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Personal connections essential to trade

A west central Minnesota farmer says personal connections with trading partners are essential.

Doug Albin of Clarkfield recently visited Taiwan as part of a U.S. Grains Council mission touting the quality of the 2016 U.S. corn crop.

“Our customers are curious about what they can anticipate for this year’s shipment.  So we go over there (and) tell them (the corn) weighs 58 pounds, it’s Number 2 corn at 15 percent moisture.  We tell them how much foreign material and cracking we’ve got.  This year’s crop is an excellent crop, and they’re pleased to hear that.”

He tells Brownfield international buyers like those in Taiwan tend to value face-to-face opportunities for building relationships.

“They like the personal connection because they don’t necessarily trust the government (or) big grain conglomerates.  They want to establish that personal connection and know where that product is coming from.  It’s very important to them to know that we have family farmers over here.”

Albin says President Trump’s views on trade were briefly discussed during his time in Taiwan.

He offered reassurances that the head of government may change, but U.S. farmers stay consistent and are the backbone of the economy.

Brownfield interviewed Albin at the Minnesota Ag Expo in Mankato last week.