Feeding the World

It may be 6,000 miles from Omaha to Seoul, but South Koreans can still enjoy a delicious Nebraska steak. Consumers in Europe, Africa, South America and other parts of the world can, too. That’s because nearly one-third of the food produced in Nebraska is exported internationally. In addition to beef, those products include pork, corn, dry beans, wheat, vegetable oil, ethanol, distiller’s grain and livestock genetics.

“We have an abundance of agricultural products, so we are always looking to expand our existing markets and develop new ones,” says Stan Garbacz, agricultural trade representative for the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. “By ensuring a healthy export industry, we create opportunities for Nebraska producers, which in turn, provide economic benefits to the state and all its residents. And we supply a world market with the highest-quality food products.”

Angelo Fili with Greater Omaha Packing Company says he understands the connection Greater Omaha has to agriculture and appreciates the economic ripple effect the processor has on the community of Omaha and the surrounding area.

“We have roughly 1,000 employees, but we know our reach goes much further. For example, exports are a critical part of our business model, but we can’t move product overseas without a strong transportation network,” Fili says. “So, our export business helps support jobs within the trucking sector in Nebraska. In fact, almost all of our suppliers have Nebraska-based employees.”

In addition, Fili says, a big part of the company’s international market is for beef products that generally aren’t consumed within the U.S. marketplace. “So the export of these products definitely adds value for the livestock producer, and that in turn adds more money to the Nebraska economy,” he says.

Garbacz says it has been estimated that every dollar of exports generates a return to the economy of $1.29, for sectors such as financing, transportation, and warehousing, in addition to production.

Bean Counting

Dry beans are one of those popular products. In fact, Nebraska is the country’s top producer of Great Northern beans and ranks second in production of kidney beans and pinto beans.

Stateline Producers Cooperative, located in Gering and Bridgeport, will export nearly 80 percent of the 2014 Great Northern crop, as well as a large percentage of the pintos and field peas they received in the most recent harvest.

“Dry beans are consumed worldwide,” says Courtney Schuler, Stateline’s business development manager. “Our Great Northern beans are shipped to Turkey, Europe and Algeria, for instance. Pintos go to Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Angola. Field peas are exported heavily into Latin America and Asia.”

Global Reach

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture aids in the promotion of Nebraska exports in numerous ways, including providing important inspection and certification services.

That reputation for quality makes Nebraska agricultural exports stand apart. “We create products that enable us to feed the world, and we do it with the highest standards for quality and food safety,” Garbacz says. It’s why agricultural products from Nebraska have long been a staple in countries like Canada and Mexico, and why there are new opportunities in places like Egypt, Chile, China and Vietnam.

“The world knows our reputation,” Garbacz says. “When you first meet someone who understands international agriculture, they are familiar with the standards and quality that come from buying Nebraska products. We have a reputation as the ones who live and work on the farms, and who produce the best products.”