Taiwan agricultural trade goodwill mission visits Twin Cities campus

Slideshow - Taiwan Agricultural Trade Goodwill Mission - 2022 - Sept

CFANS Dean Brian Buhr speaks with members of the Taiwanese agricultural delegation.

Senator John Hoffman, co-chair of the Minnesota Legislature Taiwan Friendship Caucus, speaks to attendees.

Attendees listen to a panel discusion on agricultural supply chain disruptions and global market impacts.

“Trade runs deep across the Midwest and Taiwan,” said CFANS Dean Brian Buhr as he welcomed officials from Taiwan, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TCOE) in Chicago, and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to campus for a panel discussion on September 15. Buhr moderated the discussion, titled “Agricultural Supply Chain Disruptions and Global Market Impacts,” as part of the 2022 Taiwan Agricultural Trade Goodwill Mission. The panelists — hailing from a multi-generational Faribault farm to the U.S. TCOE office in Washington D.C. and including the CFANS grain marketing economist, Ed Usset — fervently agreed that Taiwan is a tremendous trading partner for our state, while the U.S., and Minnesota in particular, is a very important supplier to Taiwan. This country of 23+ million people is the 7th largest overseas market for U.S. agricultural products, primarily from Minnesota. Earlier in the day, the Taiwanese delegation signed letters of intent with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as a witness to purchase an estimated $2.7 billion in soybean and corn products from Minnesota suppliers.