Northern Soy Marketing (NSM) held a successful trade mission March 16-20 to Vietnam, underscoring the organization’s commitment to expanding market opportunities for northern-grown soy. The delegation met with key buyers and feed manufacturers to highlight the quality advantages of soy produced in the Upper Midwest.
“The visits are always good,” NSM Chair Glen Groth said. “It’s always good to learn about the customers, understand what their needs are and bring our message of soy quality to them to help them understand how our soybeans can meet their needs.”
The mission included business meetings at eight feed manufacturing companies around Ho Chi Minh City, Thủ Dầu Một and the Dong Nai Province. Participants exchanged technical information and resources about northern-grown soy’s feeding quality, reliability and consistency – attributes that deliver real value for Vietnam’s growing livestock, poultry and aquaculture sectors. Groth led conversations about his farm and the care and diligence that go into growing and handling soybeans to protect quality from harvest through shipment.
“I just want to let them know that we put a lot of care and thought into producing soybeans and soymeal for their markets,” said Groth, who farms in Minnesota. “I always provide a farmer’s perspective, talk a little bit about the growing season and what conditions are like. They were curious about economics and if we were going to plant more soybeans in the coming year.”
He explained that farmers work hard to ensure beans are stored in good conditions and maintain their quality all the way to the end user, noting that cold storage and cool-climate handling may offer a future opportunity for NSM to quantify additional advantages for international buyers.
Groth was accompanied by University of Minnesota Soybean Agronomist Dr. Seth Naeve, poultry nutrition consultant Dr. Bob Swick, nutrition consultant Lesley Nernberg and Alvaro Cordero, senior trader from soy processor AGP. Together, the experts answered technical questions on topics such as amino acid profile, feed efficiency and supply reliability, reinforcing confidence in northern-grown soy.
“That’s the beauty of the NSM trade missions,” said Groth. “I’m just one piece of it. We also have the economic piece, trader piece, soy quality message and nutrition guidance.”
The delegation also hosted its “Understanding U.S. Soy Quality” seminar, drawing more than 30 feed mill executives, purchasers and nutritionists to learn more about the advantages of purchasing northern-grown soy.
NSM’s work in Vietnam builds on years of collaborative work with in-country partners, including the U.S. Soybean Export Council, demonstrating its commitment to ensuring that soy grown in northern states remains a preferred choice for international customers.
“Vietnam is a growing market, just like every other southeast Asian market, and we have great ties with the Vietnamese feed milling industry,” Groth said. “Trade missions that we’ve had here in the past have paved the way for what we’re doing, and various trade agreements have helped us facilitate growing our market share in Vietnam.”
