For Immediate Release

Contact

Lindsay Kennedy
External Affairs Director
806-687-8727

USCP, USGC Host Mexican Grain Buyers

June 15, 2012 — The Sorghum Checkoff and the U.S. Grains Council this week hosted a group of some of Mexico’s largest and most influential grain buyers to South Texas this week for an educational tour.

One stop on the tour was Jim Massey’s sorghum farm in Robstown, Texas.

“Because 40 percent of sorghum production is shipped to Mexico, they are an important customer to our industry, and it is crucial to maintain relationships with these individuals while educating them about our industry and introducing them to emerging production technology.”

The group consisted of the largest poultry producer in Northern Mexico, port grain handlers, brokers and industry professionals. Participants on the tour received well rounded exposure to commodity purchasing and trading. Aside from professional networking, the group also gained firsthand experience and insight into how a sorghum crop is produced.

Their tour began in Iowa and ended in the Texas Coastal Bend, where Massey said the group was excited to see fields and harvesting equipment.

“This is particularly exciting to South Texas producers because a large volume of sorghum produced in this area is exported to Mexico,” Massey said. “These tours are an important part of maintaining relationships with our customers. It allows them to see the entire process, whether it be by rail or ship, of how their grain gets to the end user.”

The Sorghum Checkoff and U.S. Grains Council are hosting a Japanese buyer group in Kansas and South Texas June 13-20 to further educate them in hopes of increasing demand for sorghum in Japan, who serves as the second largest importer of U.S. sorghum.

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