Eight Cambodian feed millers made their way to the Northern Plains May 6 – 10 as part of a trade mission organized by the American Soybean Association (ASA) and World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH). The trade team participated in the Northern Crops Institute (NCI) program focusing on U.S. Soy and the Value of Essential Amino Acids. The course is a follow-up activity from an international livestock feed conference in January 2024 that was funded by Northern Soy Marketing.
“The essential amino acid profile that’s found in northern grown soybean meal is much higher than most other parts of the world which makes the product more digestible, so there is value in purchasing northern grown soybeans because they don’t have to add any supplements to the meal,” said NCI Program Development Manager Casey Peterson. “This course will help them better understand that value and how the purchasing process works.”
As part of their itinerary, the trade team participants began their journey in Minneapolis on May 6 and 7 where they met with U.S. exporters, toured a barge and container loading yard and heard presentations from University of Minnesota faculty.
On May 8 and 9, the group traveled north to NCI in Fargo, N.D. where they learned about soybean economics, markets and soy processing and toured feed mills, crush facilities and local elevators. Tours included the new Ag Innovation Campus in Crookston, Minn., the first time the AIC has hosted an international trade team, and a tour of the Alton Grain Terminal in Hillsboro, N.D., where the group got a crash course in soybean grading from the North Dakota Grain Inspection Service.
At the AIC, guests learned about its unique history, mission and processes and received a tour of the 16,000-square foot soybean crushing facility.
“I was very pleased to welcome our first international guests to AIC and to be able to help them better understand the processes of a soybean crushing facility,” said AIC Plant Manager Mike Stanley. “They were very knowledgeable guests and asked a lot of great questions.”
The tours of this particular trade mission allowed the Cambodian feed mill operators to get a better understanding of how the product they are purchasing, specifically soybean meal for animal feed, gets from the U.S. to Cambodia and the processes needed to make it.
“By coming over to the U.S. and seeing the operations first-hand, it has provided an opportunity to better understand the technical aspects of making soybean meal and learn more about what makes it such a good product, as well as how it gets from point A to point B,” said Sambath Sak, an in-country representative for WISHH from Cambodia.
