Mexico/Central America Buyer Team Attends World Pork Expo, Meets with U.S. Suppliers

USMEF hosted a group of eight meat industry professionals from Mexico and Central America in Iowa this week for a firsthand look at U.S. livestock, meat and grain production. Highlights of the trip included a visit to World Pork Expo and a “Meet the Buyers” session in which U.S. suppliers met one-on-one with team members to discuss their specific product needs. Funding support for these activities was provided by the Iowa Soybean Association, and USMEF member organizations played key roles in the success of the tour.

(Left to right) Jorge Torres Jr. and Jorge Torres Sr. of Zamorano Agroindustrial and Oscar Lopez of DIACO meet with Pine Ridge Farms Executive Vice President Mark Cooper

Presented by the National Pork Producers Council, World Pork Expo attracts about 20,000 pork producers and allied industry professionals to the Iowa State Fairgrounds over three days (June 5-7). In addition to meeting with producers, the team had access to more than 400 trade show exhibits and seminars covering a wide range of pork industry topics.

U.S. suppliers arrived well-equipped with detailed product information for their face-to-face meetings with the team at the USMEF Meet the Buyers luncheon held Wednesday in Des Moines. Adair pork producer and USMEF executive committee member Sam Carney was also in attendance, and came away impressed with the buyers’ extensive meat industry knowledge and their desire to learn more about U.S. products.

“I always welcome the opportunity to showcase our industry to visitors from international markets, because I am very proud of the meat we produce here,” Carney said. “But it is especially gratifying to host key decision-makers who take the time to ask good questions and who are really interested in how our products can enhance their sales. If a tour like this helps them grow their business, that’s a plus for my operation and for all U.S. producers.”

Later in the day, the group met with leaders from the Iowa Department of Economic Development and the Iowa Department of Agriculture, including Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey.

Roger Zylstra (left) hosts the Mexico/Central America buyer team at his soybean, corn and pork-producing operation near Lynnville, Iowa

“The industry knowledge we have acquired on this trip is priceless,” said Juan Hernandez, general manager of La Unica, a family-owned distributor of pork for retail and further processing headquartered in El Salvador. “It’s going to have an immediate impact in the way that we conduct business with companies in the United States.”

For a perspective on U.S. grain production, the group visited Roger Zylstra’s farm near Lynnville, which produces soybeans and corn. Zylstra, who represents the Iowa Corn Growers Association on the USMEF board of directors, also operates a hog feeding facility.

“It was fascinating to hear different points of view on how the entire U.S. supply chain really integrates,” Hernandez said. “We learned so many more details about what goes into the final product before it is delivered to us in El Salvador.”

A thorough look at Iowa’s meat processing sector was also on the team’s itinerary, which included tours of the Tyson Foods plant in Waterloo, the Farmland plant in Denison and Pine Ridge Farms in Des Moines.

“I want to say thank you to USMEF and our Iowa hosts for such a great experience,” said Ulises Lianes, owner of Comercializadora de Carnes Yañes Sanches, a regional grocery store chain based in Mexico. “It is very important to continue this kind of exchange, because the knowledge we gain of the U.S. industry helps us better understand the quality of U.S. meat products and allows us to pass that information along to our customers.”