A unique opportunity exists for Australian grain growers to visit and learn from their US counterparts by joining a grains tour of the American Midwest.
Focussed on the grain industry supply chain, the two-week tour will incorporate visits to leading US grain properties, all of which are family-owned-and-run operations, as well as large-scale grain processing outfits, agri-chemical suppliers, seed producers and marketing operations.
Taking in the US grains belt, the tour will start in St Louis, Missouri and work through Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota, before finishing in the city of Chicago. It will also include a visit to America’s largest outdoor farm event, the Farm Progress Show, and one of the world's oldest futures and options exchanges, the Chicago Board of Trade.
Run by global food and agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank, this inaugural grains tour has been developed drawing on the bank’s US network. Rabobank is calling for forward-thinking grain growers from across Australia to register for the tour.
Rabobank Australia chief executive officer Peter Knoblanche said with the grains market driven by global fundamentals, and the US being such a key player, there was no better way to gain insights into grains market infrastructure, supply chain management, growth markets, innovation and technology than networking with like-minded farmers and industry leaders from both Australia and abroad.
“In consultation with our colleagues in the US, we developed this tour to give Australian grain growers first-hand access to some of the cutting-edge innovation occurring right across the US grain supply chain,” he said, “arming farmers with the ideas, inspiration and know-how, as well as extensive global contacts, to further develop their own business.”
With much of the learning to come from farm and industry visits, Mr Knoblanche said the tour will also include presentations from US grain experts such as economists, industry leaders and commodity traders.
Registrations for the US grains tour are open to until April 28, with the tour starting in St Louis on August 20 and concluding in Chicago, Illinois on August 31, 2017.
With only a few places left on the tour, and growers from Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales already registered to attend, interested grain growers can obtain further information and apply online at www.rabobank.com.au/campaign/national-grains-tour/
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is a part of the global Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has nearly 120 years’ experience providing customised banking and finance solutions to businesses involved in all aspects of food and agribusiness. Rabobank is structured as a cooperative and operates in 40 countries, servicing the needs of approximately 8.6 million clients worldwide through a network of more than 1000 offices and branches. Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is one of Australasia’s leading agricultural lenders and a significant provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the region’s food and agribusiness sector. The bank has 94 branches throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Media contacts:
Denise Shaw
Head of Media Relations
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand
Phone: 02 8115 2744 or 0439 603 525
Email: denise.shaw@rabobank.com
Skye Ward
Media Relations Manager
Rabobank Australia
Phone: 02 4855 1111 or 0418 216 103
Email: skye.ward@rabobank.com