Export opportunities abound for ag businesses

International attendance at annual farm show demonstrates trade’s role in local economy

BY KRIS BEVILL

It’s not often that an event in Fargo includes multiple interpreters for foreign language speakers but this was the case during a welcome event/news conference held Sept. 10 at the 2013 Big Iron farm implement show. Gov. Jack Dalrymple and Dean Gorder, executive director of the North Dakota Trade Office, welcomed international attendees participating in the annual farm implement show’s international visitor’s program and highlighted the continued growth experienced by North Dakota exporters in recent years. Representatives from North Dakota implement makers as well as a Ukrainian ag producer were also on hand to speak on the shared benefits of continued trade among countries.

More than 100 international visitors attended Big Iron this year, representing countries including Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Romania, Ukraine, Uruguay, Australia, Bosnia, Germany, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Malawi, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

In his remarks, Dalrymple credited the NDTO for its success in building international interest in the event and North Dakota products, noting that the public-private organization was established in 2005 with $75,000 in funding from the state legislature as an experiment. The organization has since hosted 39 trade missions and welcomed more than 750 international guests from 35 countries to Big Iron. North Dakota’s exports have grown more than 250 percent since 2005, accounting for nearly $4.3 billion in 2012.

Businesses in North Dakota currently export products to 175 countries and the state ranks fifth among all states for export growth. And while commodities continue to be a major source of export activity,

Dalrymple noted that the majority of export growth over the past seven years has been in goods and services, which is the focus of the NDTO.

“We are very proud of the actual results,” Dalrymple said. “Export growth is what we are motivated to achieve.”

Stacy Anthony, international sales manager at Fargo-based Brandt Holdings Co., said the company participated in its first trade mission in 2006 and has since grown its export business exponentially. The company currently exports products to 18 countries. He told event attendees that the company views product exports as a win-win, offering opportunities for both sides of the deal to grow agriculture industries around the world.

Volodymyr Kulshyn of Ukragroinvest Holding in Ukraine offered an international perspective of Big Iron during the welcome event, telling attendees he finds the show interesting because it offers the opportunity to view a variety of equipment, meet people, and learn about different crop seeds. He said producers in Ukraine desire to achieve levels of production equal to U.S. producers and will continue using U.S. equipment in order to meet that goal.

More than 800 exhibitors displayed at Big Iron this year. Approximately 30 North Dakota companies, including machinery manufacturers and other agribusiness companies, took part in the International Visitors Program, which included in-field demonstrations, farm and ranch tours, educational discussions and buyer-seller receptions, all coordinated by the NDTO. PB

Kris Bevill Editor, Prairie Business 701-306-8561, kbevill@prairiebizmag.com