Mississippi soybean farmer Jimmy Sneed, a United Soybean Board (USB) Director and Communications Target Area Coordinator, and USSEC Board Member hosted a European agricultural journalist on March 26.  Jef Verhaeren, a Belgian journalist specializing in livestock and animal feed, visited Mr. Sneed’s Hernando farm in order to learn more about U.S. soy, sustainability, this year’s plantings and market expectations, river elevators and transportation.  Mr. Sneed gave Mr. Verhaeren a tour of his farm and a local grain elevator.  They also visited a large river elevator, operated by ADM, located in nearby Memphis.
Mr. Verhaeren is the chairman of the European Network of Agricultural Journalists (ENAJ).  The ENAJ was founded in 2011 and comprises the national organizations of journalists representing 19 European Union (EU) member states.  It is designed to offer networking opportunities, professional contacts and access to politicians and institutions directing and overseeing the common agricultural policy within the EU.  Mr. Verhaeren’s objective on this trip was to gather information for a report on U.S. soy, a necessary commodity for European intensive livestock feed production.