Every other year the Export Exchange gathers buyers from around the world to learn about opportunities in U.S. grain production.
The U.S. Grains Council plays a key role in making the event possible, contributing to this year’s success.
According to Ellen Zimmerman, USGC Director of Industry Relations, “I would absolutely say this year in 2024 was a success. Like I mentioned, we were in Fort Worth, Texas. We had more than 500 attendees this year, which is a record for us. So, very excited about that. Those 500 attendees came from more than 50 countries. Like I said, we’re all about getting those answers. So, we had several general sessions that were highlighting products, talking about markets giving outlooks; so six general sessions with more than 20 speakers making contacts. We do have an exhibit floor at our Export Exchange, so we had just about 30 exhibitors, those main producers and providers, exporters of the products we were talking about, and so, we spent a lot of time in networking these and then you know doing business. So, we’re still waiting on sales information from our folks, but we’re hoping a lot of business was done throughout the sessions, our side meetings, and the exhibitor floor.”
Zimmerman says that those 500 attendees were broken down into groups called trade teams. Those 21 trade teams visited with members in the U.S. getting to see grain production firsthand on the farm.