Regional Feed Buyers From EMEA, Taiwan Take Procurement Course At Northern Crops Institute

Last week, U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) Regional Director in Taiwan Michael Lu and USGBC Deputy Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Salah Bouthour escorted teams of food, feed and livestock end-users from their respective regions to Fargo, ND for an educational course on grain procurement at the Northern Crops Institute (NCI) and a tour of U.S. export facilities in New Orleans, LA.

"Designed specifically for professionals responsible for grain purchasing decisions, the program provided a comprehensive understanding of the U.S. grain marketing and export system, while equipping participants with the tools needed to make informed procurement decisions and effectively manage market risks," Lu said.

The weeklong course at NCI covered a wide range of topics related to grain purchasing and analysis, including sessions about inland supply chain logistics; hedging; contracting; and weather and other factors impacting global grain markets.

The agenda also included interactive lessons, including simulated trading exercises and sessions in NCI's feed mill classroom to solidify attendees' understanding of the concepts presented in seminars.

At the conclusion of the course in Fargo, the team traveled to New Orleans and visited key infrastructure points including the Port of New Orleans and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad to observe how U.S. agricultural products are transported to international customers.

Later that day, a tour of the World Trade Center of New Orleans and meetings with international market experts built participants' knowledge of global market factors.
USGBC members Russell Marine Group and CHS welcomed the group for meetings at their facilities in the region and a visit to SGS Labs offered examinations into the safety standards and biotechnology advancements in the U.S. agricultural sector.

"In addition to the benefits for attendees in getting hands-on technical training, our office will also compile team members' findings, acquired information, related technology and market information into a technical bulletin for distribution to other relevant end-users," Bouthour said.

"Building out the knowledge base for the region's agricultural producers is an important step in developing strong, consistent demand for U.S. exporters to meet while enhancing the efficiency of customers' operations."

Learn more about the Council's work in corn on the organization's website.