MANHATTAN, Kan. — Education and training in grain purchasing is important for importing grains to raise quality livestock and to market those animals domestically and internationally. Individuals from Sukarne, the largest beef cattle producer in Mexico, gained that valuable education and experience August 21–22, 2017 at the IGP Institute Conference Center in a workshop sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC).
The workshop hosted six participants from Sukarne and one participant from USGC in Mexico.
Jay O’Neil, senior agricultural economist at the IGP Institute, explains how the participants from Sukarne came to the workshop with numerous questions and wanted to learn the value of using Distilled Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) and to understand how to control the quality of their corn imports.
“We were able to address and discuss a number of issues that were important to them in their grain import programs.”
A variety of grain marketing and handling topics were discussed in the workshop including U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards; grain grading practicum and inspection, grain storage and maintaining quality, U.S. export grain inspection system, contracting for desired grain quality, and the U.S. grain production and marketing systems
These lectures and presentations were taught by KSU faculty and staff in the two-day training
“What I enjoyed the most was all of the knowledge that we all acquired as a group, and me personally,” says Marco Antonio Peiro Villaverde, manager in reception of domestic and imported grains at Sukarne in Culiacán, Mexico. “It has been a very beneficial course for those of us who come from Sukarne, and this same information that we have learned in the last few days we will convey to our co-workers who have the same responsibilities as we do in our company.”
Villaverde explains that he will take home a better knowledge of the corn quality imported from different providers in the U.S. and the analysis and conservation behind the whole process of buying grains.
Along with the customized trainings, the IGP Institute offers courses in the areas of flour milling and grain processing, feed manufacturing and grain quality management, and grain marketing and risk management. To learn more about these other training opportunities, visit the IGP Institute website at www.ksu.edu/igp.
— Samantha Albers, communications intern, KSU-IGP Institute
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