Wisconsin corn grower David Adams, Lake Geneva, traveled to Mexico this week to participate in the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) International Marketing Conference and membership meeting, where increasing exports of corn and dried distiller’s grains was a major topic of discussion.
"Mexico is our number one international customer for dried distiller’s grains, a co-product of the corn ethanol process, and they are our number two customer for all grain exports. That makes it very important that we understand the country’s feed needs and continually look for opportunities to expand trade with them,” says Adams.
Adams serves on the USGC Advisory Team that addresses exports to Mexico, Central and South America, Egypt, Iraq and other Middle East countries. The team met with staff to review programs addressing market access issues, demand building and service to these areas. They also heard from Ernesto Fernandez-Arias, general director of support to rural financing in Mexico; Enrique Dominguez, director of the pork producers confederation; Ricardo Calderon, executive director of APPAMEX, a grain traders association; and Carlos Lopez Coello, poultry specialist at National University of Mexico. These presentations are available online at http://www.thegrainboard.com/2010/02/mexico-trade-panel.html along with several other presentations from the conference.
The USGC is a private, non-profit corporation that develops export markets for U.S. corn, barley, grain sorghum and related products. The Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board provides funding for USCG marketing initiatives through the state corn checkoff program, which collects one-half cent for every bushel of Wisconsin corn sold. The primary objective of Wisconsin’s corn marketing order, which has been in place for more than 26 years, is to maintain and expand sales of Wisconsin corn. WCPB President Rosenow serves as Wisconsin’s representative to USCG.
For more information on Wisconsin’s corn checkoff or the Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board contact Bob Oleson, executive director of Wisconsin Corn Programs at wicorn@centurytel.net or by phone at 262-495-2232.
