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MCR&PC farmer-leader hosts team of grain buyers from Middle East, North Africa

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MCGA farmer-leader Dwight Mork talking with Ahmed Mohamed Abdelkader of Egypt near one of Mork's corn fields in Bellingham, Minn.

MCGA farmer-leader Dwight Mork talking with Ahmed Mohamed Abdelkader of Egypt near one of Mork’s corn fields in Bellingham, Minn.

A U.S. Grains Council (USGC) team of up-and-coming procurement managers and directors of Middle East and North African grain buying companies traveled to Bellingham, Minn., to visit the family farm of Dwight Mork last week to see first-hand the advantages of purchasing U.S. corn and co-products.

The Morks’ corn, soybean and wheat farm has been in the family for almost 100 years. The Middle Eastern and North African delegation spent the afternoon walking Mork’s fields, getting an up-close look at modern farm machinery and asking questions about how crops are planted, raised, harvested and transported in the United States.

“These visits are a great way to further strengthen foreign markets for the crops we grow right here in rural Minnesota,” said Mork, who serves on the Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council (MCR&PC). “Nothing beats face-to-face interaction. This visit was a great opportunity to show the team what farming in Minnesota is all about.”

Nesrine Rekik Zayani from Tunisia stops for a fun photo in Dwight Mork's corn field near Bellingham, Minn.

Nesrine Rekik Zayani from Tunisia stops for a fun photo in Dwight Mork’s corn field near Bellingham, Minn.

Several other area farmers and ag specialists in the Bellingham region also attended the event and provided additional insight into how Minnesota farmers grow food, feed, fiber and fuel for the entire world while taking care of the land for the next generation. Team members came from Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

The Middle East and North Africa region has already purchased 3.5 million metric tons (137.8 million bushels) of U.S. corn for the 2014-2015 marketing year as of Aug. 20. However, last year at the same time the region had purchased 4.2 million tons (165 million bushels) of U.S. corn. This decrease in U.S. corn buying highlights the pressure U.S. coarse grains exports to the region experience from Black Sea and South American origin grains.

In the face of this competition, the USGC has been working in the region to demonstrate the value of U.S.-sourced corn, sorghum and co-products and to build trust with important buyers in the region through trade servicing efforts and teams like the one who visited Mork’s farm on Saturday of last week.

“Bringing this team of up-and-coming leaders from the region to a working Minnesota corn and soybean farm helps establish relationships between their companies and U.S. companies that will last a lifetime,” said USGC Chairman Alan Tiemann, who farms in Nebraska. “Face-to-face interaction with these key contacts helps them know for themselves that the United States is able to be the reliable long-term supplier they need and establishes a strong foundation for future dealings.”

The entire USGC Middle East North African team with Dwight Mork (center).

The entire USGC Middle East North African team with Dwight Mork (center).

The visit was one part of a learning journey that included stops at corn farms, elevators, grain export terminals and a short grain procurement course at the Northern Crop Institute (NCI) in Fargo, North Dakota (Dwight is a NCI council member). These important buyers left the United States with an improved understanding of U.S. corn quality, the U.S. grain marketing system and how to get the ingredients they most want.

Minnesota is an active member of the USGC, a private, non-profit organization that works to develop coarse grain exports to more than 50 countries from 10 worldwide offices and its Washington, D.C., headquarters. Mork serves on the Middle East and North African advisory team for USGC.

“It was an honor to host the team and they’re welcome back any time,” Mork said. “It doesn’t matter if a group is coming from North Africa or Northern Minnesota. Any time farmers have an opportunity to showcase all the great things happening on Minnesota farms, they should do it.”

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