Check-in on the Checkoff: Building Connections in Iowa and Beyond

Check-in on the Checkoff: Building Connections in Iowa and Beyond

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By: Joe Roberts

Joe Roberts is a farmer from Belmond, Iowa, and serves as the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) President and on the Exports and The Grain Trade Committee.

Fall is officially here, and I must admit that it's one of my favorite times of the year. With college football season in full swing and harvest well underway, there's so much happening and plenty of fun to be had. For me, one highlight of this fall was attending Governor Kim Reynolds' trade and investment mission to India.

The trade mission group consisted of a 20-person Iowa delegation, including Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and other groups representing Iowa's agriculture sector. This mission was significant not only for establishing connections with India but also for networking with other leaders in Iowa agriculture to explore opportunities for collaboration. Together, we focused on building relationships, enhancing agricultural trade, and discovering new markets for Iowa commodities in one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

India is the world's fourth-largest feed producer and home to the world's largest dairy herd. They have the potential to import more than 700,000 metric tons of U.S. distiller's dried grains (DDGS) annually and are one of the top importers for U.S. ethanol. They have expressed a need for more U.S. corn and corn products, but existing barriers make trade missions essential for improving these trade relationships.

In late September, we also hosted an India trade mission to Iowa, allowing them to see corn harvest firsthand and the practices Iowa farmers use to grow corn for markets here in the U.S. and around the world. The Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) partners and invests in organizations, like the U.S. Grains and BioProducts Council and the U.S. Meat Export Federation, to further grow our export markets for corn in all forms to boost demand with countries around the world.

To learn more about how ICPB is working to increase market demand, visit: https://www.iowacorn.org/corn-market-development/

Thank you,

Joe Roberts

Iowa Corn Promotion Board President

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