“U.S. soybean industry is at critical junction in the world marketplace,” says Golbitz.

Fargo, ND, USA -- Peter Golbitz, internationally recognized expert in the soybean and soyfoods industry, is the keynote speaker at the opening day luncheon of the Midwest Specialty Grains Conference. The conference is August 23-25 at the Ramada Inn Airport/Thunderbird Convention Center, Bloomington, Minn.

Midwest Shippers Association sponsors the gathering of producers, processors and international end-users of specialty grains including soybeans, flax, sunflowers, corn and pulse crops. Conference registration information is available at http://www.grainconference.com/ or by email to info@mnshippers.org .

Golbitz will address how marketing groups can enhance relationships with buyers in the new global marketplace. "The U.S. soybean industry is at a critical junction in relation to its position in the world marketplace,” says Golbitz. “The fact that the U.S. now imports soybeans from both Brazil and China for food purposes, and that the GMO issue has not gone away in Europe, indicates that U.S. soybean growers and their organizations may not be listening closely enough to the demands of the market and their customers, both here and abroad. In order for the U.S. to compete in tomorrow's market for soybeans, it needs to think more like a marketer and make significant investments in infrastructure that supports identity preservation from the farm gate to the processor and to export terminals," Golbitz continues.

“This conference is important to the upper Midwest because this region supplies the bulk of North America's food grade soybeans that are prized in Japan and Asia for their high quality. It is important to bring these buyers to the region and to create deeper relationships with the growers and contractors,” Golbitz concludes.

Golbitz is president of Soyatech, Inc., which produces the annual Soya & Oilseed Bluebook and other news and market reports. For more than fifteen years, he has served on the board of directors of the Soyfoods Association of North America, a trade group representing soyfoods manufacturers and marketers.  He is the current co-chair of the association's standards committee and co-authored the processing standards for both tofu and for soymilk in the U.S.

Topics for conference breakout sessions include Midwest quality advantage; global outlook for specialty grains; economics of growing and handling specialty grains; connecting buyers and sellers; protection/contracts; transportation and logistics; traceability and food safety; and buyer/seller issues in soybeans, flax, sunflowers, corn, and pulse crops.

Trade show organizers anticipate 50 exhibitors, representing specialty grain buyers, sellers, and product or service providers. The conference concludes with an optional Twin Cities-area tour of specialty processing facilities and specialty grain plots.

Midwest Shippers Association is a regional cooperative association that promotes marketing of specialty grains from the upper Midwest.

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