Building Markets: Kansas Corn Hosts Corn and DDGS Buying Teams

Building Markets: Kansas Corn Hosts Corn and DDGS Buying Teams

Coming off of record corn exports for marketing year 2025/26, Kansas Corn continued its focus on international market development by hosting a Mexican buying group this week. Sponsored by the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) the 13-person team represented companies throughout Mexico interested in increasing their U.S. corn imports and investigating the logistics of importing corn and DDGS from Kansas.

The two-day Kansas visit included meetings with CPKC and BNSF, East Kansas Energy in Garnett, the Farmers Cooperative's shuttle train facility in Frankfort and a visit to Jeff and Sara Albers' farm in Denton.

"These companies are not new to importing U.S. corn and DDGS," said Josh Roe, Kansas Corn CEO. "They came ready to learn more about how Kansas can serve their increasing corn demands efficiently and discuss the quality of this year's crop in addition to voicing some quality concerns from previous shipments."

Mexico is the largest export market for U.S. corn and DDGS. During the 2024/25 marketing year, Mexico purchased approximately one billion bushels of U.S. corn and 2.35 million metric tons of U.S. DDGS. Those purchases represented 35% of U.S. corn exports and 20% of DDGS exports.

In addition to hosting the Mexican team, Kansas Corn's Senior Marketing Manager, Nicki Fisher, joined the USGBC team from India and Sri Lanka, hosted by Kansas Sorghum to discuss DDGS and corn fermented protein (CFP).

"India is a strict non-GMO grains market," Fisher said. "However, DDGS and CFPs can fill a need for feed grains in that market."

Both the Mexican and Indian/Sri Lankan buyers departed Kansas to attend the USGBC Export Exchange Conference in Seattle to meet up with other worldwide customers of U.S. grains.