Held in Frankfurt, Germany from December 3 to 5, 2019, the USSEC Europe (EU) / Middle East North Africa (MENA) Regional Exchange celebrated 50 years of U.S. Soy in Europe. The conference was regarded by the southeast European customers who attended the two-day meeting as a true landmark and as one of the most prominent soy industry events.

USSEC hosted a mix of sessions and keynotes, welcoming more than 300 participants from 40 countries, including MENA and provided them with ample opportunities to interact with U.S. soy traders and a delegation of U.S. soy farmers. The conference proved to be a forum dedicated to help buyers and sellers build better networks.

Brent Babb, USSEC Regional Director – EU/MENA opened the event and introduced the 50 years of relationships with the European customers. During his speech, Derek Haigwood, USSEC chairman and United Soybean Board (USB) director emphasized the sustainability of U.S. soy production: “U.S. soybean farmers are sustainable by nature and this is what allows them to preserve and pass our land down generation to generation.”

The event was honored to have U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Administrator Ken Isley present, who shared a little about his role and what fuels his passion to work on behalf of U.S. soy farmers.

High profile speakers delivered quality presentations, which were regarded as priceless food for thought by the U.S. soy customers dealing with the fast-changing commodities trading and livestock farming industry. In addition, the conference agenda covered several topics that highlighted the developments and challenges central to international and local soybean markets and the agricultural landscape. Speakers delivered presentations on the latest developments in the international soy markets and market trends, the trade situation between the U.S. and China, the latest figures on exports and destinations, the quality of U.S. soybeans, and U.S. soy sustainability.
 

At the end of the event, Dr. Iani Chihaia, USSEC South East European consultant, stated, “This was a conference that will stick out for a long time in the customers’ minds. Besides being very informative, the event was an excellent opportunity to meet old friends and make new friends, U.S. soy customers from the EU. We had productive discussions regarding soy trade, next year’s possible imports, sustainability, and more. We thank U.S. soy farmers and Romanian, Bulgarian, and Greek customers for taking their time and attending the event in Frankfurt, Germany and making it a success.”