A team of U.S. Soy farmer leaders from Minnesota and North Dakota recently conducted a 10-day mission from March 10-20 in Malaysia and Singapore. The essential amino acid (EAA) trade team included Pete Mishek (Mishek Inc.); Dr. Chris Cheong (USSEC Southeast Asia); Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council Director Patrick O’Leary and former Minnesota Soybean Director of Market Development Sam Ziegler; Dr. Seth Naeve (University of Minnesota); Scott Gauslow (North Dakota Soybean Council); and Fadjar Setiawan (AG Processing). The team spent most of their time in Malaysia with a brief stopover in Singapore to study the feed and livestock industry of these countries. Their tour of farms and facilities included visits to layer farms, feed mills, swine farms, a floating fish farm, a poultry processing plant, a full-fat soybean meal production facility and a soybean crushing plant.
A number of industry-wide and in-house seminars, as well as roundtable discussions, were conducted in both countries to provide information on the benefits of using critical amino acid values (CAAV) in determining the quality of soybeans and soybean meal as opposed to valuing soybean meal solely on its crude protein level. The primary goal of the mission was to increase awareness and demand and imports for U.S. soybeans and soybean meal, particularly in containers and in combined cargo bulk shipments.
Overall, the local farmers, feed millers, and poultry integrators visited by the U.S. team showed keen interest in U.S. soybean meal and understood that high crude protein meal and soybeans do not necessarily translate into better value or lower cost feeds.