USSEC Middle East/North Africa (MENA) held the Regional Dairy Nutrition and Soy Hulls Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, from October 11-14 for local dairy producers.
The activity kicked off with one-on-one meetings in Morocco and Tunisia, followed by a two-day seminar in Istanbul.
 In Morocco, USSEC consultant Dr. Charlie Stallings visited a large dairy farm in the northern part of the country, discussing key indicators of a successful dairy production unit with three of the farm’s main managers. Feeding concepts and feed protocols were also discussed.
In Tunisia, the USSEC team visited two farms that had dual-purpose cattle. One of these farms is building a feedlot for 500 animals. The delegation also visited a feed company that feeds both poultry and ruminants. Soybean meal is used at an inclusion rate of up to 20 percent.
 Following the visits, the Dairy Nutrition and Soy Hulls seminar was held in cooperation with AGP and West Central Cooperative. More than 75 people from 10 MENA countries attended the event. The conference started with welcoming remarks from USSEC Regional Director - MENA Brent Babb and American Soybean Association (ASA) director Willard Jack.
The conference featured extensive discussion about soybean products and their characteristics such as bypass protein potential and forage replacement ability. One-on-one discussions allowed each participate to get individual answers to their questions. Mr. Jack met with many of the participants on an individual basis to disseminate the message of the importance of U.S. farmers producing top quality soybeans to meet the needs of global customers.
Timothy Brown, technical support director at West Central Cooperative commented, “Thank you for the opportunity to participate as a speaker in the USSEC seminar on Dairy Nutrition and Soy Hulls in Istanbul. It was a pleasure to be involved with so many professionals who are involved in the dairy industry. The attendees at this seminar, most of whom are involved in dairy production, help the dairy cow to convert fibrous plant material that would otherwise be unsuitable for human food into delicious and nutritious dairy products for a hungry human population. Several of the presentations at this seminar illustrated how various components of and nutrients from soybeans enhance the cow’s ability to produce more milk, and to produce milk more efficiently for the feed inputs available. USSEC and products from U.S. soybeans serve a critical role in assuring a sustainable food supply for a growing population worldwide”.
Dave Gast of AGP remarked, “Great conference, selection of invitees resulted in a diverse group of dairymen and dairy industry staff from numerous Middle Eastern countries. The group was very engaged, asking numerous questions after the presentations, during breaks and throughout the conference. The conference provided an opportunity to meet with current customers and develop new leads that will hopefully develop into new customers for U.S. soybean meal. Thank you for inviting and allowing AGP to participate and we look forward to participating in future USSEC events.”