lysine will improve weight and FCR, but the weight gain is primarily increased fat and not protein. Economics need to be involved in making the decision of selecting the optimum digestible lysine:Mcal for your market. Dr. Coon and group have also been evaluating NE while feeding increased amino acid concentration with same energy density and also looked at NE when adding dietary energy with same amino acid concentration. Additionally, the Arkansas group has been evaluating different nutritional programs for the heavy broiler during the 42-56 day period. Dr. Coon talked about white striping and woody breast problems that may occur with the larger broilers.

Dr. Coon was very effective in presenting his technical messages to the audience. In attendance were 35 high-level management and industry participants from Egypt.

Seminar participants

A few seminar participants

Dr. Craig Coon speaks to attendees

USSEC’s 3rd Annual Advanced Training Program for Veterinarians from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) was held at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, in Gainesville, Florida from May 15- 19. 22 industry-leading veterinarians from the poultry industries of Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey participated in this educational program.

Presentations focused on practical application involving vaccination, disease control, and management in commercial poultry. This forum stimulated considerable discussions among the veterinarians from the different countries and provided ample opportunity for the exchange of ideas.

USSEC again has played a leading role in providing technical support for the MENA region’s commercial poultry industry.

Group picture

Participants at the training program

Some participants at the training program

USSEC Middle East – North Africa (MENA) recently organized a trade team visit composed of leading animal industry representatives from main Maghreb companies to the U.S. The objective was to show the strength, reliability, and sustainability of the U.S. soybean value chain from fields to port facility.

Improving knowledge of the U.S. soybean value chain and highlighting the advantages of U.S. soybean meal were other targets of the visit, as assisting participating customers to meet soy suppliers and allied industries to ultimately build opportunities for the U.S. soybean products trade.

Khalid Benabdeljelil, USSEC consultant – Morocco, escorted the Maghreb team of nine customers from Morocco and two from Tunisia. The team, composed of a crusher, feed mill purchasing makers, and integrators, had the opportunity to meet with U.S. suppliers and allied industries.

The visit to CHS facilities in Morris, Minnesota was for most team members a first time visit to loading facilities, where they discussed logistics in the U.S., transport time, loading, and exporting processes. R.J. O’Brien updated the team on the company’s activities, providing insights and outlook on soy business worldwide.

Perdue company representatives discussed their activities in relation to U.S. soybeans, sourcing, the flexibility of shipping through the port at Norfolk, Virginia, the numerous possibilities offered at their location, and their supplies to the two important Maghreb markets.

The visit to Thionville Laboratories covered specific interests expressed by customers. The president of the company extended a warm welcome to the team and explained technical aspects of surveying, its advantages conditions, and requirements. Laboratory staff discussed analytical issues regarding sampling procedures, analytical methods, equipment and resources available.

Meetings and visits at RMG provided visiting customers with first-hand exposure on the advantages of U.S. Soy in relation to infrastructure, transportation, and logistics assuring on time deliveries of high quality products.

Participants had the opportunity to interact with USSEC member firms and discuss their specific supply issues and interests in-depth, covering key aspects of soybean meal, products, exports, technical, trade, and marketing.

The trip was a great success with the team expressing their appreciation to USSEC and all the companies and firms visited. Customers from the two markets, who are all users of U.S. soybean meal and other soy products in their operations, learned more about the U.S. soybean value chain, its sustainability, and the advantages of U.S. soybean meal, which offered an opportunity to continue to build a preference for U.S. Soy.

Visit and discussions at CHS Morris loading facility

Visit and discussions at CHS Morris loading facility

Visit and discussions at CHS Morris loading facility

Thomas Russell with the team at RMG headquarters

Visit at Perdue Company

Visit at Thionville laboratory

Visit at Eurofins Laboratory

Visit at Thionville laboratory

Visit at Eurofins Laboratory

USSEC recently published a biosecurity guide for commercial poultry production in the Middle East and North Africa in English, French, and Arabic. The guide aims to provide farmers with the information they need to implement a successful biosecurity program, which will enable farmers to control and eliminate diseases that are currently devastating the poultry industry.

Over the past 20 years, the commercial poultry industry has grown tremendously worldwide. Due to chicken’s versatility as a food, consumption has increased, and it is lower priced and considered a healthier choice as compared to other meats. As the poultry industry has rapidly expanded, however, diseases have become more common and increasingly costly.

In many regions of the world, diseases in the commercial poultry industry have resulted in devastating losses and companies have been forced to rely on increasing amounts of vaccines and antibiotics to control these losses. In recent years, several diseases, including a variant Newcastle disease and several types of avian influenza, have become endemic, resulting in substantial deficits.

The success of the poultry industry depends on improved performance. This will allow the industry to continue to grow and increase its demand for soybeans.

Please use the links below to access the guides:

Biosecurity Guide ENGLISH BR 27

Biosecurity Guide FRENCH 12

Biosecurity Guide Arabic 17

On May 11, USSEC sponsored the annual networking event for the Dutch feed industry. Co-organized by the Royal Dutch Grain and Feed Trade Association (Het Comite) and the Dutch Feed Industry Association (NEVEDI), the event took place in a former feed mill complex, innovatively renovated as an event space, on the outskirts of Utrecht, Netherlands. As in the past, the organizers chose a broad theme for presentations and discussion. USSEC has participated in prior year’s sessions on sustainability and protein sources of the future. This year’s theme was Consumer Demand.

The first speaker of the morning session set the tone and provided an outline of how “incidences” lead to trends, which lead to patterns. A Dutch psychologist provided an analysis on consumer behavior in the supermarket, dispelling the five myths of consumer behavior, noting that while price is important, sustainability is of increasing importance to at least two of the market segments. She noted the importance of the social environment and that providing more information and facts alone will not change consumer preferences. A motivating story is better than facts.

The afternoon session began with a presentation by a representative of the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals who described a new market initiative to label meat on the retail level with “stars” based on their animal welfare standards. Science-based with input from all stakeholders, from producers to retailers, the program appears to be successful and is expanding with one of the major bulk/discount retailers in the Netherlands.

Brent Babb, USSEC Regional Director – Europe (EU) / Middle East –North Africa (MENA) provided a presentation on sustainable soybean production in the United States and the U.S. Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP). He noted that NEVEDI was the first European organization to recognize the scheme and their critical assistance in having the scheme later recognized by FEFAC, the European-wide feed industry association. Mr. Babb also highlighted USSEC engagement with the Field to Market program and how this project engages a broad representation of interests, focused on continuous improvement and output metrics.

The final speaker of the day was an academic researcher who summarized her work on the lifecycle analysis of meat consumption, including “consequential analysis” of secondary impact. Among her conclusions is that switching from imported soybean meal to domestically produced rapeseed meal in animal feed would have a significant environmental impact, particularly in terms of greenhouse gases and energy use. She also defended a limited role for animal protein in meeting the global nutritional needs of the future.

At the end, all the speakers joined the directors of NEVEDI and Het Comite on the stage and participated in a discussion on various statements, with active voting and participation of the audience.

USSEC’s support for this event is critical and appreciated by the organizers. It provides a speaking platform for USSEC, enables networking and building contacts and critical insights into the current conditions and dynamics of the Dutch feed and livestock production industries. All involved look forward to next year’s event.

USSEC Regional Director – EU/MENA Brent Babb speaks to the audience

Closing panel discussion

USSEC conducted the 15th U.S. Soy Trade Price Risk Management Training on April 25 and 26 in Shanghai, China. Susan Sutherland of USSEC member CME / Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) and Bell Chen from USSEC member R. J. O’Brien provided training to a total of 45 trainees, soymeal sales managers from top U.S. soybean importing companies or soybean meal purchasing managers from top U.S. soybean importers’ preferred customer feed millers. USSEC Country Director – China Xiaoping Zhang participated in this activity and promoted the U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP) and the U.S. Soy Advantage, particularly amino acid profile, to the audience during his opening and closing remarks.

USSEC Country Director – China Xiaoping Zhang opens the 2017 US Soybean Trade Price Risk Management Training in Shanghai on April 25 and 26

In the soybean meal business, basis contract is becoming more popular, which has closely tied soybean meal sales and purchases with futures markets on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) and CME/CBOT. Just recently, DCE launched the first futures option contract in China’s futures trading history, i.e. options on soybean meal futures. Such market and risk management tools are so new to the majority of the feed industry that the timing is right to provide training on elementary futures trading to the industry. Additionally, an overall market outlook and case study were provided to the audience to help them better understand different market influencing factors, and hands-on practices were provided through a simulation for the audience to enhance their knowledge and skills of price risk management tools and economic effects. The audience regarded the evaluation and discussion of the strategies they used during different pricing stages in the simulation to be very valuable.

Susan Sutherland of CME/CBOT Group presents the basics of futures and basis to the sales and purchasing managers from key importers and end users at the risk management training

As in previous years, this program received strong support from CME/CBOT by recommending professional trainers and training materials. Tina Liao, director of client development and sales, based in Singapore, traveled to this event and provided assistance in educating the audience on futures and options basics.

Bell Chen of R J O’Brien presents a global soy market outlook and a trading case study to the audience to help them better understand all the different market influencing factors

USSEC Marketing Program Manager – China Yantian Zeng and Marketing Program Assistant Binbin Du organized the program and similar previous programs, which have all been well received by participants.

The trainees are participating in a simulation in groups so as to gain hands-on experience in hedging business, which was regarded as the most valuable part of the training

For the past year, promoting sustainable agricultural supply chains has been an important subject, both in EU countries and globally. Recently, sustainably produced feed, poultry, and livestock products have been a hot topic for Romanian and Polish poultry companies as well.

The poultry meat products in southeastern and central European countries are high quality due to excellent growing and modern slaughtering conditions but are sometimes unable to reach western markets because of export requirements often based on different certifications systems in different countries or increasing supermarket pressure and less because of consumer demand.

The sustainability of the poultry meat production system can be influenced by several factors, including the origination of ingredients, chemical composition, and nutrient digestibility of a diet, among others. Because the poultry industry is largely dependent on soy as its main protein source, this ingredient is tightly interlinked with sustainability today.

In an effort to show commitment to the Romanian and Polish poultry industries and build a preference for U.S. Soy, USSEC held a one day seminar on “Sustainable Soy, Poultry Production, and Marketing” in Bucharest, Romania with the goal to educate poultry nutritionists, veterinarians, management and marketing experts on U.S Sustainable Soy and poultry production.

Group photo from the seminar on May 12 in Bucharest, Romania

In his speech, Dr. Jan van Eys introduced the current market situation for feed and soy, followed by USSEC’s sustainability program and a discussion on quality differences among origins in anti-nutritional factors. These aspects were a good introduction for the other speakers.

The key messages delivered by Mack Graves, management and marketing consultant stressed how modern consumers today prefer meat products produced with sustainable ingredients. Sustainability is a new marketing tool for the meat industries, which can be good for business as well as the environment. Companies must become transparent in all they do to and establish consumer trust and enhance meat consumption. More than 90 percent of the soybean meal consumed in Romania and Poland is imported, either directly as meal or as soybeans that are locally processed into soybean meal. Soybean meal and beans are some of the ingredients for which the Romanian Feed Manufactures Association specifically supports industry initiatives in order to make the supply chain more sustainable.

As the local market and export demand for poultry meat grows, so too does demand for poultry feed. In recent years, the demand for vegetable protein meals for use in poultry feed has increased in Romania, and this trend is likely to continue over the coming decade. The increasing consumption of vegetal protein in feed, combined with increasing meat consumption and sophistication of the customer should raise important questions about how the supply of soybean meal can keep pace with rising demand for poultry feed. Collaboration between U.S. farmers, suppliers, and integrated poultry meat producers is a crucial part for sustainable animal production. Romanian poultry meat producers recognize U.S. farmers and suppliers for their continuous improvement and their effort to address the big issues associated with soy production such as environment protection, soil preservation and water quality.

USSEC consultants Dr. Craig Coon of Arkansas University , Dr. Jan van Eys from France, Mack Graves from the U.S. and guest speaker Rene Schepens of Fermentatio Experts Denmark gave papers in front of Romanian and Polish poultry industries delegates

Dr. Craig Coon presented the latest findings in the field of broiler and broiler breeders’ nutritional research. Genetic progress of broilers’ growth performance traits has been exponential in the past decades. Selection for increased growth rate (feed intake) has led to their improved efficiency through their capacity to process increasing amounts of nutrients on a daily basis. Feed intake is regulated not only by dietary energy level but also by the concentration of amino acids in the diet (balanced protein).

Rene Schepens from Fermentation Experts Denmark emphasized that fermented plant protein can replace fishmeal while fermentation of vegetal protein increases the efficiency of use of phosphorous (100 percent) and nitrogen (15 percent), avoids environmental pollution and increases profits. Indigestible and anti-nutritional components in the raw materials are converted into health promoters during fermentation, if it is done in the correct manner.

All the presentations were well received judging by the numbers of questions immediately after the presentation and during the rest of the meeting, especially breaks and the time allocated to one-on-one discussions.

There is an enormous worldwide additional need for protein (meat/eggs) in the future, and meanwhile, there is a limited availability and acceptance of animal protein in feed. Current animal farming practices emphasize on more natural rearing, fewer medicines/antibiotics and a continuing pressure to be efficient with inputs and output (N, P) are other two main trends in the Western feed and livestock business.

With the dependence of the Romanian and Polish poultry and feed industries on imported high quality protein ingredients such as fishmeal of soy protein concentrate (SPC) and/or soy protein isolate (SPI) for their specialty diets in broiler pre-starters and young animals, the development of substitutes such as fermented soybean meal is of major interest, both practical as well as economical.

By the end of the seminar, poultry professionals understood how to address the industry and marketing challenges and how the sustainability of meat production can be influenced through certification, manufacturing processes and policy change. A coordinated effort across the industry that includes ingredient purchasers, nutritionists and veterinarians and marketing managers may result in a more sustainable poultry industry in Romania.

After several years of sustained growth, the Romanian poultry industry has reached a stage where the management and marketing needs to be fine-tuned. USSEC has understood and answered the need of the poultry customers, organizing an exploratory visit from April 8-11 to understand the achievements and challenges of the poultry meat producers in Romania.

Mack Graves, a consultant specializing in corporate strategy, management focus, and marketing effectiveness in companies and organizations across the protein chain from beef to poultry, was invited together with USSEC animal consultant Dr. Jan van Eys, to visit with leading integrators in broiler and turkey meat production located in southern and central Romania. Bona Avis and Penes Curcanul are both important players and trendsetters within the Romanian market and commodity usage, and are consequently potential to increased soy usage.

USSEC consultants Mack Graves and Jan van Eys visited the poultry processing plant of Bona Avis and compared the U.S. and European poultry industries during an intensive discussion with company management

Several years ago, Mr. Graves consulted with poultry integrated companies in Romania on behalf of U.S. Soy farmers.

“I was pleasantly surprised to see during my visit to Romania the evolution of the consumer towards quality and convenience poultry meat products,” said Mr. Graves. “The poultry meat products today are high quality thanks to the investments in high quality farming technologies and modern poultry processing plants. From what we understood, the Romanian poultry meat is not always reaching the export markets because of different quality certifications systems from different markets. Entering new markets and reaching the increasing demand for quality of the consumer are part of the sustainable marketing strategy.”

Today’s modern consumers prefer meat products produced with sustainable ingredients. Sustainability is a new marketing tool for the meat industries, which is good for business as well as the environment.

“Companies must become transparent in all they do to establish consumer trust and enhance meat consumption,” Mr. Graves concluded.

Mr. Graves discusses the design and management of the poultry processing flow

Mr. Graves and Dr. van Eys visited with Global Lab, one of the top quality control laboratories for the feed and poultry industries in Romania

After his visit to Romania, Dr. van Eys reported, “Continuous promotional efforts to accompany the growth of this market and positioning of U.S. products in this market are recommended. Clearly, great progress has been made in the feed industry but some key opportunities for improvements remain. Those opportunities can be addressed by USSEC and, in the process, U.S. Soy will be promoted and profiled for its quality characteristics. The Romanian industry and market stands to grow significantly over the next several years, so an enhanced position of USSEC and U.S. Soy should translate in increased sales and opportunities.”

Management aspects were discussed with farm and feed mill managers from the visited companies in Romania

Dr. van Eys and Mr. Graves discussed the importance of feed management and poultry feeding

The importance of brand and quality delivered to consumers were emphasized by Mr. Graves during discussions with processing plant managers and marketing experts

A large variety of quality poultry meat products are available today in the Romanian market

USSEC hosted its annual seminar on cost effective aquafeed formulations and aquafeed manufacturing in Egypt. A total of 80 participants attended the event, representing the top aquaculture feed mills and aqua producers.

Bret Tate, U.S. Agricultural Attaché – Cairo, opened the seminar. In his opening speech, Mr. Tate pointed out the importance of the agricultural and trade relationships between Egypt and the United States and stressed the win-win opportunity presented by the aquaculture industry, which utilizes large quantities of soy.

Egypt imports approximately 4 million metric tons (MMT) of soy, mainly soybeans along with some soybean meal. Historically, 50 percent of the beans are of U.S. origin.

During the week of the seminar, the USSEC team conducted one-on-one industry visits with aqua feed mills to provide the necessary support for adoption of least cost formulation and the benefits that arise from formulating with U.S. Soy.

USSEC consultant Tim O’Keefe, keynote speaker at the event, praised the sequence of the seminar. The morning session provided an opportunity for the participants to gain an understanding of the nutritional requirements of tilapia. The session that followed was delivered by USSEC Regional Project Manager – EU / (Middle East – North Africa (MENA) Sirri Kayan, who provided participants with the opportunity to apply that knowledge using an interactive model that allowed them to share in the formulation process. The participants helped in formulating a number of diets while applying different ingredients on least cost software to demonstrate the value of U.S. Soy.

Guest speaker Dr. G. Ramesh of Wenger delivered a presentation on the manufacturing process of marine diets and the new developments in the area of marine diet formulation. The presentation revolved around the critical factors in marine diet formulation including the high inclusion rates of fat and the ability of different types of equipment to handle fat inclusion rates including, single screw extruders and double screw as well as the advantages of high intensity pre conditioner. He applauded the level of interaction and interest of the participants, saying they were “reactive, very interested, and highly engaged. Clearly the aquaculture industry is growing rapidly.”

Ned Williams from Ever-Extruder spoke about the background and history of his company and Carbide technology advantages and industries. Mr. Williams also presented new and innovative technology for dyes, knives, drive hubs, extruder alignment, and support for high efficacy and SSDS innovation for real time density control. Mr. Williams commented that this seminar and similar USSEC activities that take part around the world is truly a global effort on the part of USSEC and provides the opportunity for global exposure for U.S. companies seeking international markets.

Hussein Mansour of Aller Aqua delivered the final presentation of the seminar. His presentation revolved around future perspectives in the Egyptian aqua industry, mainly the complete replacement of fishmeal by soy in tilapia diets, as well as the global trend of aquaculture as a replacement of wild catch. Mr. Hussein also explained the importance of fish protein for the Egyptian market. Current per capita consumption is almost 21 kilograms (kg). He added that while Egypt is one of the top producers in the world of aquaculture products, most of the fish is sold on the spot market; Mr. Hussein explained that in the future, processing will play a major role in the development of the industry. During his presentation, he explained the importance of increased customer awareness of the quality of farmed tilapia and the initiative that is currently being adopted by the industry to produce a generic brand under the name Egyptian Tilapia.