Council And Texas Representatives Promote U.S. Sorghum Use In Spain

Nov 15, 2021

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and the Texas Department of Agriculture visited Spain last week to meet with Spanish grain importers and compound feed producers, assessing the opportunities for U.S. sorghum and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) exports in the upcoming year.

“Spain produces approximately 36 million metric tons (MMT) of compound feed annually; the country is also the largest pork producer in the European Union (EU),” said Paige Stevenson, USGC manager of global trade. “Spain is historically a significant buyer of U.S. sorghum, so this mission allowed the Council and Texas sorghum exporters to engage in a dialogue with their customers and to ensure that U.S. sorghum is not overlooked as the Spanish market makes its purchasing plans for the upcoming year.”

Kurt Shultz, USGC senior director of global strategies, Loyola Toran, USGC regional consultant in Spain and Stevenson represented the Council on the mission. Additionally, Bret Befort, DDGS export trader at Valero; Wayne Cleveland, executive director of the Texas Sorghum Association; Benjamin Smith of Attebury Grain; Cris Brown of West Plains; and Dan Hunter, assistant commissioner at the Texas Department of Agriculture, took part in the mission.

The team had one-on-one meetings with Spanish grain importers, feed producers and hog producers while there. The meetings allowed U.S. exporters to offer importers a better understanding of how grain flows throughout the Spanish market. Overall, Spanish importers hold U.S. sorghum in high regard and are interested in gaining knowledge about its multiple uses.

“As a result of our meetings, we were immediately getting follow-up calls from the Spanish industry asking for price and quality specifications,” Stevenson said. “That highlights the importance of these missions, sitting down face-to-face with your customers leads to sales and we are optimistic we will see U.S. sorghum sales to Spain this marketing year as a result of this mission.”

In addition to sorghum and DDGS, corn was a topic of conversation during the team’s time in Spain.

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Video: Veteran Farmers: A Legacy of Service in Rural America

Veterans Day is a time to honor the men and women who have selflessly protected our freedoms and values. And for some, the transition from military service to civilian life brings them back to the farm.

At Farm Bureau, we believe it’s important to not only celebrate veterans but also those who continue to make a difference in agriculture and their community. We've partnered with Farm Credit to establish the Veteran Farmer Award of Excellence to shine a light on those who have continued to go above and beyond to serve their communities.

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The American Farm Bureau Federation is an independent, non-governmental, voluntary organization, comprised of and directed by farm and ranch families who engage in all types of food, fuel and fiber production.