Indiana corn and soy growers have made significant progress in moving the pile through a comprehensive plan that has dramatically increased corn and soy usage. A key part of that plan is a continued commitment to promotion of red meat exports.
U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom and Senior Vice President for Industry Relations John Hinners recently traveled to Indianapolis to discuss marketing efforts with a broad spectrum of Indiana ag organizations. At the start of that meeting, Courtney Kingery, the CEO of the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn Marketing Council highlighted the investment the organizations have made in USMEF.
“In 2022, the combined impact of meat exports to Indiana corn and soybeans is valued at $345 million,” Kingery said. “Over the past three years, ISA and ICMC have invested $2.7 million to support U.S. meat promotion efforts in key markets. Indiana soybean and corn directors are investing in moving the pile and receiving strong return on that investment.”
to be named a Porkstar and have the chance to interact with leading chefs in the
industry. The event not only promotes U.S. pork as a quality centerpiece for restaurants
in Vietnam, but it promotes a broad variety of recipes and cooking styles – all made
possible through support from Indiana.
According to a study conducted by World Perspectives, 2022 pork exports accounted for 7.03 million bushels of
Indiana soybean usage, contributing $111.55 per Indiana soybean acre.
On the corn side, red meat exports accounted for 35.73 million bushels for a per-acre value of $191.90. Beef and pork exports also consumed 3.42 million tons of DDGS with a value to Indiana of $61.8 million.
Nationally, U.S. beef and pork exports generated a total economic impact of $13.87 billion for U.S. corn and $8.3 billion for U.S. soybeans, contributing more than $1 to the per-bushel value of corn and $1.94 to the value of soybeans. That’s moving the pile. These strong returns have come through strong partnerships with Indiana producers, including investments in South Korea building new pork product demand, support of mobile grilling education and the American Pure Pork campaign in Mexico, promotion of chilled and value-added pork cuts in Japan as well as educational efforts in China, Colombia, Peru and Central America.
And, of course, there is “Porkstars,” a prestige event in Vietnam where top chefs from across the country compete to be named a Porkstar and have the chance to interact with leading chefs in the industry. The event not only promotes U.S. pork as a quality centerpiece for restaurants in Vietnam, but it promotes a broad variety of recipes and cooking styles – all made possible through support Indiana.
Indiana corn and soy directors have been some of the strongest partners for U.S. red meat exports, not only through financial support, but also by sharing the quality story of U.S. products in markets around the globe. Indiana farmers have played a key role in making personal connections with beef and pork buyers in many
parts of the world. It’s a partnership with USMEF that has worked well to move the pile and continues to diversify corn and soybean exports through red meat.
