USSEC and the North Dakota Soybean Council hosted a group of eight Taiwanese customers representing feed, food, and oil companies and crushers from July 7 to 14. The team traveled from Fargo to Minneapolis to Seattle, which allowed them to follow the exact path that the beans they purchase travel from a farmer’s field all the way to the Pacific Northwest (PNW) port, where they will then be shipped to Taiwan.
On the tour, delegates learned more about U.S. Soy produced in the Northern Plains region of the U.S., gained a strong understanding of U.S. soy logistics and infrastructure, experienced U.S. soy export potential out of the PNW, and heard from suppliers of U.S. Soy about how their operations in the Northern Plains region and PNW can support international soy demands.
In Fargo, the buyers visited the Northern Crop Institute (NCI), where they learned about the U.S. Soy Advantage and sustainability; economics; transportation and logistics; and the superior essential amino acids (EAA) profile of Midwestern soy. They toured the Alton Grain Terminal in Hillsboro, North Dakota and visited the farm of North Dakota Soybean Council secretary Mike Langseth in Barney, North Dakota where they got a firsthand look at the sustainable production methods of U.S. Soy.
The group traveled on to Minneapolis, where they visited NW Grains, Scoular, Cargill, BNSF, and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
In Seattle, the visitors checked out the last piece of the U.S. soy supply chain when they visited the TEMCO grain export terminal in Tacoma and the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the marine cargo operating partnership of the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma. Last year, the majority of North Dakota’s soybeans were shipped west to the PNW by rail.
Through this tour, these key decision makers developed a stronger understanding of the sustainable production and reliable supply of U.S. Soy. Additionally, there were significant communications regarding the potential of the purchase of U.S. Soy from two of the companies visited.