Biodegradable Corn
Products Are A
Hit In Japan
As a result of U.S. Feed
Grains Council efforts, the
1998 Winter Olympic games in
Nagano, Japan, will feature
biodegradable plastic products
made from U.S. com.
The Council, the Hoshida
Group, and ASA will display
and use biodegradable plastic
bags, flatware, cups and coated
paper products at the Eco-
Friendly Kentucky Fried
Chicken booth located near the
Olympic Ice Skating Rink.
U.S. com imports could in
crease by 7 mmt (275.8 mbu)
as a result of Council biode
gradable promotion in Japan.
The Olympics are not the
only venue for biodegradable
com products. The Council’s
composting infrastructure de
velopment efforts in Japan
targeted at expanding the mar
ket for corn-based biodegrad
able packaging have spur
red the harmonization of separ
ate composting initiatives
within different divisions of Ja
pan’s Ministry of Food and
Forestry (MAFF),
Discussions are moving for
ward among three Japanese
ministries (MAFF, MHW and
MITI) on establishing a har
monized pan-government
scheme for organic treatment
of compostable waste. This un
precedented cooperation im
proves the outlook for develop-
HYBRID CORN
7757 - Great Silage
7343 - Lots of Grain
7300 EE - High Oil
6848 - 108 Day Super
Technology Chemgro
Performance
Value
Corn Briefs
ing a broad-based biodegrad
able market, rather than
smaller niche markets.
High Oil Corn
Continues To Shine
When high oil corn’s (HOC)
popularity began to grow, the
Council began marketing it to
overseas customers, both old
and new. A recent signing
ceremony in Taiwan marked
another milestone in this mar
ket development effort
In October, a Taiwan feed
mill signed an agreement to
purchase 280,000 mt (11 mbu)
of U.S. high oil com between
November 1997 and October
1999.
Since 1995, the Council’s
office in Taiwan and the world
headquarters in Washington,
D.C., have been working close
ly with U.S. suppliers and Tai
wan feed millers to promote
U.S. HOC.
“Our promotional efforts on
high oil com have included de
monstrations and short cours
es,” said C.M. Lynn, USFGC
director/Taiwan. In addition,
“a trade team that visited the
United States introduced key
Taiwan customers to high oil
com,” said Kent Swisher,
USFGC manager of interna
tional operations. “They vis
ited a feed mill in Ohio and saw
how HOC was handled. That
was the first time that many
team members had heard of
HOC.”
In Japan, the Council helped
PO Box 2U, East Petarsburg, PA 17520
(717) 569-329* • (SOO) 345-47*9 (GROW)
get HOC approved as a feed for
swine ahd poultry and is wott
ing on approval for beef feed
ing. In Colombia, the top mar
ket for U.S. com in South
America, demand for HOC is
increasing. Two major grain
companies arc currently con
tracting with U.S. com fanners
to produce more than 1.8 mmt
(70.9 mbu) of HOC for export
in 1998-99. According to the
Council’s Value-Enhanced
Com Quality Report, U.S.
fanners planted 400.000 acres
of HOC, in 1996/97. In
1997/98, the report estimates
that to grow to one million
acres.
Corn News In Colombia
El Nino has apparently
caused many agricultural pro
duction problems in Colombia,
forcing the country to initiate a
substantia] increase in imports
over the last few months.
U.S. com imports through
September 1997 were close to
1 mmt (39.4 mbu) and with
new Council marketing pro
grams and estimates of de
creased local grain production
as a result of El Nino, com im
ports are likely to rise to 1.6
mmt (63 mbu).
El Nino is presently affect
ing com, sorghum and rice
planting and the farmers’ asso
ciation has said that Colom
bia’s feed grain production
during the first part of 1998
will decline sharply. Accord
ing to Colombia’s seed asso
ciation, seed
zero.
PICK CORN AND CHOP STALKS
At the Same Time with the Geringhoff Rota Disc Head
The Rota Disc technique allows the corn head to
draw the corn plant in quickly through the stripping
system not only stripping the plant but cutting the
stalk into small pieces and delivering it to the
bottom of the row.
Visit our web site at
http://www.geringhoff-us.com
HERNLEYS EQUIPMENT INC.
When You Want Service You Can Count On Us! -f -800-564-251 1
2095 S. Market St. Elizabethtown, PA 17022 71 7-367-8867
Coro Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 7, 1998-Page
PENNSYLVANIA MASTER CORN GROWERS ASSOC., INC.
The Minister of Agriculture
said that if necessary he will
support increased grain im
ports through the beginning of
CY9B. The Council’s 1997
Pioneer International Agricul
tural Trade Fellowship Mission
members found Colombian
customers pleased with the
quality of U.S. com and very
enthusiastic about high oil
com, all of which they source
from the United States. They
also heard during several meet
ings that com and sorghum
production is declining in
Colombia, and that by the year
2000, Colombia could import
3.0 mmt of feed grains. HOC
endusers in this region are will
ing to purchase more of this in
gredient, and a key importing
feedmill said that if there was
more U.S. HOC available on
the market they would buy it
Egypt Initiates Use Of
Corn Flour For Bread
Council work pays off again.
Based on Council suggestions
an Egyptian flour mill began
using white corn in their bread
production.
Currently, 50,000 mt (2
mbu) of white corn has been
used with complete consumer
Fits all brand
combines up to
12 row sizes!
acceptance. Additional market
tests using yellow com have
been a success, with the yellow
com bread receiving higher
marks nutritionally. The flour
mills intend to expand their use
of white and yellow corn in
flour and bread production in
the upcoming year.
A Japanese Network
Helps To Promote
Corn-Related Products
Com flake consumption got
a big boost in Japan from a
30-minute program on the
Tokyo Broadcasting Station’s
breakfast program. Hiroko
Sakashita, USFGC associate
director/Japan, and Juri No
guchi, ATO public relations,
were instrumental in getting
the program, originally plan
ned for five minutes, expanded
to a half hour. The broadcast
included views of a typical
American family eating com
flakes, discussions with nutri
tionists of the benefits of U.S.
cereals, and demonstrations of
their convenience, concluding
with the suggestion that Japan
ese consumers are missing a
great breakfast option if they
don’t increase their intake of
com flakes beyond the current
200 grams per capita per year.
Tlie revolutionary head saves yon
time and money by eliminating
yonr stalk chopper
Here’s how it works . . .
231