|
|
|
The American Soybean
Association is "your advocate" in Washington, and is powered by the
grassroots support of 22,000 members and 25 state affiliates.
|
|
|
|
|
Headlines
For Thursday, June 11, 2009
|
|
Free July 1
DTN Webinar Will Answer Producers' ACRE
Questions
ASA Offers State
Board Training
2009 Young Leaders Selected To Participate In ASA Legislative Forum
NOPA Will Sponsor Growers To Participate In ASA Legislative Forum
ASA Membership Department Congratulates May's Top Recruiters
World Soy Foundation Visits North Country
|
|
|
WASHINGTON UPDATE
|
|
ASA
Testifies On Flaws In EPA's Proposed Rule For RFS-2
Food Safety Legislation Will Impact Soybean Growers
USDA Launches Biofuels Programs, Including ASA Priorities For Biodiesel
Progress Reported As Sustainable Ag Standards Committee Meets
House Agriculture Committee Holds Climate Hearing
GAO Releases Report On Local And Regional Purchases
|
|
|
INTERNATIONAL MARKETING
|
|
Largest
European Feed Miller Excited By U.S. Soybean Meal
ASA-IM Trains Mexico City
Bakery Employees On Uses Of Soybean Oil
ASA-IM Hosts Dairy Production Seminar In Dominican Republic
U.S.
Soy Will Help Add Protein To Iraqi Diets
ASA-IM Helps High Value Natto Soybean Market Remain Strong In Japan
ASA-IM China Maximizes Impact Of
Investments In Swine Industry
U.S.
Soybean Industry Leaders Travel To Promote Biotechnology
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This week on the Soy Radio Newsline listen to comments from ASA Board member Ron Moore, who is also the Vice-Chair
of the standards committee that is spearheading the development of a
national standard for sustainable agriculture. Moore talks about some of the key
decisions the committee made at its recent meeting. This report may be heard on SoyGrowers.com.
|
|
|
|
|
AT-A-
GLANCE
|
CBOT Futures
06/10/09
|
FAS
Worldwide Weekly Sales Report as of 06/04/09
(1000 Metric Tons | Million Bushels or Pounds)
|
|
|
Settle
|
Net Change
|
This Week
|
Year Ago
|
% Change
|
|
SoyBeans
|
(09July) 1246.0
|
+2.4
|
29,594.5
|
1,087.3
|
26,628.7
|
9783
|
+111
|
|
SoyMeal
|
(09July) 413.4
|
+5.6
|
5,052.9
|
11,116
|
5,461.7
|
12,016
|
-7.5
|
|
SoyOil
|
(09July) 38.61
|
-0.84
|
5491
|
1,208
|
9055
|
1,992
|
-394
|
|
|
|
|
Free July 1 DTN Webinar Will
Answer Producers' ACRE Questions The
deadline to enroll in the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program
for 2009 is Aug. 14, and some producers are still wondering if it's
the right choice for them. A free DTN webinar on July 1 will help soybean
producers decide if it makes sense to enroll their farms in the ACRE program. Ohio State University economist and
the architect of ACRE Carl Zulauf,
and the Farm Service Agency's top ACRE experts Brad Karmen and Brent Orr will be on hand during the
"How to Make Your ACRE Decision" webinar to answer
producers' technical questions on the new safety net program.
Zulauf will explain under what conditions ACRE
would work best in risk management decisions for producers. The webinar
begins at 9 a.m. EDT and will last 60-90 minutes. The webinar will not
cover the basics, but is a more in-depth look, providing answers to
specific questions about the ACRE
program. Upon registration, producers will be directed to a website with
the basics on ACRE, prepared by Zulauf,
so the presentation can focus on more technical questions. The webinar
will cover soybeans, wheat and corn. Questions for the experts can also
be collected and posted in advance, so register early! To register for
this free DTN webinar, go to www.dtnag.com/promo/webinars. The
webinar is co-sponsored by the American Soybean Association, National
Corn Growers Association and National Association of Wheat Growers.
ASA Offers State Board Training Through
the generous sponsorship of Monsanto, the American Soybean Association
(ASA) is once again pleased to offer workshops for state association
Boards of Directors. This unique program offers a Part I, which talks
about roles and responsibilities, primary functions of a board, governing
documents, good governance practices, committee roles and risk
management. Part II focuses on development of the state association's
three-year strategic plan looking at mission, vision, values, setting
realistic goals to advance the state association and developing action
steps. This year ASA is delighted to be able to offer a Part III. This
new session can take various tracks - a membership component that
would offer hands-on planning and strategizing session; a review of the
state's By-Laws; conducting a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats); board evaluation; or a session on motivating
techniques and leadership styles. The program covers all expenses. If you
are interested in bringing this training to your state, please contact
ASA Leadership & Corporate Development Manager Kathy Grunz at (314) 754-1301 or email at kgrunz@soy.org.
2009 Young Leaders Selected To Participate In
ASA Legislative Forum Pioneer has
chosen Brad and Joyce Doyle (Ark.), Matt
and Kim DeBlock (Ill.), Dennis and Reta Gardner
(Mich.), and Don and Cori Wyss (Ind.) to attend the American Soybean Association's
(ASA) Legislative Forum and a special series of tours and meetings with
leaders of DuPont at the company's headquarters in Wilmington,
Del., July 21-24. This is the first year for Pioneer to sponsor current
ASA/DuPont Young Leaders to attend a third part of their
leadership/educational training. Pioneer hopes to provide these Young
Leaders with more advanced training in the policy development process.
These candidates completed an application with Pioneer and were chosen to
participate in this portion of the program. Besides participating in the
Legislative Forum, the Young Leaders will go on Capitol Hill visits with
their state delegations, then go on to DuPont headquarters for tours of
research facilities and meetings with DuPont executives. For more information
on the Young Leaders' schedule, please contact ASA Corporate Development
Manager Michelle Siegel at 1-800-688-7692, ext. 1328
or msiegel@soy.org.
NOPA Will Sponsor Growers To Participate In ASA
Legislative Forum The following
growers will be sponsored by National Oilseed Processors Association
(NOPA) companies to participate in the American Soybean
Association's (ASA) Legislative Forum in Washington, D.C., July
21-23, 2009, in conjunction with ASA's July Board meeting. Archer
Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) will sponsor Mark
Vosika of Pocahontas,
Iowa and Jason Eaddy
of Lake City, South Carolina. ADM will also be
sending company representatives from those states. Bunge will sponsor Kendall Garraway of Bolton,
Mississippi. Cargill will
sponsor Kyle Maas of West Des
Moines, Iowa and Carl Kissell of Shelbyville,
Indiana. Cargill will also
send company representatives from those states. Owensboro Grain will send
Sam Hancock of Fulton,
Ky. and Zeeland Farm Soya will sponsor Chad McNaughton of Croswell,
Michigan. These growers and
company representatives will participate in the Legislative Forum and
Capitol Hill visits with their state delegations. The Legislative Forum
is sponsored by Monsanto and features a full day of presentations by key
legislators on policy-related topics. This event provides these growers
with the opportunity to see the policy process up close. For more
information on the Legislative Forum, contact ASA Corporate Development
Manager Michelle Siegel at 1-800-688-7692, ext. 1328
or msiegel@soy.org.
ASA Membership Department Congratulates
May's Top Recruiters The American
Soybean Association (ASA) salutes the top new member recruiters for the
month of May and thanks them for their outstanding efforts. For Level 3
states (150 to 299 members), the top recruiters are Steven Gamble (S.C.) 8 recruits, followed by Jay Crouch (S.C.) and Brenton Bozard (S.C.) with 2 recruits each. For Level 2 states
(300 to 999 members) Jeff Mauler (Kan.)
has 34 recruits, Darren Luttrell (Ky.)
has 17 recruits and Bill Clift (Ky.) has 12. For Level 1 states (1000+
members) CW Gaffner (Ill.) has 6 recruits, Curt Sindergard (Iowa), Robert
Nelsen (Minn.), Wayne Fredericks (Iowa), Dean
Campbell, (Ill) and Ray Gaesser
(Iowa) each have 2 recruits. In the overall standings for the year,
Bozard leads a tight race in the Level 3 states with 18, followed by Tommy Hines (Va.)
with 16 recruits and Gamble with 13. Scott
Hendrickson (N.D.) leads
Level 2 states with 73 recruits. Peggy
Bellar (Kan.) continues to close the gap,
increasing her total recruits to 62. Maynard
Flatt (N.D.) follows with
42. Nelsen maintains his lead in Level 1 with 67 recruits, followed by Earl Brandt (Iowa)
with 63. Kent Hodel (Ill.)
remains in third place with 36 recruits, followed closely by Dave Hartke (Ill.) with 34
and Scott Richert (Neb.) with 30. All ASA members are
encouraged to recruit new members to ASA and their state soybean
association. In addition to helping build strong organizations,
recruiters can earn valuable rewards from Cabela's through the
Recruiter Rewards Program. Members interested in becoming a recruiter
should contact ASA Manager of Membership and State Relations Rita Hiscocks at 1-800-688-7692, ext. 1300 to obtain a
Recruiter Kit.
World Soy Foundation Visits North Country Jim Hershey, Executive
Director of the American Soybean Association's (ASA) World Soy Foundation
(WSF) and World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH), has been in Minnesota and North Dakota this week. Accompanied by
the fundraising consulting firm Ketchum, he visited the CHS Foundation
and General Mills Foundation, as well as current WSF funding companies
Cargill and Sunopta, all in Minneapolis.
Hershey donned the WISHH hat to meet with Minnesota Soybean Growers
Research and Promotions Council's Sam
Ziegler, Assistant Director
of Marketing Programs, and Barb
Overlie, who also serves on the WISHH Committee
and the ASA Board, to discuss WISHH's market development activities. On
Friday, Hershey visited with SB&B, Unity Seeds and SK Foods in North Dakota, all members of the Northern Food
Quality Soybean Association and donors of 20 metric tons of bagged
soybeans to the WSF for projects in Central America.
While in Fargo,
Hershey also met with North Dakota Soybean Council Executive Director Deb Johnson, and North Dakota Soybean
Council and WISHH Committee member Jared
Hagert to discuss a new
web-based communications platform for the WSF.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ASA Testifies On Flaws In
EPA's Proposed Rule For RFS-2 The
American Soybean Association (ASA) provided comments on June 9 at the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Public Hearing on the
EPA's Proposed Rule for the expanded Renewable Fuel Standard
(RFS-2). ASA sees numerous flaws in the approach EPA is using for
indirect land use changes in its proposed rule. "The primary area of
concern and disagreement has emerged over the international indirect land
use assumptions that EPA has proposed to use in conducting their updated
lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) analysis," said ASA Vice President Ray Gaesser. In the proposed rule,
soy biodiesel land use factors were largely focused on deforestation in Brazil.
If that is the basis, then past and recent trends in Brazilian soy
planted area should be a telling data point. Brazilian soy area increased
most significantly in years prior to the existence of U.S.
biodiesel production (1998-2004). In the periods from 2004-2008, when U.S.
biodiesel production increased from 25 million gallons to 700 million
gallons, Brazilian soy area has actually decreased. "Land use change
has been occurring long before any significant U.S.
biofuel production began and is likely to continue regardless of U.S.
biofuels policy," Gaesser said. "Clearly soy biodiesel is not
driving land use change and any land use change that is occurring cannot
be solely attributed to U.S.
biofuels." ASA's complete testimony is available at www.SoyGrowers.com/policy/testimony060909.pdf.
On June 10, EPA held a workshop on lifecycle GHG analysis, at which ASA
presented on the inverse relationship between U.S. biodiesel production and
Brazilian soy area, record soybean exports despite increased biodiesel
production and an EPA miscalculation of GHG emissions for soybean
production.
Food Safety Legislation Will Impact Soybean
Growers The American Soybean
Association's (ASA) Washington,
D.C. staff is working with
other farm groups and agricultural stakeholders to make improvements to
food safety legislation working its way through Congress. Food safety
legislation is expected to pass Congress this year, with President Barack Obama's support. The Food Safety Enhancement Act
of 2009 (H.R. 2749) was marked up yesterday by the House Energy and
Commerce Subcommittee on Health. It now goes to the full House Energy and
Commerce Committee for mark-up on June 17. The legislation would boost
the authority and funding of the Food and Drug Administration. It would
impose a $500 annual registration fee on every food facility to increase
funds for the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) food-safety
operations, and would require the food industry to make it easier for the
FDA to track tainted products. While the legislation is in its beginning
stages, some provisions are likely to impact growers of raw commodities,
including soybeans. The bill currently requires FDA to develop
regulations setting "minimum standards" for safe growing,
harvesting and holding (storage) of raw agricultural commodities
(including on-farm) to minimize the risk of "serious adverse health
consequences or death to humans or animals." Language to
dramatically expand FDA's access to records relating to the
production and manufacture of food, feed or agricultural products was
modified during mark-up, with an agreement to instead ask the FDA to
first study how the industry should maintain records, and the costs and
benefits associated with it. In addition, the bill would require farmers
and livestock producers to keep "pedigrees" listing the origin
of all feed grains and ingredients. Disposition of the animals receiving
the feed also would be tracked. The bill envisions an electronic
recordkeeping system that is interoperable throughout the supply chain.
ASA and other agriculture stakeholders are working on a letter outlining
our positions to send to Congress in the near future.
USDA Launches Biofuels Programs, Including ASA
Priorities For Biodiesel Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack announced this week that the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is implementing key provisions of
the 2008 Farm Bill to support growth of biofuels production in the U.S.,
including biodiesel. The initiatives include $30 million in funding for
the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels (the successor to the
Commodity Credit Corporation Bioenergy Program), which the American
Soybean Association (ASA) successfully lobbied for during the farm bill
debate. Under this program, U.S. biodiesel producers
using domestic feedstocks will receive payments to help them compete with
petroleum-based diesel and with imported biodiesel, which can be
subsidized by foreign governments. USDA also initiated ASA-supported
programs to provide loan guarantees to retrofit biorefineries and
assistance for biorefineries that replace fossil fuels with renewable
biomass, as well as development of renewable energy systems and purchases
of biomass material used to meet energy needs.
Progress Reported As Sustainable Ag Standards
Committee Meets Significant
progress was made during the second face-to-face meeting of the
multi-stakeholder Standards Committee working to develop an American
National Standard for Sustainable Agriculture. Forty-eight Committee
members, including the committee's Vice-Chair, American Soybean
Association (ASA) Board member Ron Moore,
along with 15 observers, convened for the two-day summit last week in St.
Charles, Ill. to review Task Force recommendations, lay the groundwork
for resolution of key issues and establish the initial subcommittees to
carry the Task Force work forward. Key agreements made by the Committee
included approval of a series of guidance recommendations regarding how
the standards development process should proceed: The standard
development should initially focus on activities up to the farm gate,
with a clear intention of expanding the focus to ultimately incorporate
post-farm gate considerations; the standard should initially be limited
to crop production but eventually include other agricultural production;
and the standard should be performance-oriented. One of the more
difficult issues facing the Committee is how to address the myriad
technologies utilized by farmers - such as agrochemicals,
integrated pest management, crop rotation, biotechnology and
nanotechnology - within a sustainability framework. In order to
give all constituents the footing they needed to move forward in this
process, the Committee agreed on the following statement: "Our goal
is to develop a standard that is based on verifiable metrics and will
allow for any technology that increases agricultural
sustainability." The outcomes of last week's meeting
demonstrate the Committee's commitment to addressing all components
of sustainability in this standard, as well as create positive momentum
for the work ahead. For more on the standards committee's progress,
listen to Moore on ASA's Soy Radio
Newsline.
House Agriculture Committee Holds Climate
Hearing The House Agriculture
Committee held a hearing on climate change legislation on June 11. The
House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a climate change bill (H.R.
2454) a few weeks ago and Speaker Nancy
Pelosi has given other committees a deadline of June 19 to
review the legislation. The American Soybean Association (ASA) has
significant concerns with the bill and believes that the Agriculture
Committee should be provided ample time to review and have input into the
legislation. Input costs will likely increase for farmers as a result of
this bill, and the benefits of an off-sets market are uncertain and
unlikely to fully mitigate the cost increases. U.S. farmers will be a
further disadvantage to competitors in the global market who will not
incur the same cost increases ASA wants an exemption for the agricultural
sector so it is not subject to an emissions cap. Attempts to cap
agriculture's two million farms and ranches in climate legislation
would be costly and burdensome and result in greater costs than
greenhouse emissions reduction benefits. ASA also wants the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, not the Environmental Protection Agency, to
develop and administer the agricultural offset program.
GAO Releases Report On Local And Regional
Purchases The General
Accounting Office (GAO) has released a report on the effectiveness of
local and regional purchases for food aid. The report was requested by
Congressman Donald Payne (D-NJ), a supporter of Local
and Regional Procurement (LRP). In recent years, food aid donated by the U.S. in
the form of commodities has been criticized. Critics claim that U.S. food
aid donations take too much time to deliver and disrupt local markets. A
local purchase pilot program was created in the most recent farm bill to
measure its effects. Projects are expected to begin this fall. The GAO report
used information gathered from the World Food Program and some private
voluntary organizations that are purchasing locally already. The report
states that local and regional purchases can provide a tool that reduces
food aid costs and delivery time, however, they also admit that there are
still multiple challenges and situations where it is not beneficial. For
instance, LRP purchased in Latin America is comparable in cost to U.S.
in-kind food aid, while LRP in Africa tends to be less expensive and take
less time (note: costs were not broken down between cost of shipment and
actual commodity cost. Nor was there any detailed information on the
quality of product purchased). According to GAO, the main challenges to
LRP are insufficient logistics capacity that causes delays in delivery,
donor funding restrictions and weak legal systems. There also has not
been a thorough analysis of quality standards or products specifications,
which ensure food safety and nutritional content. While many people
criticize in-kind food aid for decreasing prices in a market, the report
shows that the opposite is true for LRP purchases. Local purchases can
often increase food costs by increasing demand and driving up prices. The
GAO report recommended that more market analysis needs to be done. In
2008, the U.S. bought
approximately $267 million worth of vegetable oil, $15 million of soybean
oil, $5 million of soybean meal, $2 million of whole soybeans and $108
million of other soybean food products for U.S. food aid programs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Largest European Feed Miller
Excited By U.S. Soybean Meal American
Soybean Association Trade Policy & International Affairs Committee
Chairman Randy Mann, U.S.
Soybean Export Council Chief Executive Officer Miguel Escobar, American Soybean Association
International Marketing Regional Director Mark Andersen and two researchers from the University of
Madrid's Animal Research Department visited the Nutreco Poultry and
Rabbit Research Facilities In Spain. Mann remarked that he "was glad
to help the purchasers better understand the factors that influence
soybean meal prices in the U.S., especially the lack of impact that soybean
oil used for biodiesel has on soybean meal prices." Following the
trip, the company will conduct research comparing soybean meal by origin
at this facility. Pedro Perez presented
the results of a study showing the advantages of U.S.
soybean meal over South American meal. Before this study, Nutreco had not
considered comparing soybean meal by origin. Nutreco, one of the top 10
feed companies in the world, operates plants in 30 countries. The results
of the study showed a significant difference and advantage for U.S.
soybean meal in digestible amino acids and energy. Study results inspired
Nutreco to conduct two additional studies of this nature. Nutreco
produces seven million metric tons of feed annually using approximately
51.4 million bushels of soybean meal.
ASA-IM Trains Mexico City
Bakery Employees On Uses Of Soybean Oil American
Soybean Association International Marketing Consultant Fernando Maya helped the Productos
Rich plant in Mexico City
train employees on the uses of soybean oil shortenings in baking.
Productos Rich bakes for wholesalers supplying supermarkets, restaurants
and institutional kitchens with frozen cakes, muffins and rolls. To
provide their products with a healthy dose of protein, the bakery
products are made using 10 percent soy flour. Products Rich consumes five
tons of defatted and toasted soybean flour and 100 tons worth of soybean
oil shortenings and oils monthly. Productos Rich hopes to use the
knowledge gained through this seminar to develop new products containing
soybean derivatives that will increase their overall consumption of U.S. soy.
ASA-IM Hosts Dairy Production Seminar In
Dominican Republic American
Soybean Association International Marketing (ASA-IM) Latin America hosted
a dairy production seminar in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic
in coordination with the Southern Dairy Federation and CONALECHE, a
governmental institution dealing with the dairy industry. ASA-IM
Consultants Carlos Campabadal and
Pedro Pablo Lora presented
on dairy reproduction, health, milk quality and milking techniques for
the 80 dairy technicians in attendance. The seminar focused on improving
both reproduction and milk production in the dairy industry. These
improvements necessitate an increase in U.S. soybean meal usage
through higher feed consumption and higher soybean meal inclusion rates.
U.S. Soy Will Help Add Protein To Iraqi
Diets Concerned about the chronic
shortage of protein sources in the Iraqi food system, the new U.S.
Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Animal
Health and Food Safety Ministerial Advisor in Baghdad, Jessica McCoy, met with American
Soybean Association International Marketing (ASA-IM) Regional Consultant Mousa Wakileh in Amman, Jordan to
develop a set of joint priorities and coordinated actions that will make
U.S. soybeans the solution to the problem. ASA-IM market development
activities in Iraq
place a high priority on full fat soybean meal (FFSBM) production for use
in livestock feed. ASA-IM is pursuing potential U.S. Army financing for
FFSBM extruder production projects in Iraq through FAS. Activities
will also focus on providing technical support in the Arabic language to
both the poultry and aquaculture industries for FFSBM utilization. While
visiting Iraqi animal industry facilities and meeting with key poultry,
aquaculture and animal feed contacts remains a challenge, it will not
prevent a determined ASA-IM and FAS effort to implement an expanded
market development program that will help Iraqis to improve their diets
with American soy.
ASA-IM Helps High Value Natto Soybean Market
Remain Strong In Japan American
Soybean Association International Marketing (ASA-IM) Japan participated
in four major annual Japanese food bean and soyfood events including the
Japan Vegetable Protein Food Association, Tokyo Soybean Wholesalers Trade
Association, Federation of Japan Natto Manufacturers Cooperative Society
and the Japan Grain Trade Association of Eastern Japan. At the Tokyo
Soybean Wholesalers Association Annual Meeting, ASA-IM Japan Country Director
LaVerne Brabant gave opening
remarks focusing on U.S.
soybean production, the global soybean trade and low inventories forecast
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He also expressed appreciation to
customers for their continuing support of U.S. soybean farmers. Japan
imports 80 percent of its Natto soybeans from the United States.
This equates to 3.6 million bushels of high value non-biotech food grade
soybeans. ASA-IM Japan continues to support and reinforce U.S.
farmers' commitment to the Japanese soyfood complex customers. Japan is the largest single market for
non-biotech identity preserved U.S. food grade soybeans.
ASA-IM China
Maximizes Impact Of Investments In Swine Industry Hog
prices in China
dropped dramatically in 2009, slowing growth rates created by favorable
market conditions in 2007 and 2008. Despite this difficulty, Chinese
swine producers continue their drive to become more professional and
increase performance levels American Soybean Association International
Marketing (ASA-IM) China assists the industry by disseminating technology
that aids in the establishment of new production sites and helps existing
units fine-tune operations by maximizing animal performance and economic
benefits. ASA-IM also invited two animal nutritionists recently visiting China to
present at a series of Advanced Swine Technology Seminars and on-farm
consultations. Don Bushman and
Robert Rowland joined ASA-IM
China Technical Director-Livestock M.Y.
Huang for the technical service programs. The seminar covered
topics such as baby pig nutrition and the U.S. swine industry and its
integrated operation model. Three ASA-IM China preferred customers cosponsored
these workshops to leverage each groups' funds and best promote U.S.
soy-based swine feeds. The consultant team also made on-site consultation
visits to a feed mill, three swine farms and a new modern breeding farm
that is under construction. By helping these operations increase their
productivity, ASA-IM China increases U.S.
soybean meal usage in U.S.
soybean farmers' number one international market.
|
U.S. Soybean Industry
Leaders Travel To Promote Biotechnology
American Soybean Association Board member Mark Jackson, U.S. Soybean Export Council Technical
Issues Director Kim Nill, soybean industry consultant David Green and United Soybean Board Director Bill Wylie traveled to Norway, where they met with
Norway's sole soybean crushing company, its largest aquaculture
company and Norwegian government agriculture officials. They explained
the environmental and health benefits of both the current and upcoming
biotech soybeans, plus how Norway can import biotech
soybeans while complying with the Biosafety Protocol without any
additional costs. The Norwegian soybean crushing company had chosen to
focus on the "non-biotech" market niche during past decade,
but evidenced some interest in several of the coming value-added
soybeans. The same group, accompanied by U.S. Agricultural Minister
Counselor Ralph
Gifford and U.S. Agricultural Specialist Yasmine Erkut, also traveled to Turkey,
where they delivered a series of presentations in four cities about
acceptance of biotech-derived soybeans and met with officials of
poultry producer associations, feed miller associations, farmer
associations and seed producer associations. Gifford
|
|
requested this because the Turkish
Parliament currently has before it a draft "GMO law" that, if
enacted, would disrupt Turkish imports of any commodity shipments
containing any biotech soybeans or grain. Based merely on hearing about
Turkey's
draft law, some Turkish Customs officials recently conducted "GMO
tests" on food-destined imports and turned away at the border
several shipments of U.S.-origin processed soy products.
USB Director Bill Wylie and ASA Board member Mark Jackson in Turkey.
(USSEC
photo)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ASA, 12125
Woodcrest Executive Dr., Ste. 100, St.
Louis, MO 63141-5009 Phone: 800/688-7692
President Johnny Dodson 731/286-2268 -
First Vice President Rob Joslin 937/492-8440
|
|
|
|
|