Wisconsin was one of the main attractions for a South Korean feed miller trade team.
Tanner Johnson serves on both the national and state Soybean Association Board of Directors. He works for AB Farms in Dallas, Wisconsin in Barron County. In that role, he helps oversee about 4,500 acres of crops, including soybeans. And he was the host with the most for this recent trade mission.
He opened the farm up to seven South Korean feed mill executives and two Korean U.S. Soybean Export Council directors this month so they could see how soybeans are grown first-hand. For some, it was their first time seeing soybeans in the field.
The Korean delegation visited the U.S. June 11-16 to continue fostering the country’s longstanding relationship with U.S. soy, which began in 1980. In early 2023, Korea began importing soybean meal out of the Pacific Northwest and during the trade mission, the Korean delegation focused their attention on U.S. soybean meal.
“As more U.S. SBM becomes available – making it more affordable and more competitive – we hope that U.S. SBM exports to Korea will increase,” says Brianna Metts, industry relations manager at U.S. Soybean Export Council. “The Korea Feed Miller CEO trade team will use this mission to prepare themselves accordingly as U.S. SBM’s competitiveness increases.”
With a dedicated history of raising quality soybeans, Wisconsin soybean growers are the perfect example to showcase U.S. soybeans and their value.
“Trade teams are incredibly important to us as we export a significant amount of our soybeans to countries all over the world,” Johnson says. “Obviously, we can’t be all over the world to tell our story, so it’s important we educate these trade teams about the quality of soybeans we produce and the methods that are used to produce them.”
Prior to visiting Johnson’s farm, the delegation went to Seattle for meetings with AGP and Blue Water Shipping at Grays Harbor. They also went to Minneapolis for visits with CHS, Cargill and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
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