Mike Cline, president of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association; Matt Deppe, CEO of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association; and Steve Rehder, chairman of the Iowa Beef Industry Council, enjoy U.S. beef at a Beijing Wumart during a United States Meat Export Federation sponsored event July 26.
Photo courtesy Joseph L. Murphy/Iowa Soybean Association
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds feeds species of carp with food formulated with U.S. soybean meal near Shanghai, China, July 22.
Photo courtesy Joseph L. Murphy/Iowa Soybean Association
Mike Cline, president of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association; Matt Deppe, CEO of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association; and Steve Rehder, chairman of the Iowa Beef Industry Council, enjoy U.S. beef at a Beijing Wumart during a United States Meat Export Federation sponsored event July 26.
Photo courtesy Joseph L. Murphy/Iowa Soybean Association
Fresh from a reception with Chinese officials, Gov. Kim Reynolds and other members of an Iowa agricultural delegation visiting China told reporters on a conference call July 26 that the trip has been a success.
“It’s been a phenomenal trip,” Reynolds said, adding that “there’s a lot of opportunities moving forward.”
The unique trade mission served as a kickoff to the Reynolds governorship after she succeeded longtime governor Terry Branstad, who was recently confirmed to be the Trump administration’s ambassador in Beijing.
The trip included Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and representatives of a number of agricultural organizations and commodity groups.
Those agricultural leaders told reporters that no specific agreements were made and no documents signed, but a number of items were discussed with the Chinese, including an anti-dumping case regarding dried distillers grains and issues related to exports of U.S. ethanol to China.
They said trade and negotiation with China involves building relationships. The presence of former Gov. Branstad and the relationship of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Iowa are helpful as well.
Because of those connections, this trip offered a unique chance to work on issues of importance to Iowa agriculture, they said.
“We have had some very high-level conversations,” Northey said.
And because China is a large country with a huge population and a growing middle class it represents a big opportunity, said Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President Craig Hill.
“We, in Iowa, are a powerhouse of production,” Hill said.
He said the approximately 300 million people in the United States average 187 lbs. of protein (meat) consumption per capita per year. China has a population of about 1.4 billion and its per capital consumption is only about 130 lbs. per person.
Other members of the group were working on issues related to their specific commodities, such as a better approval system for crop biotech traits or more shipments of beef or poultry.
“To get better access would be huge,” said Kurt Hora, president-elect of the Iowa Corn Growers Association.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.