International Buyers Get On-Farm Look at U.S. Meat Production

Teams of meat buyers from across the globe recently received a firsthand look at U.S. livestock and grain production before attending the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Board of Directors Meeting and Product Showcase in St. Louis.

Wayne Humphreys hosted a team of buyers from Hong Kong and Taiwan at his farm near Columbus Junction, Iowa, where Humphreys raises corn, soybeans, hogs and cattle. Humphreys found it especially gratifying to meet up with the buyers again at the USMEF Product Showcase, where exporters displayed a wide range of U.S. pork, beef and lamb products.

Roger Zylstra’s (pronounced ZILE-stra) farm near Lynnville, Iowa, hosted a team of buyers from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Zylstra, who also raises corn, soybeans, hogs and cattle, said the buyers were intrigued by the efficient management practices and attention to detail at his operation.

In addition to the trade teams mentioned above, USMEF also hosted teams of meat buyers from Africa, the Caribbean, China, Central America, South America and South Korea, as well as three teams from Japan (pork retail, beef retail and foodservice) and three teams from Mexico (retail, foodservice and trade). In total, more than 130 buyers participated in the USMEF Product Showcase.


TRANSCRIPT:

Joe Schuele: The U.S. Meat Export Federation recently invited teams of meat buyers from across the world to the USMEF Product Showcase in St. Louis. Prior to that event, the teams got a first-hand look at U.S. meat production by visiting U.S. farms. One of the hosts was Wayne Humphreys of Columbus Junction, Iowa.

Wayne Humphreys: We were delighted to host a team – from two different countries, from Hong Kong and from Taiwan – meat buyers, representatives of distribution companies and supermarkets. They came to our farm to trace this value chain clear back to its beginning. We explained to them that we are family farmers, that we are entrepreneurs, and that we care very much about the welfare of the animals while we have them. They asked a lot of very appropriate questions about feed rations, and about the weights and the times and the temperatures, the control of the buildings. They are very well informed and even more so after having been on the farm.

Joe Schuele: Humphreys was very impressed with the turnout at the Product Showcase.

Wayne Humphreys: This is so wonderful. We spend so much time, and so many dollars trying to get buyers and sellers together, and here tonight this is happening. People are writing orders and taking samples and making arrangements for shipments. This is exactly what we hoped would happen with all of the investment that we’ve made.

Joe Schuele: Roger Zylstra of Lynnville, Iowa, hosted a team from former Soviet Republics.

Roger Zylstra: They were extremely interested in the management side of it. They come from such a different system, the collective system. That was really their focus, was to try and understand out business structure. We know one of their amazements was that on an operation of that size that just two of us, me and my son, did the labor there. They were impressed with the efficiency, labor-wise, in our operation. They were also impressed with the attention to detail and the management that we provide to grow the product.

Joe Schuele: For more information, please visit USMEF.org. For the U.S. Meat Export Federation, I’m Joe Schuele.