The United States Department of Agriculture toured three local businesses Thursday with a foreign attache in hopes of promoting trade relations.
Hayden Farms, Owensboro Grain and Kentucky Bioprocessing saw foreign representatives from 25 countries as part of the tour that spanned Kentucky and Tennessee.
Sean Southard, director of communications for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, said that Kentucky’s Agricultural Commissioner, Ryan Quarles, is supportive of international trade and that through this tour, foreign representatives can develop relationships they can take back to their respective countries.
“They know Kentucky is open for business,” Southard said.
John Wright, executive vice president at Owensboro Grain, said that it was a privilege to host the visit. As a privately-held, family-owned company, he shared that over 65 percent of soybean meal, roughly 800,000 tons, that is produced at Owensboro Grain is exported.
This grain comes from over 40 Kentucky counties and a few in Indiana, he said.
Along with sharing the history of the company, including physical expansions and expansions into new markets, Wright discussed how soybean exportation has been affected by the trade conflict. He said that since Owensboro Grain purchases and crushes its own soybeans, the conflict is not affecting the business personally.
“But our farmers are feeling it — are getting hit on so many fronts — so it does affect us,” Wright said.
Wright also shared with the delegates how the company has changed with the refinery on Ewing Road that was added in 1995 and is connected to their Second Street plant by a three-and-a-half mile pump.
He also told the delegates about Owensboro Grain’s biodiesel expansion in 2007, the only biodiesel plant in Kentucky.
Members of the trade delegation visited this refinery, Owensboro Grain’s Edible Oil Division, where they were able to learn about the lab, what oils were produced by Owensboro Grain and where some of the oils were exported.
Glycerin is one of the oils that is purified from its crude form at the Ewing Road location, and Wright said this pharmaceutical-grade glycerin is used in toothpaste and cosmetics.
“We ship glycerin to Colgate and L’Oreal,” Wright said.
Delegates from the Foreign Agricultural Service asked questions about the lab, equipment and constant audits that are conducted on the products and then they had the opportunity to visit one of the processing rooms.
The Philippines’ Agriculture Attache to the United States and the Amercias Dr. Josyline Javelosa said that visiting the businesses, especially Owensboro Grain has been illuminating.
“The company is impressive, especially the fact that it is family owned,” Javelosa said. “They are very agile in reacting to political differences and products that are valued.”
The tour continues through the week with the delegates visiting Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown and Keeneland in Lexington.
