More Grain Storage Needed In Jordan

Chuck Zimmerman

Corn MissionThe USDA Ag Specialist on the ground in Jordan is Mohamed N. Khraishy. He took time to meet with our Corn Mission team after we arrived this afternoon. He says that he acts mainly as a facilitator on our behalf or as he puts it, “See me as the grease between the wheels.”

I recorded part of our discussion with Mohamed for you to listen to. He says that quality doesn’t seem to be much of an issue for feed grain imports but that price does matter. The global economic recession has had an impact even here. He’s afraid that we might see a short term decline in American grain imports. To avoid fluctuations in the market he sees a real need for more storage facilities. He fields lots of questions about finding an American company that may want to invest in storage here in Jordan.

You can listen to part of our discussion with Mohamed below:

USGC Corn Mission In Jordan Photo Album

Audio, Corn, Grains, International, USGC

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The Board of Directors of the American Soybean Association has confirmed Rob Joslin from Sidney, Ohio, as President, and Johnny Dodson from Halls, Tenn., as Chairman. Board members also elected Alan Kemper from Lafayette, Ind., to serve as First Vice President. Click here for the full Board list.
  • Webinar: Trading Opportunities with the Soft Red Winter Wheat Index (SRWI) and Soft Red Winter Wheat Cash Markets. Thursday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. E-mail marketing@mgex.com for more information.
  • The MU Ag Alumni Association announced the 2010 Ag Unlimited silent and live auctions will be held Feb. 6, 2010.
  • Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc., celebrates its 25th anniversary as a world-class facility for crop genetics research and discovery.
    Zimfo Bytes

    Marketing Grain To The Middle East

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Corn MissionThe Regional Director for the U.S. Grains Council coordinating our Corn Mission visit to Jordan is Joe O’Brien. Joe covers the Middle East and part of India.

    He says that Jordan is “one of the bright spots of the Middle East.” There are biotech issues in the region though, especially toward Turkey and India. He says it’s a very competitive market with recent pressure coming from the Black Sea area. During the next couple days we’ll get to see a Jordanian dairy and meet with the poultry industry.

    You can listen to my interview with Joe below:

    USGC Corn Mission In Jordan Photo Album

    Audio, Corn, Grains, International, USGC

    Get Away From Winter to AG Connect

    Cindy Zimmerman

    January in Orlando is looking pretty good right now to most of us here in the frigid Midwest.

    Ag Connect ExpoSo if you have not made plans to attend AG Connect Expo 2010 in Orlando on January 13-15, take this snow day to get on line and make your reservations.

    Besides offering the opportunity to get away to a warmer climate, Expo 2010 will provide a world-class event for the global agriculture industry—bringing together the latest in equipment, technology and ideas. The show was developed by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) with the support of a variety of industry organizations and companies, including Agwired and parent company ZimmComm New Media.

    Find out more about what AG Connect offers from previous posts here on Agwired – including this interview with AEM’s Charlie O’Brien, and one with expo director Sara Mooney about the show’s awards program.

    AEM, Audio

    Corn Grower Says “Show Me” The Market

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Corn MissionFellow Show Me State resident and corn grower from the southeast part of Missouri, Jim Stuever, took a few moments to provide his thoughts on how the U.S. Grains Council Corn Mission team is doing after arriving in Amman, Jordan. In the photo, Jim (pictured left), is listening to a presentation we’re having from Mohamed Kraishy, USDA Ag Specialist in Jordan.

    Jim has seen a very diverse set of conditions from country to country as we’ve traveled. That means that market development efforts are going to be very different in each country too. After seeing the USGC “on the ground” he says that they’re increasing the environment for corn and corn by-products which is helping keep our markets viable. Jim thinks that corn grower investment in the USGC reinforces and increases foreign market use of American feed grains.

    You can listen to my interview with Jim below:

    USGC Corn Mission In Jordan Photo Album

    Audio, Corn, Grains, International, USGC

    Webinar with Bloggers: FDA’s Pet Health and Safety Widget

    Amanda Nolz

    fda-logo To anyone that might be interested: tomorrow there will be a blogger seminar about animal health and safety. This was posted on the FDA website, and I thought I would pass it along.

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will host a webinar for animal health and safety bloggers Tuesday, December 8, from 3:00 to 3:30 pm ET. The featured speakers, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Principal Deputy Commissioner of the FDA, and Dr. Bernadette Dunham, Director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, will focus on the announcement of a widget containing information on the importance of pet health and safety for both animals and pet owners. After the presentations, there will be an opportunity to ask questions or offer feedback.

    If you are interested in attending, please send an email to CVMHomeP@cvm.fda.gov. You can also email questions to this address before the webinar. Follow or join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #FDApet.

    This looks like a pretty informative event. I plan on following on Twitter tomorrow. Are you going to participate? For more information on the blogger seminar, link here.

    Animal Health, Food

    Dairy Industry Loses Leader

    Cindy Zimmerman

    TomMemorialFrontPageThe nation’s dairy producers are mourning the loss of an industry leader, Dairy Farmers of America Chairman Tom Camerlo, who passed away December 3 after a courageous battle with cancer. Tom served as DFA’s chairman since 2003.

    “Tom’s commitment to the dairy industry ran deep, and was second only to his devotion to his family,” said Rick Smith, DFA president and CEO. “The entire DFA family extends our heartfelt sympathy to the Camerlos. We share in grieving the passing of our colleague, a dear friend and a man whose lifetime commitment and leadership made an everlasting difference in the dairy industry.”

    A scholarship to honor Tom’s legacy – the James P. “Tom” Camerlo, Jr. Memorial Scholarship – has been established at Colorado State University, his alma mater. Contributions in Tom’s name can be sent to the Colorado State University Foundation at P.O. Box 1870, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1870. Checks should mention the James P. “Tom” Camerlo, Jr. Memorial Scholarship in the memo line.

    Dairy

    Egytian Dairy Tour

    Chuck Zimmerman

    The final visit for the U.S. Grains Council Corn Mission team was a dairy farm in Egypt. This is the Mirhom Farag Farm, owned by Suzanne Basilios. In the video we walk through the dairy with the farm manager so you can see how the animals are kept in open lots. They are feeding hay and a lot of corn mixed with ddgs.

    USGC Corn Mission In Egypt Photo Album

    Dairy, USGC, Video

    Alltech Goes Green in Serbia

    Cindy Zimmerman

    AlltechAlltech has opened a state-of-the art energy generation facility in Senta, Serbia.

    According to the company, the new plant encompasses many cutting edge technologies and instead of using conventional fuel, it uses the waste from the yeast factory as a raw material. This waste is converted into biogas which is used to power the new co-generation plant, which is the first of its kind in Serbia and one of the first in Europe.

    Pictured celebrating the opening of the plant in Serbia are Dr. Bojan Pajtić, current prime minister of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia; Dr. Pearse Lyons, President of Alltech and Mr. Zoltan Pek, Mayor of Senta.

    Alltech

    Producer Thoughts On Egypt

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Corn MissionThe U.S. Grains Council Corn Mission Team has concluded visiting Egypt. Tomorrow it’s on to Jordan. Before finishing today we sat down for our debrief which includes documenting our observations and making recommendations based on what we saw. Those will be provided to USGC in the form of a final report. I have updated the Eqypt photo album from our visits today.

    To get some producer feedback on our time in Egypt I interviewed Darren Armstrong, North Carolina. Darren says the biggest thing you see immediately is the potential. He says that in just a couple of years we should see significant growth. He says we need to keep our quality up and take care of the market by supporting Dr. Soliman, USGC Country Director. He thought the feedlots we visited were well taken care of and are becoming more efficient. He’s glad to see how ddgs have been so well accepted here and that is good for American producers. He says it’s, “been like a look back in history.” He compares where a lot of the Eqypt countryside is with where we were at in America not that long ago.

    You can listen to my interview with Darren below:

    USGC Corn Mission In Egypt Photo Album

    Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, Grains, USGC