News

MO corn farmer takes Asia trip

A recent visit to Japan and South Korea by a delegation of U.S. farmers centered on the quality of U.S. corn and the projected ample U.S. corn crop.

Kevin Hurst, the new president of the Missouri Corn Growers Association, was on that trip and says Japan has always been a top buyer. Hurst says, “Japan is our number one corn purchaser and quality is very important to them and they like U.S. corn.” As for South Korea, he tells Brownfield AG News, “Korea is in the top 10. I’m not exactly sure where it is. They buy a lot of U.S. corn, too, but they’re more concerned about price. They were out of the market quite a bit when we had $8 and $7 corn but they have come back with a vengeance now that the price has been reduced.”

Hurst, who farms in north central Missouri (near Tarkio), serves on a U.S. Grains Council advisory team and has been reappointed to serve on the National Corn Growers Association’s Political Action Committee.