Turkish Feed Grain Importers Enjoy a Visit to Illinois
Tara Desmond
This past week, the Illinois Corn Marketing Board (IL Corn) partnered with the U.S. Grains Council and Marquis Energy to host a trade team of distiller dried grain (DDGS) buyers from Turkey for a plant tour and farm visit.
The honored visitors from Turkey were interested in learning the latest on U.S. corn supplies and quality expectations for 2021-22 crop. The Turkish feed industry is the 6th largest importer of U.S. DDGS, and is a growing market for feed products. Illinois produces about 3 million metric tons of DDGS and exports over 2 million metric tons annually.
IL Corn joined their long visit on Thursday, Oct. 21st in Hennepin, Illinois at Marquis Energy to learn more about their strategic placement on theRiver which allows them a competitive advantage to sell U.S. ethanol into the global market and about their new technology developed in-house to boost the DDGS quality.
The afternoon farm tour, organized by IL Corn, was to Paul & Donna Jeschke’s Farm in Mazon, Illinois. The Jeschkes welcomed the team into their home where Donna explained their farm history, how they make farming decisions, harvest progress, and their biggest challenge this year - weather.
The tour took participants through their farm, including grain storage facilities, and to the fields where Paul, three of his family members plus staff were currently harvesting. Paul commented, “It’s great to have buyers come out to the farm again so they can see firsthand how we produce the corn that feeds the world. The personal connections we make during these trade missions are crucial in building a durable, long term trading relationship.”
IL Corn is invested in connecting international customers with Illinois farmers and first purchasers of Illinois corn like ethanol plants and grain merchandisers, and regularly hosts or join trade team visits like this one.
U.S. Grains Council Manager of Global Trade, Reece Cannady, explained the importance of these trips, “Turkey is a key market for US DDGS producers in a highly competitive region. We know that US marketers are competitive with the rest of the world and we’re happy to show these buyers how all members of the supply chain work together to deliver a high-quality product at an attractive price.”
