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USCP, USGC hosting international grain buying teamsThe United Sorghum Checkoff Program, in conjunction with the U.S. Grains Council, will host three sorghum buying teams from Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Egypt during the week of Jan. 25. These missions will focus on the value of sorghum as a feed for poultry and dairy production. The teams will attend high level nutrition training sessions at the International Grains Program Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., before traveling to Atlanta, Ga. for the Atlanta Poultry Expo. "There is a misconception among many foreign producers that sorghum is a low quality feed in livestock diets. This is a false assumption and we plan to have experts give presentations on the quality of U.S. sorghum and it's true value in various feed rations," said Jay O'Neil, Senior Agricultural Economist with IGP. IGP will host a two day sorghum usage workshop for the buyer teams. Three IGP livestock nutrition specialists will also be on hand to discuss the value of sorghum in feed rations for poultry and dairy production. Another Council-hosted Moroccan team will attend a course in New Orleans, La. to learn U.S. Federal Grain Inspection Standards. The teams will then travel to the International Poultry and Feeds Expo in Atlanta. "There are a lot of misconceptions about the use of sorghum in worldwide feed diets. This workshop should help dispel the myths and misunderstandings and help develop new markets for U.S. sorghum. By promoting the value of sorghum, we hope that American producers will be able to capitalize on new opportunities." O'Neil said. The USCP and USGC have coordinated several buyer missions from the Middle East and North Africa, many of which resulted in the purchase of U.S. sorghum by foreign buyers. After one such mission, the poultry industry in Morocco purchased 25,000 tons of U.S. sorghum. USCP Marketing Director, Florentino Lopez said that the 25,000 ton sorghum purchase by Morocco in late 2009 is proof that these buyer missions are a great value to the U.S. sorghum industry. "This gives us a great opportunity to share the advantages of using sorghum and allows us to maintain existing markets and open new ones," Lopez said. "It has already been proven that these missions can produce advantageous results for farmers. Now we need to preserve those relationships for the future," said Troy Skarke, USCP board member and sorghum producer from Claude, Texas. "It's very exciting to see markets for sorghum growing so dramatically," Skarke also said this is a perfect example of how the USCP can benefit U.S. sorghum producers. He feels this buyer mission is an excellent opportunity to further relations with countries in North Africa and the Middle East.
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