WISHH hosted agribusiness leaders from Kazakhstan, Senegal, and Ghana at Soy Connext, connecting long-time program participants with U.S. soybean farmers, exporters, and industry leaders to strengthen future trade relationships. The U.S. Soybean Export Council hosts Soy Connext, which brings together US Soy buyers, sellers, and growers.
The delegation included representatives from Kazakhstan’s feed and soybean processing sector, a leading feed manufacturer in Senegal, and a poultry and feed company from Ghana. Throughout the conference, participants explored opportunities to expand their use of U.S. soy products while building relationships with suppliers across the U.S. soy value chain. In Kazakhstan, WISHH is helping strengthen the country’s poultry sector through technical training, hands-on production and processing education, and connections with U.S. exporters and equipment suppliers. Poultry represents the largest volume-growth opportunity for U.S. soy in Central Asia, making it a strategic focus for WISHH’s expanding Trans-Caspian program. In West Africa, WISHH continues to support livestock and aquaculture businesses through technical assistance that demonstrates the performance and economic benefits of U.S. soy. As these companies grow, their increasing demand for high-quality soy creates new opportunities for U.S. soybean farmers and the global partners WISHH serves.
The team also visited the farm of WISHH Committee Secretary Jeff O’Connor to see firsthand how U.S. soybeans are produced using sustainable farming practices. O’Connor, a soybean farmer from Kankakee, IL,spoke to the group about water conservation, no-ill farming, and use of cover crops to grow high-quality soybeans for customers. He also answered questions of U.S. logistics asked by trade team members.