The Kansas Department of Agriculture partnered with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture to host a delegation of agribusinessmen from India for a multi-state inbound trade mission in mid-June. The delegation traveled through Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas to strengthen relationships and foster a newfound understanding and appreciation for several value-added industries in Kansas and across the Midwest.

While in Kansas, delegates were interested in understanding the full value chain of corn and sorghum, and how Kansas develops markets for these commodities through innovation, processing, feed applications, and biobased products. They were especially interested in seeing the high quality distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) produced in Kansas for dairy and poultry feed and the efficiency of ethanol production in the state.

The group visited Splitter Farms, a diversified row crop operation; Kansas Ethanol; Blue River Valley Terminal; a Jump Start store; POET Biofuels; the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve; the IGP Institute at Kansas State University; and Ag Partners Cooperative; and networked with Kansas agricultural stakeholders at a dinner reception.

Throughout the mission, participants saw firsthand the high quality and consistent products offered by Kansas producers and agribusinesses, and explored several areas for future capacity building and collaboration.

“International trade is built on relationships and trust," said Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam. "By welcoming this delegation to Kansas and sharing our production systems, research, and value-added industries, we're laying the groundwork for partnerships that can benefit both Kansas agriculture and our counterparts in India for years to come."

The mission was made possible through KDA’s membership with NASDA and funding through USDA’s Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP). Both Kansas Corn and the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission assisted by providing coordination with local agricultural stakeholders, expertise with technical complexities, and opportunities for their crops with the delegation.

For more information about KDA’s international trade programs, contact KDA international trade director Katheryn Wessel at Katheryn.Wessel@ks.gov or 785-410-4577.