International soybean buyers visiting Illinois farmers

Posted on August 18, 2021
International buyers are visiting Illinois farmers later this week. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)

By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – International soybean buyers will soon have a first-hand look at Illinois farms across the state when farmers meet for the Global Trade Exchange conference later this month.

According to Rachel Peabody, Director of Communications for the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA), the conference brings hundreds of soybean buyers worldwide. In addition, the conference offers one-on-one dialogue with farmers about their cash crops.

“The Global Trade Exchange is an event that frequently comes to the Midwest. So every year, ISA takes part in this event and think of it as kind of the summit, piece of the event, where we actually get to interface with global buying teams.”

Speaking with WJBC’s Marc Strauss, Peabody said the conference also provides international soybean buyers information about Illinois farmers across the state.

“Illinois obviously has a great story to tell, and working with those buyers, we love to maintain those relationships and hear from our customers first-hand, and we will be doing all of that here at the end of the month; when the Global Trade Exchange comes to St. Louis. And we will actually have several of those buying teams out on Illinois farms getting to meet Illinois farmers and see the soybeans in the field.”

The conference is from Aug. 24 – Aug. 26 in St. Louis. All attendees are required to be vaccinated.

For more information, visit www.ussoygte.org.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].

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