GREENFIELD, Ind. — Eyebrows shot up as the Japan Trade Team heard Eric Mohr, a corn and soybean producer in Greenfield, describe the holding capacity of his combine and other equipment.

"On our family farm, we have over 4,000 acres, half food-grade corn and half soybeans," Mohr added, in his introduction to Circle M Family Farms.

The Japanese representatives expressed their satisfaction with U.S. production. "It’s not only the scale but the size of the farms, and they are still growing and harvesting really well. The farms are well taken care of," said Kazuhide Kitano, a leader of Meijifeed Corp. and a member of the corn trade team to the United States which surveyed farms in Ohio and Indiana last week.

"We are relieved to hear from farmers that there will be a bumper crop of corn, and there will not be a particular quality problem," added Kitano, speaking for the group through an interpreter.

Tetsuo Hamamoto, Japan director of the U.S. Grains Council, sponsor of the tour, explained the 2012 drought created corn quality and supply problems last year and the Japanese were forced to import from Brazil, Argentina and Australia. However, these trade team members said they have come back to the United States because of its stable supply and reliability.

Hamamoto added 90 percent of the total corn used in Japan is from the United States. "I want them to be confident in production and supply in the U.S.," added Hamamoto, who served as interpreter for the group.

The Japan Trade Team, made up of nine leaders from their country’s corn processing industry, feed industry and corn trade, were traveling to the Seattle Export Exchange earlier this week.

In addition to visiting Circle M, they spoke with Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann, who assured the team that Indiana’s top priority is agriculture, said Rosalind Leeck, director of grain marketing for Indiana Corn Marketing Council, which hosted the Hoosier tour.

Leeck accompanied the tour group on all its stops in Indiana.

Leeck said the team members had many questions about succession planning, in which young people come back to the farm. Japanese leaders expressed surprise at the fact Indiana’s large farms are run primarily by families.

In walking around Mohr’s farm, members of the Trade Team got out their legal pads and cameras to record the experience. On this wet day, the equipment stayed in the barn, but several delegates climbed into the combine.

"We’ve harvested 400 acres of soybeans and 500 acres of corn so far. Our corn’s quality is good, from the select hybrids that we use," Mohr said. If the sun came out, he added he could be in his fields again the next day.

They noted the cleanliness of the sprayer and asked if it was new and what the equipment cost, among their more complex questions about ID preservation, yield expectations and harvest processes.

"This planter is four years old. Our planter cost about $250,000," Mohr answered, to which a few whistles were heard. "If you take care of it, it can last forever, but a planter is like a computer; two weeks after you buy it, the technology is out of date."

Japan is one of the largest importers of U.S. corn. Of 13.9 billion bushels in 2013, about 11 percent was exported to more than 100 countries.