INVESTING CHECKOFF DOLLARS
E X PA N D I N G G LO B A L S OY B E A N M A R K E T S BY KATIE JOHNSON
C
ruise ships, ocean liners, barges and cargo ships pass through the bustling Panama Canal in early February. However, one frequent visitor through the waterway is starkly quiet. Historically, at least 60 boats of soybeans are passing through the Panama Canal during this time of year. To date, there has only been one, a sign that the U.S. and China aren’t the only countries adversely impacted by the ongoing trade war. Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) Chief Operations Officer Karey Claghorn recently returned from a trade mission to Colombia and Panama. She traveled there with representatives from the Iowa pork and Iowa corn associations in addition to Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. Claghorn said the mission was a valuable opportunity to see Iowa agricultural products consumed abroad — and potentially capitalize on a growing market. “These countries are smaller markets,
18 | MARCH 2019 | IASOYBEANS.COM
but they are growing,” Claghorn says. “We need to see which markets we can further tap into.” The U.S. holds a free trade agreement with both Colombia and Panama. Colombia is the fourth largest country by population in Latin America and continues to grow. Nearly 90 percent of Colombia’s pork and soybean imports are from the U.S. “Walking along supermarkets, we saw Blue Bunny Ice Cream from Le Mars and Hormel pepperoni that was produced in Osceola,” Claghorn says. “We saw cooking oil labeled as soy oil.” Due to Colombia’s terrain, logistically it’s easier and more costeffective to import soybeans than grow them. “Our farmers are our best ambassadors,” Claghorn says. “When buyers can put a face behind the pork products or soybean meal, customers think of those farmers when making purchasing decisions. We met with people who make those purchasing
decisions, and it gave them the opportunity to ask our farmers questions and pass that information down the supply chain. Relationships make the difference.” ISA Board President Lindsay Greiner is one of those farmers making an international difference. “With all things being equal, trade comes down to relationships,” says Greiner as he reminisces on several trade missions from the last few years. “People do business with people.” Greiner has served as a trade representative in the Philippines, Vietnam, Germany, Poland, Italy, Norway, Egypt, Spain, Mexico and China. As a farmer promoting U.S. soy around the globe, Greiner sees firsthand the many perceptions of U.S. agriculture and proudly regales a theme of general positivity. “Perceptions are very good. If you tell them you’re a farmer from Iowa, they know we have the best land in the world,” says Greiner. “They know we
