MCR&PC member Chad Willis promotes U.S. corn during trips to South Korea, UAE
Above: Pictured from left to right are Haksoo Kim, USGC director in Korea, Cary Sifferath, USGC senior director of global programs, USGC Past Chairman Jim Raben, Del Corso, USGC Chairman Chad Willis, USGC President and CEO Ryan LeGrand and Neil Mikulski, senior agricultural attaché, USDA Foreign Ag Service in Seoul. Photo courtesy U.S. Grains Council
Written by Jonathan Eisenthal
In his capacity as U.S. Grains Council (USGC) chairman, Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council (MCR&PC) member Chad Willis traveled to Seoul, South Korea in December, where he met with the country’s top-three grain-buying organizations. The USGC delegation also met USDA Foreign Agricultural Service personnel and discussed the potential for ethanol-blended fuels in South Korea.
Willis, who farms in Willmar, was accompanied by past USGC chairman Jim Raben, USGC President and CEO Ryan LeGrand and USGC’s Senior Director of Global Programs, Cary Sifferath. The four-person team made the case for corn, ethanol and other U.S. grain products in South Korea, which is a key market for American producers. (Looking at all grains, South Korea is the fifth-largest importer of U.S. products, following China, Mexico, Japan and Canada.)
Making that personal connection with farmers can convince buyers of the quality of the product and the integrity of the producer.
“It’s a very important relationship,” Willis said. “It seems to make a difference for these folks to meet the farmers who grow these products. We were lucky to get in there with the Omicron surge starting and travel rules getting more stringent. The government gave us an exemption.”
The delegation met with representatives of the Korean Corn Processing Industry Association, the Korean Feed Association, and the feed business unit of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation. Together, these three organizations represent the majority of grain importation for South Korea.
“Like everybody, they shop price, but they are also concerned about quality,” Willis said.
Willis and Raben told the groups that the 2021 corn crop was among the best they have seen, and there should be no worries about quality.
“My crop this fall was the best test weight I have ever gotten,” Willis said. “Jim Raben said he got 60-pound (per bushel) corn. Best crop he’s ever had.”
Just days after his return from Seoul, Willis traveled to USGC’s Corn Crop Quality Seminar in Dubai, hosted by USGC’s Middle East/Africa office. Willis was part of a team that presented the Council’s recent findings of the 2021/2022 Corn Harvest Quality Report to approximately 40 regional importers, feed manufacturers and feed users in the region. Attendees included prospective buyers and end users from Tunisia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Israel.
Dr. Alvaro Garcia, a livestock nutritionist with Dellait, conducted a key part of the research included in the quality report. His research demonstrates the economic advantages of U.S. corn due to its higher availability of digestible starch compared to corn grown in other countries.
“Going into my year as chairman, I chose my theme as ‘Together in Trade’ knowing how important it is for those around the world to work together to prosper,” Willis said. “The importance of global partnerships has never been more apparent than now.”
MCR&PC and the Minnesota Corn Growers Association have long supported USGC and its mission to develop markets for U.S. producers. As a USGC member, Minnesota Corn receives access to strategic market information from international offices, partnerships in foreign marketplaces and more, all of which helps increase grain exports. To learn more about USGC and its work, visit grains.org.
