Grain Procurement Management for Importers Short Course

September 27-October 6, 2004

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Seventeen grain buyers attended NCI's 2004 Grain Procurement Management for Importers course. They represented large and small food processing, feed manufacturing, and trading companies that import HRS wheat, durum wheat, corn, soybeans, barley and other commodities.

Dr. Bill Wilson, an NDSU professor who is an expert in commodity futures trading and consultant to the international grain and food processing industries, leads the class in a trading exercise.

The flags of China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Sweden, Trinidad, Turkey, USA, and Yemen surround the NCI Auditorium.

Art Boline, from GIPSA/USDA, Superior, WI, discusses various methods of grain grading and testing. Darcy Rasmussen, North Dakota Grain Inspection Service, assisted Boline.

Participants learn about the official U.S. grain grading techniques. NCI's commodity grading laboratory meets USDA GIPSA specifications.

More in the commodity grading laboratory.

Some of the class gathers in the NCI Lobby at the end of the first day. NCI Director Pat Berglund (4th from left) and NCI's Bonnie Jacobson (3rd from left) chat with participants from Latvia, Yemen, Turkey, Poland, Sweden, Italy, Malta and Poland.

Adolph Ojard, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, welcomes the group to the Port of Duluth (MN). Ron Johnson and Lisa Marciniak, also from the Port of Duluth staff, are pictured at left.

And we had dancing ladies at the headwaters of the Mississippi River! NCI Director Pat Berglund (third from right) joins participants from China, Turkey, Poland, China and Costa Rica.

The Seaway Port Authority of Duluth hosted our group at a luncheon and harbor tour. Participants from China, USA, El Salvador, Trinidad, Italy and Latvia gathered for this picture during the boat ride.

Some of our Chinese delegation during the harbor tour with Richard Ji (center), MN Department of Agriculture.

Malta's delegation meet with Art Boline, GIPSA, during the harbor tour to discuss their first shipload of grain. Privatization has been in effect only four months in Malta.

The class toured the Minneapolis Grain Exchange and met with traders from most of the major U.S. grain companies during their stay in Minneapolis.

Participants from (left to right) Sweden, Poland, Latvia, Malta, Poland, and Italy take a break during sessions at the Minneapolis Grain Exchange.

Participants on the floor of the Minneapolis Grain Exchange learn more about how U.S. grain is purchased.

Ms. Helen Pound (center in blue jacket) of Goldenberg, Hehmeyer & Co., leads the class in a mock trading exercise on the floor of the Exchange.