Opportunities for US Feed Grains Created in China
US - A team of Chinese swine industry professionals travelled to the United States this week for training courses, seminars and farm consultations in order to gain a better understanding of the US swine production system. The team, sponsored by the US Grains Council, attended a two-day course held at Purdue University to discuss swine welfare, growth and nutritional impacts on pork quality."Low efficiency has been identified as one of the major constraints to the development of production capabilities on many farms in China," said Jason Yan, USGC technical programme manager in China, who accompanied the team. "Basic modern management techniques have been presented to the Chinese producers, but further emphasis is needed to ensure ‘good practice' is understood and used."
Council member Indiana Corn Marketing Council, the state's corn checkoff organisation, hosted the team for lunch while at Purdue. "As we work to create value for our corn crop, partnering with groups like the US Grains Council allows us to stretch our corn checkoff dollars to have a greater impact," said Mike Shuter, Indiana Corn Marketing Council president and farmer from Frankton, Ind. "Welcoming groups like the Chinese team to our state helps us build relationships with potential customers, which strengthens the demand for corn."
"The Council has been active in the Chinese swine market, promoting practical production and health management technology," said Mr Yan. "The better the efficiency of the Chinese hog industry, the more productive it will become, allowing farmers to expand to higher levels of commercial scale. This in turn will increase the demand for feed ingredients, which creates opportunities for US feed grains and co-products in China."
The team will travel to Manhattan, Kansas, where they will attend a short course on swine health and disease control at Kansas State University and meet with Council member Kansas Corn Commission. From there, the team will attend the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, 3 to 4 June. While in Des Moines, the team will meet with Council members Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Department of Economic Development.