Iowa Corn Fosters Global Trade Relationships in Africa 

In early June, Mark Mueller, Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) Vice President and farmer from Waverly, Iowa, attended the U.S. Grain Council (USGC) Buyers and Sellers Conference in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Roughly 90 representatives, consultants and presenters from across Arabic and sub-Saharan Africa attended the conference, representing companies involved in the trade or the livestock feeding industry. Mueller attended the conference to share about the use of biotechnology within the U.S. and personal benefits he has seen within his own operation. 

“The use of biotechnology has allowed U.S. corn farmers to continually increase our yields while decreasing our farm inputs,” said Mueller. “Attending the USGC Buyers and Sellers Conference in Ivory Coast was an opportunity to share about U.S. practices and strengthen relationships that promote future trade between the U.S. and Africa. These missions are incredibly important because as we continue to grow more corn, we need to continue developing new trade channels and relationships.” 

Throughout the conference, Mueller represented U.S. corn farmers in meetings with various African buyers. While in country, Mueller along with other U.S. producers and USGC staff also visited poultry and aquaculture farms to see local integration of feed grains and to help gain perspective as they continually enhance their marketing strategies.   

Iowa corn farmers understand the importance of strong trade relationships and dedicate countless hours fostering new and existing relationships each year. The Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) focuses on exporting value-added products such as corn-fed red meat, ethanol, DDGS and corn gluten feed as well as whole kernel corn to best serve our international customers by maintaining and creating new trade markets.  

For more information on how Iowa Corn is supporting increased market access for Iowa grown corn and corn-products, visit https://www.iowacorn.org/corn-market-development/us-corn-exports/. 

For More Information:

Sydney Garrett, Public Relations Manager, sgarrett@iowacorn.org, 515-225-9242