A select group of key U.S. Soy customers from Poland attended the International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE) 2018 in Atlanta, where they were exposed to the latest developments and technology in the poultry and feed industries.
The Polish team spent a day and a half attending the Poultry Science Forum and the poultry show. With the help of Jerzy Kosieradzki, USSEC Technical Director - Northeast Europe, the Poles participated in various activities conducted by USSEC and IPPE. At the USSEC booth, they learned more about USSEC, the U.S. Soy industry, and products for export, as they met some soybean meal suppliers from the U.S. A virtual reality film at the booth gave them a feeling of touring a U.S. Soy farm.
Participation in the USSEC luncheon provided the Polish customers with an opportunity to meet customers from all over the world, along with grower leaders. The team enjoyed their conversations with the farmers and industry leaders, learning about their operations and the U.S. Soy marketing system. The USSEC booth and the luncheon paired up to make a wonderful promotion of U.S. Soy products and people. Continuation of such activities in the future will facilitate both a better understanding between the two sides of the soy business and more sales of U.S. Soy to Europe.
After IPPE, the Polish delegates traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas, where they spent a couple of days attending a short course at the University of Arkansas and visiting production sites. Matt King, Arkansas Farm Bureau, hosted the team, taking care of their needs and answering a multitude of questions about the state, its people, agriculture, and history of poultry industry development.
Dr. F. Dustan Clark, extension veterinarian, was the main coordinator of the lecture series and discussions at the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science and field visits. Among the many professional presentations, the Polish visitors especially enjoyed those delivered by Dr. Samuel Rochell (poultry feeding practices), Dr. Michael Kidd (feed manufacturing and technology), and Dr. Gisela Erf (poultry immunology studies). The in-class meetings were interesting and carried out in an interactive way that was both enjoyable and fruitful.
The combination of the IPPE 2018 tour and the Arkansas visit turned out to be a great opportunity for the Polish customers representing the core of Northeast European poultry feed and poultry industry. Upon the team’s return home, they learned of a coincidental 32.6 thousand metric ton (TMT) shipment of U.S. soybean meal contracted for Poland.