Illinois farmers hosted leaders from Mexico’s masa and flour milling industry for a three-day visit to southern Illinois aimed at strengthening trade relationships and expanding markets for food-grade white corn.
Representatives from GRUMA, MINSA, Harimasa, Harinera Panamericana and other members of the National Chamber of the Maize Industry of Mexico visited as part of an Export Exchange pre-tour hosted by the Illinois Corn Marketing Board in partnership with the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council.
Mexico is the largest customer for U.S. corn, and its masa millers depend on a reliable supply of food-grade white corn that meets strict quality and segregation standards. The visit gave buyers an opportunity to see how Illinois farmers grow and handle the crop and learn more about the people and infrastructure supporting its movement to market.
The trade team visited Ellis Farm near Harrisburg, where Pervis Ellis and his brother grow white corn, soybeans, wheat and seed crops on challenging bottomland soils. At O’Daniel Farms near Fairfield, the group discussed white corn breeding with Daniel Sweeney of Pioneer and toured the farm with Matt Rush.
The team also followed the grain supply chain at the Viserion Grain river terminal in Shawneetown and the Archer Daniels Midland river terminal in St. Louis. Representatives met with the National Corn Growers Association to discuss the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, non-GMO standards and trade issues affecting corn shipments across the border.
Matt Raben, a Ridgway, Illinois, farmer and chairman of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board, said building relationships with buyers is vital to maintaining export markets for Illinois farmers. Farm visits allow buyers to see production practices firsthand and better understand the care involved in growing and handling each bushel.
Previous white corn programs in Illinois, Nebraska and Missouri have led to production contracts and helped restore white corn exports to Mexico. The latest visit builds on those efforts by introducing additional members of Mexico’s National Chamber of the Maize Industry to growers, cooperatives and grain handlers capable of supplying their needs.
Source: IL Corn, “IL Corn Welcomes Mexican Millers to Illinois Farms”
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