South Texas Representation on the Global Stage

BY PATRICK WADE Policy Director, Texas Grain Sorghum Producers

In his 1975 magnum opus The One-Straw Revolution, celebrated Japanese agriculturist and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka mused about the human element of farming, “The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”

Although Fukuoka’s naturalist approach to farming proved difficult to replicate outside of his native Ehime Prefecture, there is an indelible, universal truth about agriculture in his philosophy.

Throughout his career, Fukuoka hosted countless international visitors on his farm and ventured to dozens of other countries to lecture and learn from the producers, consumers, manufacturers, researchers, processors, traders, truckers and many other roles that make up agriculture. At times, the size and scale of the global agriculture industry can conjure images of an ever-churning and impenetrable machine.

Yet Fukuoka’s words evert that machine, revealing that every segment of agriculture, perhaps more so than any other industry in the world, is made up of people. And, as our planet continues to grow more interconnected, the personal relationships between those people will guide the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of U.S. agriculture.

The U.S. sorghum industry is no stranger to leaders who understand the importance of personal rela tionships. One of the many responsibilities of the state and national board of directors is to represent the sorghum industry in leadership positions with our partner organizations, such as the U.S. Grains Council (USGC).

This summer, Jim Massey IV, a Director with Texas Grain Sorghum Producers (TGSP), Texas Grain Sorghum Association (TGSA) and the United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP), was elected to serve as the Sorghum Sector Chair at USGC. With offices in over 30 countries and staff around the world, USGC is the premier advocate for the marketing and export of U.S. sorghum.

The role of Sector Chair affords the Texas Coastal Bend sorghum and cotton farmer a seat on USGC’s Board of Directors alongside representatives from the corn and barley industries and elevates him to be the leading voice for the sorghum industry in USGC’s critical international marketing and development efforts.

Ever since China entered the market for U.S. sorghum in 2013, over half of the U.S. sorghum crop has been exported each year. Nearly all of the market destinations for those crops were made possible through the partnership between USGC, USCP and TGSP.

We sat down, virtually, with the Robstown farmer after his election to discuss his vision for his Sorghum Sector Chairmanship, the importance of exports to South Texas sorghum producers and how even in the multi-billion dollar, globe-spanning space of agricultural trade, personal relationships are still key.

Jim: I have been on two international grain missions sponsored by USGC. The first was to China in October [2017] just before the anti-dumping/countervailing duty cases came up. [We met with] many of the largest end-users of sorghum such as Haida as well as several major importers such as Jun Jie. We also were there exploring new market opportunities with baijiu by getting a study started with a uni versity to test U.S. sorghum samples in the production process. The second mission was to Spain and Portugal [in fall 2019]. Our group met and spoke with end users and importers in several cities around Spain including Madrid, and A Coruna, as well as Lisbon, Portugal, where we attended the IACA Feed Compounder Association annual meeting.

Jim: The sorghum in South Texas is almost always going to be exported minus a very small amount of local feed use. This does make us a bit special because we don’t really have an in-country consum er like large feedlots, poultry or swine production, or ethanol plants nearby. Therefore, our sorghum goes to feed those industries in other countries. We are uniquely positioned to do that in the coastal plains area of Texas. With the ports of Houston, Corpus Christi, Brownsville and crossing the Rio Grande into Mexico all close enough to get to with a truck or train—it’s just the most logical place for our grain to flow. As with any industry, lack of competition can sometimes be a negative even when it comes to exporters. Even though grain from the Corpus Christi area can be trucked to Houston and Brownsville, there is a freight cost that most times can’t be overcome. Since the loss of the Interstate grain facility on the Corpus Christi port, ADM has no direct local competitor. They just have to have a high enough bid to make it just a little too expensive to truck it north or south. I think we need to work hard to try and get the Interstate facility back up and going to give growers another local option to keep competition healthy.

Jim: I think… relationship building is one of the most successful things that has come from the partnership. Mr. Xie [President of Jun Jie, the largest importer of U.S. sorghum in China] is a prime example of this. [TGSP Executive Director] Wayne Cleveland and [USCP Exec utive Director] Florentino Lopez, in conjunction with USGC staff, have done a wonderful job of cultivating a relationship with him. Being one of the largest grain importers in China, you would think that he would not be approachable. I believe that his son actually lived at Wayne’s house [in summer 2018 during a tour of the Sorghum Belt], and Mr. Xie is in daily communication with Florentino giving an inside look at what is going on in China as well as communicating back about crop conditions here. I don’t know how any stronger ties could be forged with someone on the opposite side of the globe.

Jim: While we were at the meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, I realized that the Chairman of IACA Romao Braz had actually been with a group of Spanish and Portuguese end-users that visited my farm several years before on a joint TGSP/USCP/USGC trip. I think connections such as these are valuable in the grain trade in the long term. I have found through these trips, as well as trade groups visiting my farm over the years, that importers and end-users from other countries like China, Mexico, Columbia, Spain, etc. seem to be very interested in having a relationship—or at least a face they can associate—with [the country from where] they are buying product. I have gotten numerous follow up calls and emails from people I have met on visits to my farm, some times years later, just to find out what the crop looks like or if I think quality or supply might be an issue that year.

Jim: I am so honored to have been chosen to represent sorghum as the Sector Chair on the USGC board. Following [outgoing Sector Chair and Celina, Texas, sorghum producer] Charles Ray Huddleston leaves large shoes to fill. That being said, I think I have a pretty simple way of looking at any board position I am filling on any board: When I am serving on the USCP or USGC boards, I don’t show up as Massey Farms, thinking what can I get out of this that will directly benefit me. I put on my American sorghum producer or my U.S. grain producer hat and try to see the world through the filter of what can be done to benefit every member of the organization. If U.S. grain gets consumed in any form as a result of USGC efforts to increase demand, it puts even the last kernel of U.S. grain that much closer to being sold at a higher price.

The mission of USGC is to develop markets, enable trade and improve lives. If I can in any way help achieve that, then I will count my time on the board as a success. With any board appointment, you are operating on borrowed time until you pass the torch to the next person. As far as a legacy goes, I think I’d like it to reflect the way I try to treat anything I borrow from someone else. Treat it better than I would treat something of my own, replace or repair worn and broken parts, and give it back cleaner and in overall better condition than when you got it.