Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds was a proud sponsor of the recent Iowa Corn Leadership Enhancement and Development Program’s (I-LEAD) international mission study to Korea and Vietnam. The delegation arrived March 12 in Seoul,
South Korea, and left Vietnam on March 21.
The purpose of this mission was to help develop export markets for four of Iowa’s agricultural products: corn, soybeans, pork, and beef.
Members of I-LEAD blogged about their experiences through each leg of the journey. Here are just a few of the many experiences they shared with blog readers:
* Our first stop: the Agricultural Exhibition Hall. This impressive museum tells the story through the eyes of Korea’s Rural Development Agency. The Hall covered everything from high-density fruit culture to natural antibiotics for livestock and from bee venom to chemical fertilizer reduction technology.
* On Monday we met with officials from the Ag Trade Office of Korea to get a general overview of Korea’s agricultural markets. Then we headed off to meet with the Korean Feed Association and Nonghyup Feed Inc. (NOFI). These grain buyers and grain industry leaders had a lively dialogue with us about the quality of the 2009 corn crop, and we tried to learn more about their grain needs.
*Saturday was spent on the countryside visiting with Vietnamese corn and hog farmers. The Class enjoyed being able to take time to meet with them and see production practices. An average corn farmer owns about 1-2 acres of land and all the fieldwork is still done by hand. The Class was also able to view a 200-sow, farrow-to-finish hog operation and talk with the farmer. On Saturday, the class was also able to visit a local wet market.
Congratulations to the members on a trip full of great experiences! Thank you so much for sharing your stories with us. Click here to read the I-LEAD blog.