Wisconsin Ag Connection - National/World News - International Buyers Concerned About Quality of U.S. Corn

National & World Ag News Headlines

International Buyers Concerned About Quality of U.S. Corn
USAgNet - 10/27/2009

The fact that U.S. farmers are in the process of harvesting one of the largest corn crops in history, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, gives assurance to global end-users that U.S. farmers will meet all domestic and global demands, U.S. Grains Council President and CEO Ken Hobbie said this week.

At the same time, he said international end-users of U.S. corn are concerned about the impact the delayed harvest could have on corn quality.

"Reports of wet conditions throughout the Corn Belt have many customers on edge," Hobbie said. "We are getting a lot of questions about the potential ramifications this wet October could have on the quality of product our customers receive."

Tim Burrack, chairman of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and a member of the National Corn Growers Association's Joint Trade Policy A-Team, said harvest has been much slower than usual on his farm as a result of continuous rain showers.

"So far, the quality is hurt by harvesting so wet, 28 percent moisture and higher, and running it through the dryer. Test weight drops and huge amounts of fine material is created," said Burrack, who remains optimistic the weather will improve next month. "If by some miracle November weather turns out to be as good as October was bad, which is what I'm hoping for now, then this issue could diminish."

In the meantime, some growers are upbeat. Vince Samson, who grows corn on creek bottom land north of Frankenstein, Mo., characterized the season as aggravating and frustrating, but he adds that the crop has turned out very well. That, he says, limits his complaints.