Report Date: July 2021
Despite challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP)'s International Agribusiness Center (IABC) continued to lead international export efforts for Wisconsin agricultural products through a variety of services.
Wisconsin agricultural producers have always been proud to supply the world with quality, consistent, and cost-effective agricultural products. Even during the global pandemic, this commitment remained unchanged. IABC staff continued to engage with producers to help minimize the pandemic's impact on international trade, maintain global presence, and expand export opportunities for Wisconsin farmers, processers, and ranchers.
Japan Virtual Trade Mission
With international travel for trade missions and shows on hold, the IABC developed new ways to engage with international customers. This included a virtual trade mission to Japan that connected Wisconsin exporters to potential Japanese customers. Seven Wisconsin businesses participated and representing a variety of Wisconsin agricultural products including animal feed, cheese, cheese ingredients, whey, ethanol by-products, ginseng, and ginseng by-products. Participating businesses included Bio-Vet, Blue River Trading, Didion Milling, Gehl Foods, Shine Stone Trading, Marathon Ginseng, and Quatrefoil Skin Care.
After a series of online business match-making meetings, participating businesses received several new export opportunities. These opportunities include:
- A Japanese importer of beauty products expressed interest in representing Quatrefoil Skin Care in Japan and showcased Quatrefoil's ginseng skincare products at the Beauty World Japan show.
- Blue River Trading received a test order of cheese and anticipates $50,000 more in export sales over the next 12 months.
- Other companies received quality trade inquires and provided product samples.
Caption: Quatrefoil's ginseng skincare products on display at the Beauty World Japan show.
Online China Breeding Webinar – December 27, 2020
With funding support from the US Livestock and Genetic Export Inc., DATCP hosted an online breeding webinar to help increase Wisconsin's livestock genetic export to China. The webinar attracted more than 12,000 views and educated thousands of potential Chinese farm managers, importers, researchers, government officials, and others about the quality, value, and standards of Wisconsin livestock products. Participating businesses included Genex Cooperative, ABS Global, Sunshine Genetics, World Wide Sires, Holstein Association USA, and the American Embryo Transfer Association. Many of these businesses received trade inquires after the webinar.
Caption: Screen shots of DATCP's Secretary-designee Randy Romanski, ATO Beijing Director Lashonda McLeod, and President of USLGE Dr. Martin Sieber giving pre-recorded remarks at the Online China Breeding Webinar.
IABC Export Support
The IABC continues to lead efforts that aim to generate export opportunities and ensure that Wisconsin products export arrive safely and timely at their final destinations. In March 2021, the IABC team helped coordinate a $4 million shipment of deer hide from North American Fly in Strum, Wisconsin to Pakistan.
North American Fly collects whitetail deer hides and prepares them for export to Pakistan to make gloves. This shipment was the company's first export to Pakistan. They had more than 40 foot containers of deer hides on the water, reaching the port of Pakistan within days. While coordinating this shipment, the company received a request from the Pakistani government to provide a letter certifying that the deer hides had been COVID-19 cleared by the U.S. federal agencies and appropriate USDA health certificates. The IABC worked with DATCP's Division of Animal Health veterinarians to obtain the additional documentation necessary to meet the Pakistani government requirements, ensuring a smooth arrival of the shipment.