News Room
Trade policy will take center stage at the U.S. Grains Council's 53rd Annual Board of Delegates Meeting, as senior governmental representatives from Canada and New Zealand will join U.S. speakers to discuss current developments in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) negotiations. The meeting will be held July 29-31, 2013, at the Westin Hotel, Ottawa, Ontario.
The U.S. Grains Council's 53rd Annual Board of Delegates Meeting will kick off with welcome remarks by Scott Reynolds, USDA's Minister-Counselor for Agricultural Affairs in Canada. Attendees will receive an in-depth look into Canada's agriculture policy, bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, border issues and more. Because of the close, intricate working relationship between the United States and Canada, this is a presentation you won't want to miss.
Colombia is the only South American country with ports on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but it suffers from significant transportation challenges - poorly maintained roads, under developed river systems and a limited railroad infrastructure. All of which presents significant challenges to moving grain from the ports to the interior of the country, where they are consumed.
Thanks in large part to the U.S. government's Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program, approximately 775,000 metric tons of U.S. agricultural products, valued at more than 7 million, were sold and or negotiated at the 7th Southeast Asia Grain Transportation Conference.Chart of the Week
US Corn Prices Have Little Effect on Japanese Meat Prices
It's an undeniable fact that corn represents a large proportion of our foodstuffs. Everything from meat to soda to plastic contains some variety of corn products. Of course, the product that gets the most media attention is gasohol, otherwise known as ethanol. Even with the world's largest ethanol industry, the United States will over time bounce back from 2013's drought-depressed levels to remain the world's leading corn exporter. Therefore, internationally, ethanol is often made the scapegoat for the rising cost of animal production, which contributes to the rising consumer price index (CPI). But as long-time students of the matter know, the data tell a different story. Japan is the United States' largest importer of corn and this week's U.S. Grains Council Chart of the Week graphs the price of corn versus the Japanese CPI and more selectively, the "meat CPI."
Word from the Ground
Council Developing Indian Poultry Sector
By Adel Yusupov, U.S. Grains Council Regional Director for Southeast Asia
While the Indian poultry industry has been growing annually by more than 15 percent, fueled by growing consumer demand, growth has slowed in the past six months due to rising prices. Many small farmers cannot survive the high cost of inputs and volatility of the live poultry markets. This is a potential opportunity, and in recent months, the U.S. Grains Council has been taking steps to increase collaboration between the United States and India, work closely with end-users, and partner with other companies in the value chain, in hopes that consistent engagement will increase coarse grain demand in the region and encourage better market access.
Word from the Ground Archives»
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