OKEANA, Ohio — A Japanese trade team visited Dave and Gail Lierers’ farm last week to see how corn grows and is harvested. The team had other planned agricultural stops in Ohio and Indiana before heading to the Export Exchange, an international trade conference, in Seattle.
The group was sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC). The Ohio Corn Marketing Program (OCMP), a member of the USGC, was its host at events prior to the Export Exchange. Brad Moffitt, OCMP market development director, accompanied the visitors.
"This Japan trade team is engaged in the corn processing industry in Japan, and traveled to the U.S. to see firsthand our corn production, supply, current corn quality and visit with businesses involved in our corn industry," Moffitt said.
Although they handle U.S. corn every day, the visitors do not have an opportunity to see the corn growing, explained Tetsuo "Tommy" Hamamoto, Japan director of the USGC and translator for the group.
"In Japan we don’t grow any feed corn for grain," he said. "We have forage corn but not grain corn. About 40 percent of compound feed is corn – corn is a large part of animal feed in Japan."
The Lierers had hoped to be harvesting corn for the visit, but wet weather prohibited that. Walking through a muddy field, Dave Lierer, through Hamamoto translating and using lots of hand gestures, explained how the corn grew and was harvested. Visitors looked in the silos, heard how the drying bin worked and saw the tractors, combines and other equipment.
"This is the first cornfield, the equipment the farmers use for planting and harvest, they have seen," Hamamoto said. "They are really amazed by the size of the equipment and hopefully they will see it running (sometime during the trip). Even sitting in the barn, they are amazed by the size."
While talking with the team Lierer emphasized the property is a family farm. Gail’s parents, Arthur and Cleta Hermann, first farmed the land. Dave and Gail took over in 1983. Now their sons, Mike and Dave, are coming into the operation.
"Our farm is grain, corn and soybean rotation – a little over 550 acres," Lierer told the group. "The operation is a no-till. All we do is plant, spray and take care of it."
Hamamoto’s role at the USGC in Japan is to bridge the U.S. corn industry, corn farmers and the Japanese customers to keep high market share based on mutual trust and reliability, he said.
"Our market share in Japan for feed is around 90 percent (corn from the United States); it is huge," he said. "The corn for wet milling, starch manufacturing; actually, we have a really good history of getting the high market share around 100 percent, usually above 90 percent even … The reason for that is the supply stability and corn quality.
"Through that relationship we can build a really good mutual relationship between the two countries – not only in U.S. corn or agriculture but also all the aspects."
"As an Ohio Corn and Wheat board member, I was appreciative that they picked our farm to host their visit and to come and have dinner with us," Gail added.
Michiyo Hoshizawa, USGC program and administrative manager in Japan, also traveled with the group as translator.
