The Kansas Department of Agriculture recently hosted a trade mission to Australia, where the team made strategic visits throughout the agriculture sector and exhibited at Australia’s national beef expo, Beef Australia, which is held every three years.
The team representing Kansas on the trade mission included Blaze Mollhagen of Moly Manufacturing; Cassy Wilson and Ethan McDonald of Rawhide Portable Corral; Amber Hutchison and Dale Goetz of Double D Family Mat Shop; and Suzanne Ryan-Numrich and Shirley Acedo, from KDA’s agriculture advocacy, marketing and outreach team.
The group met with many companies and organizations including the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Palmvale Red Brahmans, Nobbs Cattle Company, Australian Agricultural Company’s Goonoo Feedlot,and Fenech Brahmans. The pair from KDA also assisted the U.S. Livestock Genetics Export stand at the show, gathering trade leads for livestock genetics.
“The show was a wonderful opportunity for us to get acquainted with the Australian market as well as how the livestock and agriculture businesses work in Australia,” said Hutchison. “We look forward to starting the process of finding the most efficient way to market our products in Australia.”
The trade mission served to identify potential new markets for livestock genetics and beef cattle equipment which translates to possible new global opportunities for Kansas agribusinesses as well as seedstock producers. Global trade with countries like Australia is one of the key economic drivers for U.S. agriculture and rural America. In 2017, Kansas exported over $1.6 million in agricultural commodities to Australia. The beef cattle sector has been and continues to be the single largest sector in the Kansas agriculture industry.
The trade mission was sponsored by KDA, and was funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration using a State Trade Expansion Program grant.
KDA strives to encourage and enhance economic growth of the agriculture industry and the Kansas economy by exploring and expanding both domestic and international marketing opportunities. The Kansas Ag Growth project has identified trade missions showcasing the beef industry as a key growth outcome for the beef sector. For information on this or other international trade missions, please contact Suzanne Ryan-Numrich at [email protected] or call 785-564-6704.
