A group of grain traders from Israel visited the Kansas Corn Commission and association, and the Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association this week. The Trade Mission was arranged by the US Grains Council to introduce the Israeli traders to the US grain industry. The group included Danny Olshaker, CEO of Shovre-bar, the largest course grain importer in Israel. He was accompanied by the principles of the four largest feed milling operations in Israel, and the CEO of another feed import company. The group was accompanied by US Grains Council sorghum staffer Kevin Roepke.
Israel’s feed imports were privatized in the late 1980’s. This led to the three largest central feed mills, Ambar, Miloubar and Zemach and nine Regional Purchasing Organizations to establish a trading company, Shovre-bar. Shovre-bar’s mission is to serve as the central purchasing organization for the three feed mills and RPOs, representing 290 poultry and livestock producer co-ops.
Israel is dependent on coarse grain imports, totaling 3.2 MMT (120 million bushels) last year. Of this amount, Shovre-bar imported 2 MMT (80 million bushels), representing more than 65 percent of the total coarse grains imported and supplied 1.3 MMT to the central feed mills (representing more than 60 percent of Israel’s total compound feed production).
The group stopped by the Kansas Corn and Kansas Grain Sorghum offices after participating in a short course at the International Grains Program (IGP) at Kansas State University. They also made several visits in Kansas City, including the Kansas City Board of Trade, grain trading companies and USDA/GIPSA. The trade team visited several states during its 14-day visit in the United States.
