Together with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, the Kansas Department of Agriculture participated in a trade mission to Mexico in November 2021. During the trade mission, Kansas cattlemen Daniel Mushrush of Mushrush Red Angus, Strong City, and Craig Guffey of Swearngin Ranches and CG Cattle, Lawrence, along with Dr. Sara McReynolds and Suzanne Ryan-Numrich, KDA, worked to build relationships and expand international marketing opportunities for purebred beef cattle genetics in Mexico.
During the trade mission, the team traveled to Tepatitlán where they visited Posta el Cuatro’s Rancho el Bosque, Rancho Buenavista, Mezquite Genética, and hosted a networking event with local cattlemen and entrepreneurs. In Aguascalientes, the team visited Rancho Puerto de Nieto and Rancho El Picacho and participated in a networking lunch with area cattlemen to discuss potential market development opportunities and areas for collaboration. During their visit to Aguascalientes, fellow cattleman and Governor of Aguascalientes Martín Orozco hosted the trade team at the ACREA Cattle Show and National Charro Championship.
“The pandemic really impacted our ability to get our genetics in front of a global audience,” said Mushrush. “It was a very rewarding and valuable experience to finally be able to get in front of progressive cattle producers who are interested in incorporating Kansas genetics in their herds.”
In 2020, Kansas agriculture exports to Mexico totaled $1.45 billion. Mexico is Kansas’ No. 1 trade partner, accounting for nearly 36% of total agricultural exports. The U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement, which entered into force in July 2020, further strengthens the United States’ agricultural relationship with Mexico. According to the USDA FAS Livestock and Products 2021 annual report, the beef herd and cattle feeding sector is expected to grow in 2022.
“Mexico has approximately 131 million people to feed and are very dependent on our agricultural exports to sustain their population,” said Guffey. “The ranches we visited were making strides to build higher quality cattle. Much of the genetics we saw being used were imported, which helps them build higher quality cattle in a shorter period of time.”
The trade mission to Mexico was possible through KDA’s membership in U.S. Livestock Genetics Export, Inc., with funding from the USDA Market Access Program. It is the mission of KDA to support all facets of agriculture, including lending support to those who wish to market and sell beef genetics domestically and internationally.
For more information, including upcoming trade mission opportunities, contact KDA international trade director Suzanne Ryan-Numrich at [email protected] or 785-564-6704.
