The Moroccan trade delegation shelled corn and learned how to test for moisture at Feltis Farms in Stewartville.
The temperature in Morocco was around 65 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday. Here in Minnesota, temperatures struggled to stay above zero as icy winds gusted up to 15 miles-per-hour.
The frigid conditions and drastic temperature difference didn’t stop a Moroccan trade team from learning more about homegrown ethanol and Minnesota corn farming, though. A delegation that included representatives from three major feed companies in Morocco stopped by Feltis Farms in Stewartville, the Guardian Energy ethanol facility in Janesville and Jerry Demmer’s corn and soybean farm in Clarks Grove.
The team learned how to run a corn moisture test at Feltis Farms and got an up-close look at corn planting and harvesting equipment at Demmer’s farm. Randy Doyal and his crew at Guardian Energy provided an overview of the ethanol production process and led a tour of the 100 million gallons per year facility.
Questions from team members focused on everything from planting decisions and costs associated with farming, to crop insurance and dried distillers grains.
“We have a much larger corn crop this year and more competitively priced,” said Cary Sifferath of the U.S. Grains Council, who led the delegation and worked with the Minnesota Corn Growers Association on the team’s Minnesota stops.
“We’re trying to get the U.S. market share back up in countries like Morocco and other places like Africa and the Middle East.”
In the fall — back when it was 80 degrees in Minnesota instead of below zero — a trade delegation from Taiwan visited and signed a letter of intent to purchase $1.83 billion worth of U.S. corn and corn co-products. Meeting in-person with foreign trade delegations provides Minnesota farmers an excellent opportunity to answer questions and concerns potential buyers may have about U.S. grown corn. It’s also an opportunity to develop long-term relationships that pay off for Minnesota corn farmers well into the future.
“For the end users in Morocco, meeting face-to-face with growers here in Minnesota and throughout the U.S. is really the key to developing those markets overseas,” Sifferath said.