The 2016 Export Exchange hosted by the U.S. Grains Council and the Renewable Fuels Association comes to a close Wednesday. More than 200 international buyers and end-users of coarse grains and co-products from more than 35 countries were attending the event in Detroit, Michigan. The Export Exchange, occurring once every two years, allows attendees to meet and build relationships with domestic suppliers of corn, distiller’s dried grains with solubles and other commodities. Grains Council CEO Tom Sleight says the event is “critical for our industry” at a time when farmers are looking at a record corn harvest and “the clear need for international trade.” As part of the conference, RFA President Bob Dineen presented an overview of the upcoming U.S. presidential election and its potential impact on trade. Dineen says despite who wins the election next month, “trade is too important to our consumers, our agricultural system and our entire economy to be relegated to the kind of hyperbolic, overblown and ultimately counterproductive political rhetoric.”
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.