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Building relationships abroad with statewide benefits

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The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) and its grower leaders have worked closely with outside organizations like the U.S. Grains Council to build export markets for American agriculture. By hosting delegations from across the world and traveling abroad to see export market opportunities up close, Minnesota’s corn growers are building relationships that will lead to a more sustainable future for our state’s ag sector.

Minnesota’s agricultural production exceeds $16 billion annually, making it the fifth largest in the country. Supporting agriculture is the export market, with more than a third of the state’s agricultural sales occurring abroad. To better support the state’s economy as a whole, Minnesota corn growers are working to ensure we build our customer base across the globe.

In recent years, Minnesota’s corn growers hosted government officials from China, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Kazakhstan; and industry visits from Japan, Mexico, India, South Korea, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Ecuador.

And in return, MCGA grower leaders are going abroad to countries like Taiwan, Morocco, Japan, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Cuba and more to promote Minnesota agriculture and build long-lasting relationships with new partners.

MCGA also works with the U.S. Grains Council to host events that highlight our state’s ag sector. The Export Exchange, held last fall, brought nearly 500 people from around the globe to Minneapolis to form trade relationships with American exporters. The state’s corn farmers also helped host the U.S. Grains Council Ethanol Summit of the Asia Pacific in the Twin Cities, bringing representatives from 17 countries to Minnesota to discuss current and future prospects for expanded ethanol use.

The efforts of Minnesota’s corn growers and the U.S. Grains Council have paid off. The following are just a few success stories from the last two years:

  • U.S. ethanol exports surged 19 percent to a record 1.62 billion gallons last year
  • U.S. corn exports increased six percent to 61.8 million metric tons in 2017/2018
  • 49 countries bought U.S. DDGs in 2017 and 2018
  • The United States exported nearly 120 million metric tons of feed grain in 2017/2018

The progress made to date has improved the sustainability of the state’s 24,000 corn farmers, subsequently benefiting Minnesota’s economy. It is one of many ways MN Corn Grows MN.

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