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Japanese Feed Nutritionists Visit Illinois Farms to Learn About U.S. Soy Meal Quality
US Soybean Export Council (USSEC) hosted a team of six nutritionists from some of Japan’s largest feed companies – including Zen-Noh, Marubeni and Nippon Feed – on a tour of farms in Illinois to educate the Japanese about the U.S. dairy industry. The visit began with a stop at the University of Illinois at Champaign, where Dr. Mike Hutjens presented to the group a program on U.S. dairy production techniques, emphasizing the value of utilizing U.S. soy meal. The Japan team then visited the Boyd Schaufelberger dairy farm to hear about successes and challenges facing U.S. dairy farmers.
The final stops in Illinois were in Randolph County where the group first visited Paul and Jack McCormick’s farm. McCormick, president of the Randolph County Farm Bureau, explained to the Japanese how U.S. soybean farmers plan to meet future global soy needs by embracing biotech crops and improvements in farming equipment. He focused on Bt corn and how that technology has improved the industry by providing protection to the roots and stalks of the plant. Jack showed them samples of grain produced in the local area including corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, and a feed ration of corn and barley. The Japanese were impressed with the quality of the grain. He also demonstrated how the seed is planted using a no till planter and how it was harvested using a combine. The size of the equipment was very impressive to the Japan team. The group was able to climb on the equipment and see first hand how it worked. After questions were answered about the equipment and the grain industry, Jack took them across the street to his feedlot, where he talked about the cattle’s food intake and rations.
Finally a short bus ride led them to the final stop at the Gateway FS Elevator in Evansville. Dwight Asselmeier, Grain Merchandising Manager and Steve Walter, Location Manager, gave them an in-depth look into the grain storage and shipping industry. Again the Japanese delegates were intrigued by the quality of the grain and the size of the facility. USSEC invited Osborn and Barr, a USB Communications Contractor, to video the exchange between U.S. farmers and the representatives of Japan’s feed industry. The video will help demonstrate to U.S. farmers the process of marketing their crop to global customers. Last year, 55 percent of the soybeans grown in the U.S. were exported, creating a richer market and better pricing for the grower.
Also attending were Randolph County Farm Bureau Board Members Kevin Luthy, Ron Deterding, and Gerald Cox.
Click HERE to view photos from tour.
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