Natto industry members meet for annual Natto Summit

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Twenty-three Japanese natto soybean buyers – along with natto suppliers from North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Arkansas and Ohio – gathered in Fargo, N.D., Sept. 3-5, for the third annual U.S. – Japan Natto Summit. The event was organized by the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) with the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) serving as a partner.

Natto, a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans, is often eaten for breakfast and is popular in Japan for its health benefits. Fermentation breaks down the proteins in the soybean, making it easier to digest than whole soybeans. Natto soybeans are small, with a clear hilum and thin seed coat.

Natto Summit attendees heard from experts regarding challenges and promotion activities in the natto industry, U.S. and global food trends, soybean production, agricultural technology, transportation, commodity supply and demand, gene editing and more. A common theme among speakers was the current declining agriculture economy that U.S. farmers are enduring.

Soybean ending stocks for 2018/2019 were a record high at 114.53 million metric tons (MMT), about 15 percent larger than the previous record set last year. A continued oversupply creates opportunity for producers to choose specialty beans.

“With commodity soybean production well below breakeven for most farmers, now is a great time to choose a premium crop,” says Dave Spickler of Lighthouse Commodities. “Growers need to think of ways to diversify.”

With natto producers, distributers and buyers all in one place, attendees were able to develop personal relationships and discuss issues in the industry.

“The Natto Summit is a great example of the farm-to-table relationship building with identity-preserved soya that’s needed in this era of a tough trade environment,” says SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg. “Japan’s natto industry and its associations and companies set the global standard for marketing and supporting their livelihoods by working together. The fact that the U.S. can be an origin and work with buyers to create exactly the crop characteristics they want for the product isn’t a niche – it’s an example of how building specific pathways for exports works well.”

Masako Tateishi, North Asia regional human utilization director for USSEC, agrees that relationships help create a successful Natto Summit and trade business.

“The Natto Summit allows buyers to get together with the rest of the industry to discuss challenges and opportunities and maybe create more natto sales in an industry that is growing in Japan,” Tateishi says. “Natto buyers also enjoy touring the facilities and seeing how the soybeans are handled safely and reliably.”

Three food grade soybean plants – SB&B Foods, Inc. in Casselton, N.D., Brushvale Seed in Breckenridge, Minn., and Richland IFC in Dwight, N.D. – hosted tours of their soybean research plots, breeding nurseries and facilities, where attendees saw each step in the food grade soybean cleaning process.

“Against Japan’s demographic changes, natto interest is growing. The Natto Summit shows how we all contribute to improve U.S. soy – the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) with its Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) funds, USSEC’s international organization muscle, and other soy partners in the United Soybean Board (USB) and the American Soybean Association (ASA),” Wenberg says. “The Qualified State Soybean Boards (QSSBs) from North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin put their grower funds into supporting a great event that SSGA was also happy to contribute to.”

Soy and grain industry leaders gather for U.S. SOY Global Trade Exchange and Specialty Grains Conference

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Last week, over 800 soy and grain industry leaders, buyers and suppliers from 53 countries gathered in Chicago for the U.S. SOY Global Trade Exchange and Specialty Grains Conference (GTE). The event was co-hosted by the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA).

With 52 trade show exhibitors, attendees were able to network and share ideas on how to move the industry forward.

“The trade show is a chance for us to meet new customers and discuss the quality and availability of products that are grown in the U.S.,” says Brandon Bickham, export sales manager for The DeLong Co., Inc.

Aside from the trade show, plenary sessions and breakout sessions allowed attendees to network and learn from experts in the soy and grain industry. Sessions were held on a variety of topics such as trade, crop production and supply, shipping, communications and more.

“We were honored to have USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney address the crowd at GTE, says SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg. “McKinney and the other speakers at GTE presented critical topics being faced by those in the grain, soy and shipping industries. We have to export to survive and we need better agreements, faster.”

Pradnya Joshi, trade editor for Politico, led a conversation with Professor Mary Lovely from Syracuse University, on the future of trade. Lovely reported the need to stay positive on the current state of world trade.

“Traditionally, the United States has led the way in trying to make these trade agreements happen and maintain these open markets. We have taken our market access for granted,” Lovely said. “Policy has changed in all of those dimensions. There are large stakes at play and we need to focus on a positive outcome. If we get some decent policy, there is no reason why this trade expansion shouldn’t be robust. A recent survey shows that 62 percent of Americans support free trade and we need to keep educating about the benefits of working in trade with other countries.”

Breakout sessions included a panel presentation featuring four U.S. food soya exporters about the 2019 crop production outlook. Panel members included Sheila Sauve, Healthy Food Ingredients, Chase Holoubek, Scoular, Austin DeLong, The DeLong Co., Inc.; and Michael Youmans from Clarkson Grain Company. Gary Williams from United Grain Corp. moderated the panel.

Although they represent four different soybean-growing regions, panel members presented very similar outlooks.

“Overall, soybeans in the U.S. faced early rain and late planting, which led to many acres of Prevented Plant,” Holoubek says. “This year, September will likely be the most important month for the growing soy crop. Typically August is the most important.”

Another breakout session featured panel members from three major container shippers: Cameron Bowie, Hapag-Lloyd, Allen Clifford, Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), and Paul Lesnefsky from Ocean Network Express (ONE). The panel discussed current trends and challenges in the global container shipping industry.

Bruce Abbe, SSGA Strategic Advisor for Trade and Transportation, moderated the panel.

“Global container shipping, like U.S. agriculture, is feeling the sharp impact of the trade war between China and the U.S. The normal trade lanes of imports bringing in manufactured products from China, and ag exports back from the U.S. are undergoing change,” Abbe sai. “We heard about the logistics challenges the shipping lines face needing to reposition empty equipment back to China from our new target markets in other countries.”

Shippers in the audience also heard more about the upcoming cost increases coming starting next year with the International Maritime Organization’s worldwide mandated use of low sulfur fuels or other pollution preventing technologies. MSC’s Allen Clifford called out the need for investment in the whole transportation infrastructure, “without more infrastructure at every level, trade will be something harder and harder for America.”

“Chicago is the inland center for container shipping in the U.S., and we were privileged to have a panel of very high level carrier leaders who are well informed about the trends underway,” added Abbe. “SSGA staff also invested time conferring with them separate from the conference session on some potential new developments for expanding intermodal shipping in the Midwest that hold promise.”

What to expect at the U.S. SOY Global Trade Exchange and Specialty Grains Conference

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On Aug. 20-22, over 750 soy and grain industry leaders, buyers and suppliers are expected to attend the U.S. SOY Global Trade Exchange and Specialty Grains Conference (GTE) in Chicago. Here’s what you can expect at the joint U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) event.

Over 50 businesses will exhibit in the trade show opening at 11 a.m – 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday and 7 – 10:45 Thursday morning. Exhibitors include buyers and sellers of soybeans and grains and their support businesses such as shipping, data and information, publications, equipment, finance, insurance and more. Wednesday will conclude with a reception in the trade show area. To learn more about the trade show and exhibitors, visit here.

“The trade show is the part of GTE where all the business happens,” says SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg. “It’s a place for attendees to network and explore ways to improve their business. We have a great lineup of exhibitors and we’re excited for this important part of the conference.”

Thursday boasts a jam-packed agenda of sessions related to policy, trade, communications and other relevant topics. Speakers include: USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney and Chief Strategy Officer Marjorie Benzkofer of FleishmanHillard. Pradnya Joshi, trade editor for Politico, will lead a conversation with Professor Mary Lovely, Syracuse University, on the future of trade.

“We believe we have sessions about the most crucial topics in the soybean, grains and shipping industries,” Wenberg says. “Experts will be addressing our attendees on these topics and it’s really a big deal.”

Thursday afternoon will include breakout sessions discussing African Swine Fever, U.S. food soybean production and supply, U.S. soybean meal, global container shipping and more. Among these are two panels planned by SSGA.

Senior leaders from three of the largest ocean container shipping lines will speak to delegates and engage in a Q&A session titled “Global Container Shipping’s Latest Trends, Service Challenges and What the Future Holds — Moving Soy, Commodity and Specialty Grains across the Globe – How leading ocean carriers are retooling their operations and service models to meet future demand.” SSGA Advisor for Trade and Transportation Bruce Abbe will moderate the session.

Panelists include: Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Executive Vice President Allen Clifford; Cameron Bowie, Senior Vice President, Hapag-Lloyd (America) LLC; and Tom Smart, director of sales – central for Ocean Network Express (ONE), the recently combined carrier made up of the three major Japanese container lines MOL, K-Line and NYK.

Another key panel session is the “U.S. Food Soybean 2019 Crop Production and Supply Outlook.” Executives from identity-preserved, food soybean exporters will survey four production regions across the U.S. and present the latest general outlook for this year’s specialty soybean production across the country.

Panelists include: Austin DeLong, Delong Company, Inc.; Sheila Sauve, Healthy Food Ingredients; Chase Holoubek, Scoular; and Michael Youmans, Clarkson Grains.

Gary Williams, vice president of marketing and business development for United Grain will moderate the panel.

Attendees are encouraged to download the USSOY EVENTS application on their smartphone for an event guide at the touch of their fingertips. The app has the event schedule, venue map, and information about exhibitors, sponsors and speakers. The full agenda and further information about GTE can be found here.

Qualified State Soybean Boards see value in sponsoring the 2019 GTE conference

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The U.S. SOY Global Trade Exchange and Specialty Grains Conference (GTE) is quickly approaching and it could not happen without the generous support it receives from other businesses, companies and organizations. Five U.S. Qualified State Soybean Boards (QSSBs) are supporting this year’s conference, including the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA), North Dakota Soybean Council (NDSC), Iowa Soybean Association, Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC), and Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board.

The Illinois Soybean Association was “instrumental in trying to get the conference in Chicago,” says ISA Director of Strategic Market Development, Mark Albertson.

ISA has been a sponsor for multiple years, and is a diamond sponsor of the 2019 conference.

“Illinois exports more soybeans than any other state, so having a good relationship with our international soybean buyers is critical to us,” Albertson says.

ISA will be taking advantage of the opportunity to create new relationships with international customers along with keeping up with current customers. The day before the conference, they have tours planned for attendees to partake in and learn more about the area.

“This is a time when our soy exports are more important than ever,” Albertson says. “This will give us an opportunity to relay that message and to thank the existing soybean buyers, and to try to welcome new soybean buyers.”

NDSC is one of this year’s platinum sponsors. They have been sponsoring the conference for over five years, ultimately seeing this conference as an opportunity for farmer leaders to meet with international customers and connect with exporters.

“The networking opportunities that the GTE continues to provide year in and year out are vital to promoting the equality of U.S. soy,” says Austin Langley, NDSC vice chair and market development committee chair. “GTE is an opportunity to show how dedicated the U.S. soybean industry is to its customers on providing the best product in the world.”

The next sponsor to highlight for the conference is the Iowa Soybean Association, a platinum sponsor this year. They have been one of the original sponsors of the event.

Grant Kimberly of Iowa Soybean Association said the organization continues supporting the GTE because of its focus on expanding market access.

“(The GTE) can help facilitate additional exports of U.S. soybeans around the world.”

Kimberly also says conference attendees can learn more about other markets and what they are doing.

“Hopefully (the GTE will) enhance buying opportunities and export opportunities for U.S. soybean farmers, by working together with the buyers and sellers and having everyone together in one place at one time,” he says.

Another original sponsor of GTE is MSR&PC. Kim Nill, director of market development, believes it is always important for MSR&PC to attend and sponsor the event, but especially in 2019.

“The Mississippi River flooding has made Minnesota more than ever dependent on exports through the Pacific Northwest,” Nill says. “The vast majority of teams that come in to the Global Trade Exchange are serviced through that area easily.”

The last QSSB to highlight for sponsoring the conference is the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, an original sponsor of the annual event, and currently a gold sponsor.

“GTE is a very important program,” says Bob Karls of the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board. “The Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board feels it is an excellent opportunity to bring buyers and sellers together to showcase the U.S. soybean industry to our international customers.”

Visit www.grainconference.org to view the full list of sponsors and learn more about the event.

SSGA to participate in Ag Transportation Coalition annual conference this week

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) will have a strong presence at the national Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) Annual Meeting this week in Tacoma, Wash.

AgTC’s annual meeting is packed with issues pertaining to current events in intermodal, global container shipping each year that draws senior leaders from the major ocean carriers, railroads, logistics companies, trucking and from all facets of agriculture industry container exporters from the U.S.

SSGA will be represented at the meeting by Bruce Abbe, SSGA shipping consultant, SSGA board members Bob Sinner of SB&B Foods and Darwin Rader of Zeeland Farm Services, several SSGA member freight forwarders and transloading firms based in the Pacific Northwest, and other member ag shippers based in the Midwest.

Among highlight sessions on the agenda are hot button issues facing shippers, including: unrelenting congestion, pending higher costs due to the low sulfur fuel global mandate for container ships, new short haul rail services into major ports, China-U.S. trade relations and what it means for ag exports to China and ocean carriage. Additionally, there will be an update from the Northwest Seaport Alliance, chassis availability challenges, trucking, export compliance with Customs & Border Protection (CBP), plus a private best practice discussions with ocean carriers and terminal operators.

Click here for more information.

“Over the years, staff at the Midwest Shippers Association and now SSGA, have been active members in AgTC,” Abbe said. “This event is one of the best places we can learn from each other’s experience.”

Abbe encourages SSGA members attending AgTC to touch base with him this week. He will be pulling members together to provide a brief update on SSGA’s activities and to hear from members about critical issues in shipping. Competitive shipping and access to improved container shipping alternatives remains a top priority for SSGA. Email Bruce at bruce@mnshippers.com or call (612) 716-5074.