By The Illinois Department of Agriculture
The Illinois Department of Agriculture recently wrapped up its Industry Dairy Tour, which highlighted the state’s dairy industry to foreign market buyers.
Twenty-two farmers and agribusiness owners from Mexico, Guatemala and Thailand took part in the three-day tour, making stops in Highland, Greenville, Champaign, Mansfield and Naperville before the final stop in Chicago.
The dairy tour takes place every other year and gives foreign buyers a chance to purchase embryos, semen, cattle and other Illinois dairy products.
“Anytime we get the chance to show off the Illinois dairy industry we welcome it,” said Bobby Dowson, in international marketing rep at the ag department.
“It’s about building relationships with foreign buyers and showing them what Illinois has to offer. I’ve had buyers come back and buy from an Illinois farm they toured seven years ago. Having great products and making that connection is key.”
Estimated purchase numbers for this year’s dairy tour are not yet finalized but are expected to bring in nearly $1 million. Over the last three years IDOA’s Dairy Tour has generated $5.5 million in sales for the Illinois dairy industry.
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See also:
* AgriNews, 2010: Illinois Dairy Industry Poised For Rebound.
“Illinois was once the epicenter of the country’s dairy industry, and the climate is ripe for revitalization.”
* Craig Arbert of Dazell, 2019: What Is Being Done To Solve The Illinois Dairy Problem?
“The Illinois Dairy Industry is ranked 22nd in the United States for dairy production. The state has 84,000 cows on 553 farms. Average herd size for Illinois dairy farms is 90 cows. Six to seven farms are going out of business daily. Illinois lost 10,000 head so far in 2019. I got my information from the Illinois AgriNews article on July 11, 2019, and Google.”
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Plus:
* AP: Trump Ag Secretary: No Guarantee Small Dairy Farms Will Survive.
* Crain’s: Taiwan Plans To Buy $2.2 Billion In Illinois Corn, Soybeans.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on October 9, 2019