USSEC and the U.S. Grains Council recently organized the 6th Asia Grain Transportation Conference in Singapore, which generated trade commitments of more than $100 million in U.S. agricultural products.

Conference attendees heard an overview of the U.S. crushing industry, the evolution of the grain business, and transportation challenges affecting bulk and container shipping. Speakers focused on the impact the Panama Canal expansion will have on trade, cargo insurance and developments in the U.S. export and transportation systems.

Leaders representing USSEC, the United Soybean Board (USB), and the American Soybean Association (ASA) recently attended the China-U.S. Food Security, Food Safety and Sustainable Agriculture Development seminar in Beijing. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service and the Development Research Center (DRC) of the Chinese State Council organized the event. Vanessa Kummer, USB chair; Sharon Covert, USB international marketing committee chair; Danny Murphy, ASA first vice president; Jim Sutter, USSEC CEO; Paul Burke, ASA-IM North Asia regional director; and Xiaoping Zhang, ASA-IM China country director joined more than 70 industry officials, researchers, and representatives at the conference.

USSEC recently conducted a seminar in Davao, Phillippines focused on milkfish cage culture and pond feed-based culture. More than 30 members of the Panacan Scrap and Recycle Consumer Cooperative (PARECCO) and sales managers from the Philippine Foremost Milling Corporation attended the workshop. PARECCO currently purchases milkfish feed from the Philippine Foremost Milling Corporation in Mati Mariculture Park, where they are currently operating 20 cages as part of the project.

Dear Friends,
Mark Twain said, “In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.” This year there certainly have been a variety of conditions in the U.S. with some farmers suffering drought and some have had fields too wet to plant. And maybe some of you have experienced both!

The U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, or Colombia TPA, took effect on May 15, 2012. The TPA grants U.S. agriculture exporters duty-free access to more than half of the products currently exported to Colombia. The agreement immediately eliminates duties on U.S. soybeans and soybean meal. It also provides duty-free tariff rate quotas on U.S. soybean oil.

A group of USSEC technical consultants recently escorted Asian sea bass farmers and stakeholders to Thailand to visit three fish farms where they learned about the local aquaculture industry. The group, led by Lukas Manomaitis, Southeast Asia technical director for aquaculture, included Siri Ekmaharaj, local coordinator from Thailand, and May Myat Noe Lwin, local coordinator from Myanmar. During the trip, the group met with representatives at Talaythong Hatchery, Nemofarm and Mr. K’s Farm in the Chonburi/Chacheongsao region of eastern Thailand. The group also met with the Thai Union Feedmill representatives where they discussed how sea bass could be successfully raised utilizing soy-based
feed formulations.

USSEC recently escorted two groups of USDA officials to the Industrializadora de Mantecas (IMASA) plant. The tours highlighted the working relationship between USSEC and its key customers, as well as the use of soybean oil in margarine and shortenings.

USSEC recently hosted members of a U.S. Department of Agriculture agribusiness trade mission in Shanghai, China. Michael Scuse, Acting Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service (FFAS), led the largest-ever trade mission to China. Paul Burke, ASA-IM North Asia regional director; Xiaoping Zhang, China country director; and marketing manager Claudia Chong escorted nearly 40 participants to a swine feed mill and swine history museum.

SCOTT Fritz is one farmer you’re as likely to find in a suit and tie as in work jeans and boots. Or you’re as likely to find him jetting to Greece or China as riding his tractor. Fritz, Winamac, is a farmer who’s also an international leader for the ag industry.

Indiana Prairie Farmer

February 2012 Issue

February Japan ASA (1)

ST. LOUIS (February 27, 2012) Agriculture leaders from China committed to purchasing 492.3 million bushels (13.4 million metric tons) of U.S. soybeans, setting a new volume record with an estimated value of $6.7 billion, during signing ceremonies the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) co-hosted at the World Food Prize Center in Des Moines, Iowa, and Los Angeles this week.

Chinese Ceremony

Dear Friends,

Like many of you, I will soon start planting this year’s soybean crop, just as I’ve done for the last forty years. However, every farmer knows no two years of planting are identical and careful planning is needed to ensure profitable harvest. We analyze the market, inspect our current stocks, and make careful purchasing decisions to reflect new technology, scientific innovations and growing global demand. Developing USSEC’s unified export strategy (UES) application is a lot like farming – we must constantly adapt to changes in the marketplace to build demand and customer preference for U.S. soy.

Chinese Commit to Record-Setting U.S. Soybeans Deals During USSEC-Arranged Visits to Iowa, Los Angeles.

Sutter Begins Duties As New USSEC Chief Executive.

Value of Soy Exports Reaches $21 Billion.

Talking Points November 2008.

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