WASHINGTON, D.C., October 20, 2014 — Nearly 180 international coarse grains buyers from 39 countries are arriving today in Seattle for Export Exchange 2014, ready to meet with U.S. suppliers and service providers across the value chain. 

Export Exchange 2014, co-sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), is a biennial event aiming to make connections that will build and sustain business in the current market and for years to come. 

The scheduled attendee list reflects the diversity of customers for U.S. corn, barley, sorghum and co-products, notably distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), an ethanol co-product that has become a sought-after, high protein feed.

Twenty-six registrants hail from China, 25 from Japan, 21 from Mexico and more from across the globe. As of Friday, Oct. 17, nearly 250 U.S. participants had made plans to attend this year’s events, with on-site registration expected to add to that number. 

“The purpose of Export Exchange is to bring buyers and sellers together,” said Ron Gray, USGC chairman.  “The harvest is still coming in, and we are headed for a record corn crop. This is a great buying opportunity, not just for corn, but for all the coarse grains and DDGS. Export Exchange is the place to make vital contacts.”

“Last year alone the U.S. ethanol industry produced more than 36 million metric tons of a high protein animal feed known as DDGS. For context, that would make the U.S. ethanol industry the equivalent of the 4th largest corn producer in the world, behind only the United States, China and Brazil. That, alone, should expose the food versus fuel canard for the fraud it is,” RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen stated. “We welcome our international guests to Seattle and are eager to answer their questions about the capacity, quality and reliability of U.S. biorefineries as a long-term supplier of DDGS for growing markets abroad.”

Export Exchange 2014 is being held Oct. 20–22 at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel in Seattle, Washington.

More information is available online at www.exportexchange.org. 

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MEDIA CONTACT

Melissa Kessler
U.S. Grains Council
mkessler@grains.org, (202) 789-0789

RELATED LINKS

ExportExchange.org
Export Exchange Sponsors
Export Exchange International Trade Teams

ABOUT RFA

The Renewable Fuels Association is the leading trade association for America’s ethanol industry. Its mission is to advance the development, production, and use of ethanol fuel by strengthening America’s ethanol industry and raising awareness about the benefits of renewable fuels. RFA’s members are working to help America become cleaner, safer, more energy independent and economically secure. For more information, visit www.EthanolRFA.org.

ABOUT USGC

The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Founded in 1960, the Council is a private, non-profit corporation with 10 international offices and programs in more than 50 countries. Its unique membership includes producer organizations and agribusinesses with a common interest in developing export markets. See more at www.grains.org.