Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds travels with lobbyists to Japan

DES MOINES – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and other lobbyists are participating in a trade mission to Japan till Thursday of this coming week.

The trip was organized by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) to explore new market opportunities for Iowa’s beef and pork producers.

Gov. Reynolds and Secretary Naig will hold a press call-back on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Credentialed members of the media can RSVP to Pat Garrett or Keely Coppess to receive call-in credentials.

Gov. Reynolds and Sec. Naig left on Friday, Nov. 8 and return on Thursday, Nov. 14. They are accompanied by IEDA and Iowa Finance Authority Director Debi Durham and representatives from the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Corn Growers, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Beef Industry Council, Iowa Sister States, as well as business leaders from Iowa.

Export Statistics

Beef

Iowa exported $135 million of beef to Japan in 2018.
Japan is the largest export market for Iowa beef producers.
U.S. producers sold $2 billion of beef to Japan in 2018, one-fourth of total U.S. beef exports.
The U.S. exported 330,217 metric tons of beef to Japan in 2018.
U.S. beef sales to Japan could increase by 7-10 percent ($200 million a year).

Pork

Iowa exported almost $370 million of pork to Japan in 2018.
Japan was the largest export market by value for Iowa pork producers in 2018.
U.S. producers sold $1.6 billion of pork to Japan in 2018.
The U.S. exported 394,300 metric tons of pork to Japan in 2018.

Corn

Iowa exported $491 million of corn to Japan in 2018.
Japan was the second largest export market (behind Mexico) for Iowa corn growers in 2018.
Japan purchased 11.5 million metric tons of corn from the U.S. in 2018.
Japan purchased $2 billion of corn from the U.S. in 2018.

Soybeans