SSGA gathers for board meeting, gets first look at Ag Innovation Campus

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) board made their way to Fargo, N.D., Sept. 13-14 for the organization’s quarterly board meeting.

Before they got down to business on Thursday morning, the board toured Grand Farm during the Grand Farm Field Day featuring Nutrien.

Grand Farm, established in 2019, is a “network of growers, technologists, corporations, startups, educators, policymakers and investors working together to solve problems in agriculture with applied technology.” With a brick-and-mortar campus under construction in rural Casselton, N.D., Grand Farm will soon have a permanent home.

Created to solve the biggest problems in agriculture, Grand Farm is home to a wide variety of research plots, including a KWS Seeds sunflower plot that is testing a laser scarecrow.

“Partners come to us and explain their vision of what could happen out here, what they’re trying to test, and why they’re trying to test it,” Grand Farm Director William Aderholdt said. “Then we work with them to get plots put out. We make sure that from end to end they’re successful whether that be making sure the environment is ideal or making sure that planting happens on time or finding the right farm management contractors or doing data collection. All those things are really important to the work that we’re doing.”

During the field day, SSGA board members were able to tour the plots, learning about the research being conducted throughout the farm from Program Manager of Field Operations Ann Nobriga.

At the board meeting, the board discussed strategic marketing plans outreach, upcoming events and heard action team and administrative reports. After the meeting wrapped up, the board traveled to Crookston, Minn. for the Ag Innovation Campus (AIC) Phase One Grand Opening.

“What makes this facility so amazing is the vision and the mission that it is going to hold for agriculture,” Acting AIC CEO Tom Slunecka said in his opening remarks. “Not only will the AIC empower the value of agriculture in the region and add value with new employees to the city of Crookston, but this facility is going to change agriculture as a whole.”

The AIC is a not-for-profit facility that will produce an estimated 240 tons of soybean meal daily, equaling a grand total of 62,400 tons of soybean meal per year. With three independently operated mechanic crush systems, the AIC will be able to crush organic, non-GMO and GMO soybeans.

Phase one – the crush plant – is the first of the three-phase project. Phase two will feature an office complex and research labs. Phase three consists of rentable discovery bays that will be available for short to midterm use. Companies can then use the space to prove their designs at full production scale. The “Crushwalk” will also allow visitors to view the processing facility in a safe and bio secure manner.

“We’re going to develop and process products that consumers want today and tomorrow, not yesterday,” Slunecka said. “That’s the whole point of this center.”

SSGA will holds its next board meeting Thursday, Nov. 30 in Bloomington, Ill.

SSGA seeks to make U.S. IP ‘big in Japan’

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The tour through the Aeon Style supermarket in Tokyo showed the Americans several ways U.S. agriculture impacts Japan.

The travelers were part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture trade mission, and they got to see many of their exports or foods that use their exports on display, while shoppers also walked around intending to purchase some of those products.

The showcase included an impressive display of soy foods important to Japan such as natto and tofu, products that often feature identity preserved soybeans from the United States as prime ingredients.

“You might not realize the cultural importance of these foods until you see so many brands and varieties together in the cooler with shoppers poring over them,” said SSGA Manager for Strategic Programs Shane Frederick, who took part in the trade mission June 4-9 in Tokyo and Osaka. “Knowing that some of those products likely had ingredients sourced from SSGA members really underscored the impact our U.S. suppliers have on the industry.”

Indeed, the United States is the No. 1 supplier of food and agricultural products to Japan, a country that must import 60% of its calories. In 2022, Japan – a country with a population of more than 125 million people – imported $14.6 billion worth of food and ag from the U.S.

SSGA Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick
SSGA Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick
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“This shows that there is a continuously growing demand for U.S. products in Japan, providing U.S. exporters with a tremendous opportunity to expand their exporting,” said Alexis M. Taylor, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.

Taylor led the delegation, which included representatives of several commodity organizations, 11 state departments of ag and 40 agribusinesses who, she said, had the opportunity “to showcase the strength of U.S. food and agriculture products. Japanese consumers are especially interested in high-quality, health-oriented products, and I am confident that U.S. businesses can meet and exceed these expectations.”

Besides the Aeon and other tours, Frederick participated in business-to-business meetings in Tokyo and Osaka, matching with a tofu manufacturer, as well as importers with customers in the food manufacturing and school lunch industries. He also met with in-country marketing professionals and USDA Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) officials.

“It was an opportunity to meet people and, hopefully, start some working relationships,” Frederick said. “In some cases, we’ve begun setting up future discussions.”

Frederick’s No. 1 goal was to promote the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and mark, which was launched in December 2021. Fourteen U.S. companies have been qualified for the program and are using the mark. Frederick talked about those companies and other SSGA members who supply high-quality, specialty grains and soybeans. As well, he was able to share the story of farmers who carefully grow identity preserved field crops for food ingredients and other purposes.

“The mark seemed to resonate with the representatives I met with, but there is more work to be done to keep it growing and get U.S. Identity Preserved well-recognized throughout Japan and around the world,” Frederick said.

Frederick also met with USDA international services officials in Japan representing the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and brief them on the High Quality Specialty Grain (HQSG) export certification program, which APHIS announced in April and SSGA administers.

The U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and mark were developed, in part, through a USDA FAS Agricultural Trade Promotion grant. SSGA’s participation in the trade mission is part of the organization’s goal of promoting the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand program, which is also by the Michigan Soybean Committee, Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council and Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board.

SSGA will be considering other opportunities to promote U.S. Identity Preserved abroad, including future USDA trade missions.

SSGA presents at Asia Soy Excellence and Food Summit

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SSGA presented an update on the supply, sourcing and forecast for U.S. soy and specialty food soybeans during the Asia Soy Excellence & Food Summit 2023 in Thailand.

SB&B partner Todd Sinner presented virtually to the audience in Bangkok on Monday evening, while SSGA Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick joined the event following Sinner’s presentation to answer questions. They were part of a panel on U.S. Soy supply status, value differentiation and benefits with Ohio farmer and United Soybean Board director Bill Bayliss and Soy Nutrition Institute Global CEO Julie Ohmen.

SSGA focused on the importance of forward contracting, early decision making and developing relationships with buyers – all to ensure customers gets the varieties they desire.

The event, organized by U.S. Soybean Export Council and supported by SSGA and others aimed to provide updates on the soybean supply chain, soy food and beverage trends and innovation, soy health and nutrition, as well as consumer attitudes, product promotion and marketing.

SSGA joins first ever USDA Netherlands trade mission

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance is constantly looking for opportunities to promote its members’ companies, expand exports of their high-quality products and familiarize the world with the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand program. So, the opportunity to go to the Netherlands and be part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture trade mission there could not be passed up.

Last week, Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick attended the trade mission in Amsterdam, an experience that included opportunities to engage with Dutch businesses, receive market briefings from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and industry trade experts and participate in site visits, including the largest seaport in Europe, the Port of Rotterdam.

The U.S. delegation was led by USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor and included representatives from 41 agribusinesses and farm organizations and 10 state departments of agriculture looking to expand economic partnerships between the United States and the Netherlands and markets throughout Scandinavia. The trip marked the USDA’s first-ever agribusiness trade mission to the Netherlands.

Frederick participated in the business-to-business meetings and sat down with commodity brokers, food and food ingredient importers and port logistics service representatives. He also made connections with USDA FAS staff, state and regional trade group officials, and ag department representatives from California, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, among others; networked with agribusinesses from throughout the United States; and was part of roundtable discussion with ag cooperator and advocacy groups led by Under Secretary Taylor.

“This was an opportunity to go to the Netherlands and the European Union, learn about their markets and tell our own story about identity preserved and specialty field crops available in the United States, as well as the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand mark program,” Frederick said. “It was an opportunity to talk about the work SSGA and its members are doing, see how those efforts fits in to U.S. trade strategy and compare notes with other groups and companies.”

The Netherlands is the United States’ ninth-largest export market for agriculture and also the world’s second-largest ag exporter after the United States. In 2022, combined total agricultural and related exports to the Netherlands and the region topped $4.5 billion.

Consumer trends there include a growing interest in what they’re eating and where that food comes from and a willingness and ability to pay for healthy and nutritious foods. Their younger populations are open-minded about new concepts, products and flavors, and there’s a strong market for plant-based and sustainably certified products.

Frederick will be participating in the USDA’s trade mission to Japan this June. Feel free to contact him for more information.

More news:

https://brownfieldagnews.com/news/usda-trade-mission-to-the-netherlands/

SSGA joining USDA Netherlands trade mission

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Shane Frederick

SSGA Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick

On April 17-20, SSGA Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick will accompany USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor’s delegation during USDA’s first-ever regional agribusiness trade mission to the Netherlands. Taylor will head a diverse group more than 50 business, trade associations and state government leaders seeking to grow U.S. agricultural exports to the Netherlands, Scandinavia and beyond.

“This regional trade mission is part of USDA’s ongoing efforts to strengthen America’s rural economy by helping U.S. producers, exporters, and agribusinesses grow and diversify their revenue streams,” said Taylor. “Home to the largest seaport in all of Europe and an impressive network of importers, packers, processors, and distributors, the Netherlands is the gateway into the European Union, offering great business potential for U.S. agricultural exporters.”

During the mission, U.S. participants will meet with importers from the Netherlands, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

“Combined exports of U.S. farm and food products to this region totaled $4.5 billion in 2022, an increase of 10 percent from 2021,” Taylor said.

Frederick will represent SSGA member companies in business-to-business meetings and promoting the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand mark program.

“It’s SSGA’s mission to promote the high-quality, specialty soybeans and grains available from U.S. suppliers,” Frederick said. “And making the U.S. Identity Preserved mark recognizable worldwide is vital to telling that story. I look forward to introducing the program to companies and officials next week in the Netherlands.”

While on the trade mission, participants will conduct business-to-business meetings with potential buyers, receive market briefings from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and industry trade experts, and participate in site visits.

Donkers replaces Schrader on SSGA board

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Gail Donkers, farmer and Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council director, has been selected to finish the term of Keith Schrader on the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance Board of Directors.

Gail Donkers

Donkers farms in Faribault, Minn., raising soybeans, corn, alfalfa, hogs, dairy beef and sheep alongside her family. She grew up on a dairy and diversified livestock farm near Wanamingo, Minn., and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in animal industry marketing and a minor in technical communications.

“At the Identity Preserved International Summit, I saw first-hand what SSGA is doing to broaden the identity preserved field crops market,” Donkers said. “I’m excited to be a part of the organization that is working to develop this potential.”

Donkers will finish Schrader’s term ending in 2023 and will be eligible to run for reelection. The SSGA board approved the move during its March 24 meeting, which was held virtually.

Schrader has served on the SSGA board since it formed in 2019, representing MSR&PC and previously serving as treasurer. Before that, he served on the board of SSGA’s predecessor organization, Midwest Shippers Association, starting in 2010.

Schrader felt it was time for another farmer to take over his position on the SSGA board. He recommended Donkers and thought her experience on her farm and other professional roles would lend itself well to SSGA.

“I’m ecstatic that such a quality person like Gail can join the SSGA board,” Schrader said. “She is very involved on her farm but also has extensive experience working for other ag associations and communications roles. She’s a person who can cover all of the bases and do it well.”

Although retiring from the SSGA board, Schrader will still be involved in the organization as a member and as part of the agronomy action team.

“This is such a close-knit industry, and I’ve loved working with these people,” Schrader said. “Even though these businesses are in competition, I admire the way they work as a team to better the industry.”

SSGA elects two new board members; tabs Sinner as chair

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) welcomed two new members to its board of directors during the group’s annual meeting on Thursday, as Jake Noll of Minnesota-based Richland IFC and Chuck Kunisch of Michigan Agricultural Commodities were elected to two of three open seats.

For the other open seat, Darwin Rader of Michigan-based Zeeland Farm Services was reelected to the eight-member board during the meeting, held at the office of the Indiana Soybean Alliance.

Bob Sinner of North Dakota-based SB&B Foods was selected to chair the SSGA board for a second time.

“SSGA has really gotten its legs,” said Sinner, who previously served as SSGA chair in 2021. “I think everybody understands and realizes what SSGA means to the identity preserved world. We’ve had some great successes, and there are some great things on the horizon for the industry. I’m just proud to be able to assist the leadership in continuing to grow the organization.”

Rader was elected as SSGA vice-chair, while Colby Eymann of Scoular was reelected as the group’s secretary/treasurer.

“I am so honored that the membership has faith in me to continue to serve their needs,” said Rader, who has served as chair of SSGA’s competitive shipping action team. “And I’ll do my best to fill their expectations in that role.”

Although they had not previously served on the board, both Noll and Kunisch also have taken on action team leadership positions as SSGA members.

“I’m glad to have been elected,” said Noll, chair of SSGA’s food grade soya action team. “I hope to further what SSGA has been doing, and I look forward to working with our group of board members and everyone involved in the Alliance.

Kunisch is chair of SSGA’s specialty grains action team.

“I really appreciate everybody’s vote and confidence to do the job,” Kunisch said. “I hope I can help further advance the goals of SSGA.”

Noll and Kunisch replaced outgoing board directors Adam Buckentine and Andy Bensend, who did not seek reelection to their seats. Each was honored by SSGA with a retiring director’s award.

SSGA’s other board directors are Rob Prather of WeFARM Organics; Keith Schrader representing Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council and Bryan Stobaugh of Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council.

SSGA Board of Directors. From left: Chuck Kunisch, Executive Director Eric Wenberg, Keith Schrader, Jake Noll, Bob Sinner, Darwin Rader, Colby Eymann, Bryan Stobaugh and Rob Prather
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SSGA also awarded its Alliance Honors to the American Soybean Association’s WISHH program; Fawad Shah of Minnesota Crop Improvement Association; Duluth Cargo Connect and the late Robert (Bob) Karls, former executive director of the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board.

Philippines trip sparks fruitful conversations

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The Philippines is a country that relies on agricultural imports for food and food ingredients and also has a strong affinity for American brands, making it an ideal place for the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance to visit and talk about the high-quality, identity-preserved field-crop products supplied by its members.

Last week, SSGA Chair Rob Prather and Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick traveled to Manila to participate in a U.S. Department of Agriculture-sponsored trade mission that included opportunities to engage with potential buyers, receive in-depth market briefings from Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and industry trade experts and participate in site visits.

They were part of a U.S. delegation, led by FAS Administrator Daniel Whitley, that included representatives from 29 agribusinesses and farm organizations, as well as representatives from several state departments of agriculture. The trade mission’s goal was to promote two-way cooperation and build trade opportunities between the United States and the Philippines.

“The Philippines is an excellent market for U.S. farm and food products, and we look forward to introducing a diverse group of companies and organizations to new export opportunities there,” Whitley said prior to the trade mission. “U.S. brands sell very well in the Philippines, where consumers regard our products as safe, reliable and of good quality. The United States has enjoyed a long and prosperous trading relationship with the Philippines, and this mission is an ideal opportunity to further expand our exports there.”

During two days of business-to-business meetings, SSGA was able to connect with about 20 companies. Frederick directed buyers to the SSGA Trades Lead web page, as well as to SSGA University, where they could learn more about the U.S. identity preserved system and how identity preserved field crops can make their products better. Additionally, it was an opportunity to show the new U.S. Identity Preserved mark and assurance plan and talk about it with businesses, FAS officials and others involved with trade between the United States and the Philippines.

“This trip was a great opportunity to start new relationships and continue conversations we started with some of the virtual events and presentations we participated in over the last two years,” Prather said. “As successful as some of those online opportunities were, it was just as important for us to meet those businesses in person and see the potential for ourselves.”

Prather spent the previous week in Vietnam along with SSGA Technical Adviser for Southeast Asia Hoa Huynh. In the coming months, technical advisers Alyson Segawa (North Asia) and Philip Shull (South Asia) will travel to Japan and India and Nepal, respectively, along with SSGA board directors.

These are important and growing markets for SSGA’s processing and exporting members. In the Philippines, which is the eighth-largest market for U.S. agricultural products, averaging $3.1 billion, there is both a need for imported food and food ingredients to keep up with the pace of growth and stave off shortages, as well as a growing middle class that is buying higher-quality foods. The latter category is willing to spend more and has an affinity for products from the United States or products that contain U.S. ingredients.

Prather and Frederick took part in tours of a membership shopping center (think Costco or Sam’s Club) and a grocery store in Manila where U.S. foods were prominently featured. The Robinson’s Supermarket chain, for instance, was highlighting U.S. brands as part of a monthlong “American Festival.”

SSGA goes globetrotting

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The second half of 2022 will be one of outreach for the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance. Travel is underway, as SSGA spreads the message of high quality to our customers abroad. This week already, SSGA Chair Rob Prather is on the road, traveling to Vietnam along with Hoa Huynh, technical adviser for Southeast Asia.

Following their visit with Vinasoy, a Vietnamese soymilk and soy drink producer, Huynh believes the prospect of Vinasoy importing U.S. Identity Preserved soybeans to be high. Vinasoy staff recently returned from the Food Grade Soybean Procurement Course at Northern Crops Institute in Fargo, N.D. Prather and Huynh also met with Dabaco, a feed and food production company and have more visits planned.

Next week, Prather will meet up with Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick in the Philippines for a USDA trade mission to Manila that features several state departments of ag, state and national commodity associations and agribusinesses for tours and business-to-business meetings.

In both countries, SSGA is talking about the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand mark and preparing for an international launch later this year in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

“After spending much of the last two years talking to customers virtually about identity preserved soybeans and specialty grains, we are thrilled to be able to start having those conversations in person,” Frederick said. “This USDA trade mission to Manila and other trips are perfect opportunities to highlight the new U.S. Identity Preserved mark and explain what it represents – the great care, commitment and close attention that IP farmers, processors and shippers undertake to fulfill the needs of their customers.”

In the coming months, SSGA technical advisers Alyson Segawa (North Asia) and Philip Shull (South Asia) will be traveling to Japan and India and Nepal, respectively, along with board directors, and our alliance is looking ahead to more opportunities in the future. In India and Nepal, SSGA representatives will participate in three seminars organized by the U.S. Soybean Export Council that will extol the quality and value of U.S. identity preserved soybeans. In addition to meeting with the trade, SSGA will meet with India’s Soy Food Processors Welfare Association (SFPWA) and Foreign Agricultural Service-New Delhi to discuss SFPWA’s efforts to secure a tariff rate quota for food grade soybeans from the Indian government.

Look for reports on each of these trips in future SSGA newsletters.

SSGA addresses buyers in Indonesia

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With food availability a concern in Indonesia, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Agriculture Counselor Rey Santella emphasized the need for the United States and Indonesia to keep trade open to help feed each other in his address at the Asia Soy Excellence & Protein Summit.

SSGA had the opportunity to weigh in on that concern during the conference, hosted by the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) June 21-22 in Bali. Presenting virtually, SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg and Chair Rob Prather briefed about 150 attendees on current identity preserved (IP) crop production issues, logistics and container shipping during the hybrid event. Steve Peach, a Michigan farmer and member of the Michigan Soybean Committee, and Troy Berndt, a grower relations specialist in Wisconsin, updated attendees on the 2022 growing season in their respective states/regions.

Attendees were interested to learn about container shipping challenges. While most of these challenges likely will continue into the next shipping season, they are expected to progressively improve. Prather encouraged buyers to order from U.S. exporters as soon as possible, not only to help plan logistics but to allow U.S. farmers ample time to grow IP crops with the exact qualities and characteristics requested by the end users. Ordering IP crops in advance also improves efficiencies in production plans for manufacturers focusing on quality.

Wenberg and Prather also emphasized the importance of partnerships between groups like SSGA and USSEC and how buyers should seek out educational materials, such as SSGA University and the U.S. Soy Excellence Center. Wenberg also spoke of SSGA’s international launch of the U.S. Identity Preserved brand mark, which is scheduled to take place in Southeast Asia in November.