Corn Grower Visits Foreign Buyers To Strengthen Trade

(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.)–Missouri corn farmer Kevin Hurst, of Tarkio, Mo., returned recently from a trade mission to Japan and Korea where he provided insight on the current U.S. corn crop with key buyers and end users. Encouraging further partnerships with foreign agricultural producers, Hurst joined growers from four other states on the 2014 U.S. Grains Council (USGC) Corn Mission.

“The focus of the trade mission was to highlight the quantity and quality of the 2014 U.S. corn crop,” noted Hurst. “These trade missions are important in they give both U.S. producers and foreign buyers the opportunity to interact, answer questions and build a stronger trade relationship. Having visited with buyers in both Japan and Korea, there are striking differences in their buying habits and we were able to address both countries’ needs.”

During the 8-day mission, the team helped build on the established relationships between the United States and two of its key international markets, highlighting this year’s record setting, high-quality crop. The delegation visited a seminar in Japan attended by more than 160 end-users and importers and met with U.S. grain buyers and government organizations. While in Korea, the team visited key buying organizations, toured a grain handling facility and hosted a seminar with end-users and buyers.

“Japan is our number one buyer of U.S. corn and quality is their main concern,” continued Hurst. “As a grower, I had the opportunity to give them a glimpse straight from the field of the high quality crop we’re producing here in Missouri.”

Hurst currently serves as the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council chairman and is set to lead the Missouri Corn Growers Association as president effective Oct. 1. He also represents Missouri corn growers on the USGC Middle East/Africa Action Team.    

Missouri Corn Merchandising Council is a longstanding supporter of the U.S. Grains Council and its mission to expand grain marketing opportunities abroad. To learn more about Missouri Corn, visit www.mocorn.org. For more information on grain export efforts, click on www.grains.org.