Earlier this month, the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) organized two delegations of dairy producers and nutritionists from Mexico and Southeast Asia to visit the World Dairy Expo (WDE) in Madison, Wisc. The groups' experiences helped support the Council's long-term market development strategy by increasing awareness, technical understanding and adoption of U.S. feed ingredients like distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and new-generation DDGS.

USGBC Deputy Regional Director for Southeast Asia & Oceania Caleb Floss and USGBC Senior Marketing Manager Javier Chávez led the respective groups.

"By connecting regional dairy decisionmakers with leading U.S. industry experts and technologies, the Council develops demand for U.S. feed ingredients while supporting the emergence of more productive, competitive and resilient dairy industries across Southeast Asia," Floss said.

Both teams toured farms and dairy operations across Wisconsin for a comprehensive look at how U.S. corn is raised and harnessed at dairy farms to maximize efficiency and quality. Later, a seminar with Dr. Walter Chen provided the Southeast Asian team an overview of the nutritional and economic value of U.S. DDGS.

The Mexican group met with Dr. Addison Carroll of Washington State University, Dr. Victor Cabrera of the University of Wisconsin and with representatives from POET, the world's largest producer of ethanol, to discuss U.S. DDGS' sustainable production practices and economic impact.

Both teams then attended World Dairy Expo together, visiting expo booths to connect with U.S. producers and learn more about how to take their operations to the next level.

"Increased familiarity with DDGS' nutritional benefits, economic value and practical applications is expected to drive greater interest, product trials and future use of U.S. corn co-products in the Mexican dairy industry," Chávez said.

"Improving feed efficiency, optimizing ration economics, enhancing milk production performance and supporting sustainable dairy growth will lead to an even stronger trade relationship with U.S. agriculture's largest export market."

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