Michelle Pelletier Marshall, 978.887.8800, x117
mmarshall@highquestpartners.com

Mielke predicts positive scenario for oils and fats at Soy & Grain Trade Summit

NEW ORLEANS (9/25/12) – Nearly 800 buyers and sellers of oilseed products and feed grains from more than 38 states in the U.S. and 40 countries convened here last week to get the pulse of the industry at the 7th annual Soy & Grain Trade Summit (www.soyandgraintrade.com), a three-day event that featured industry leaders including Antonio Galindez, CEO of Dow AgroSciences, and Thomas Mielke, editor-in-chief of Oil World publications.

Attendees could choose from 29 sessions presented by 64 industry expert speakers during the summit. “I was very pleased with the quality of the presentations and professionalism of the speakers,” said Tony Freiji, President and CEO from WADI Group in Giza, Egypt, who was attending the summit for the second time. “The speakers were well-prepared and presented concrete information supported by numbers and facts, making our time in attending worth every minute.”

Mielke, whose presentation was entitled Global Protein Meal and Veg Oil Outlook, spoke of supply issues in soybeans creating considerable problems in the supply of vegetable meals, noting that the “meal market is being squeezed by insufficient supplies,” resulting in prices reaching record high levels in Europe over the past few weeks.

He said that the industry would see the world production of softseed oils shrink slightly while the production of palm oil would rise, and that soybean production would decrease but recover in the second half of the upcoming crop year. While he predicted a positive scenario for fats and oils, Meilke said that he “expected the annual growth in world consumption of all oils and fats to slow in 2012-13, the smallest growth in nine years.”

Galindez, who was the keynote speaker, spoke of the technology that can be leveraged to respond to the growing need for food, and of Dow’s AgroScience’s proven ability to introduce sustainable practices in food production. Additionally, he expressed how critical it is, in the efforts to feed the world, to retain the confidence of the public. “I am optimistic and believe we have a lot of tools to move forward,” he said.
Other speakers, who offered similarly important assessments and predictions of the industry, hailed from ADM, CME Group, SunOpta and the Illinois Soybean Association, and made quite a positive impression on attendees.

Attendees, such as Russell Hofmann of Wells Fargo Bank and Bryan Paskewicz, Supply Chain Solutions out of Chicago, Ill., praised the fluid format of the conference and the abundance of networking opportunities. “This has become one of the must-attend events in the industry,” said Eric Jackson of Conservis in Minneapolis.

Jim Sutter, CEO of the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), who worked with conference host HighQuest Partners to drive attendance to the event concurred, “The Soy & Grain Trade Summit has grown and evolved into an important place for U.S. suppliers around the world to gather, and for us, it's an opportunity to bring international buyers to the U.S."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Michelle Pelletier-Marshall, 978.887.8800
mmarshall@highquestpartners.com

Global agriculture summit brings the power of networking to New Orleans

BOSTON (9/11/12) – In just a few days, hundreds of international agricultural commodity buyers and sellers will come together in the same venue for the 7th Annual Soy & Grain Trade Summit in New Orleans. In addition, hundreds will convene for the inaugural Women in Agribusiness Summit, which is a chance for women in the industry to network and learn about industry trends.

The Soy & Grain Trade Summit is one event that attracts the largest range of global leaders in oilseed and grain production as well as processing and trade. For many, the power of networking and education drives their motivation to attend.

“I am attending the Soy & Grain Trade Summit because I will have an unparalleled opportunity to network with domestic and international decision makers in the soybean supply chain,” said Michelle Swenson, who recently accepted the position of Director of Marketing and Development for the North Dakota Soybean Council.

Swenson will be among industry partners not only from North America, but also from countries such as Holland, England, Singapore and China.

“By attending the Summit, I hope to build key relationships for North Dakota soybean producers,” Swenson went on to say. “I will also be attending training sessions on Trade Financing trends in the ag supply chain, Trade and Transportation, Feed (which will address aquaculture production demands), and China Shipping which is a vital ND market. Along with networking and education, I will be at the panel discussion, which includes North Dakota’s Department of Agriculture Commissioner, Doug Goehring, where he will address the issue of U.S. crops in the global market.”

Sponsors and exhibitors have a similar reaction – which keeps them coming back.

“Insta-Pro International looks forward to the Soy & Grain Trade Summit each year,” said Amanda Scott, Assistant Manager of Marketing and Sales for Insta-Pro International in Iowa. “Year after year, we choose to come back to learn about industry trends, gain additional networking connections and to see our customers. The meetings and discussions are very valuable, and we always leave with a greater knowledge of the industry than when we first arrived. We look forward to seeing and networking with you in a few weeks!”

The Summits include presentations by key industry speakers, including a keynote address by Antonio Galindez, president and CEO of Dow AgroSciences, state and federal agriculture officials, and banking and commodity trade representatives.

Register for either event www.womeninagribusiness.com or www.soyandgraintrade.com using the registration code NW-VIP.

---

Michelle Pelletier-Marshall, 978.887.8800
mmarshall@highquestpartners.com

Access to key industry, government leaders and ag industry insights are not to be missed at co-located global summits

BOSTON (8/29/12) – HighQuest Partners’ co-located Women in Agribusiness (www.womeninag.com) and Soy & Grain Trade Summits (www.soyandgraintrade.com) in New Orleans, Sept. 16-19, offer complementary agendas, integrated industry information and an exceptional line-up of key experts to provide insight across the grain, oilseed and soy value chain.
Both events will address the global challenges that face the world’s agriculture system; the underlying drivers that need to be considered when creating risk management strategies; and what investments are required in transportation infrastructure in order to increase transportation efficiencies in the ag value chain.

Accomplished women in the industry, including Elizabeth Hund of U.S. Bank Food Industries, Susan Grelling of Land O'Lakes, and Maria Jose Capelle of Adecoagro, will participate in both events, illustrating the progress women are making as they assume leadership positions in agribusiness.

This inaugural Women in Agribusiness Summit on September 16-17 features a keynote address by “agvocate” Michele Payn-Knoper who will engage attendees in conversations about food, fiber, fuel and feed, and discuss the tools needed to promote success for women in agribusiness.
Other highlights of this debut event include Monsanto’s recognition of the five winners of America’s Farmers Mom of the Year, a designation bestowed by Monsanto that includes a $10,000 grand prize.

“We encourage attendance at both events for interested delegates because of the strong content, speaker line-up and attractive networking opportunities,” said Greg Mellinger, CEO of HighQuest Partners, a leading global agriculture consultancy and host of the events.
“One would attend the Women in Agribusiness Summit for knowledge sharing, discussions about progress and challenges faced by women in the agribusiness sector, and development of mentorship and support relationships. Participating in the Soy & Grain Trade Summit will foster strong networking amongst grain and oilseed suppliers, buyers and risk management professionals, and will provide exposure to in-depth industry presentations and discussions, especially about the tight commodity supply situation the market is facing following this year’s historic drought in the U.S.”

The 7th Annual Soy & Grain Trade Summit, which will gather 800 key decision-makers in the commodity supply chain from 38 states and 40 countries, begins on September 17 with industry tours that showcase the U.S. grain processing and transportation infrastructure in the U.S. Gulf region. Translation in five languages – Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, French and Spanish – will be provided for this large contingent of international attendees.

Amid content focused on supply/demand, harvest quality and commodity risk management, attendees will hear from experts like Dow AgroSciences CEO Antonio Galindez, the keynote speaker, and Thomas Mielke of Oil World. A live video feed from a central Illinois soybean field, sponsored by the Illinois Soybean Association, will provide a demonstration of the harvest and direct access to soybean producers, who will take questions from attendees.

Finally, attendees can take advantage of all there is to do in New Orleans by perusing a special microsite -- www.neworleanscvb.com/hqp -- that includes discounts to local restaurants, stores and more.

---

Michelle Pelletier-Marshall, 978.887.8800
mmarshall@highquestpartners.com

Analysts see investments in Brazil, other arable lands increasing during U.S. drought

BOSTON (8/23/12) – As the U.S. Corn Belt continues to experience extremely hot temperatures and drought, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the expansion of emergency grazing on 3.8 million acres of conservation land. The expansion is intended to provide greater relief to U.S. livestock producers dealing with shortages of hay and pastureland. More than half (50.3 percent) of all counties in the United States have been declared disaster areas in 2012, primarily due to drought.

Agriculture investment consultants, such as HighQuest Partners LLC, (http://www.highquestpartners.com) are closely watching the impact that the prolonged drought is likely to have on global corn and soybean carry outs, and the incentive it is creating for increased double cropping in countries such as Brazil.

“While U.S. farmers may be cautious about buying additional farmland, the drought in the U.S. may be bullish for farmland values in areas of the world not impacted. The reduced crop puts pressure on crop inventory carry out which increases prices,” said Philippe de Lapérouse, Director of HighQuest Partners’ Global Food and Agribusiness Practice in St. Louis. “The drought has exacerbated the commodity supply for food, feed and fuel consumption markets in the U.S., coupled with government requirements for ethanol, and demand in China and other developing populations.”

Lapérouse said while Brazil continues to hold promise as a long-term opportunity for investors, large-scale investors have been held at bay because of the governments’ restrictive interpretation of the law for large-scale foreign investment in farmland.

Note:
Philippe de Lapérouse, along with many other industry experts, will be available September 17-19 in New Orleans for the 7th Annual Soy & Grain Trade Summit. The event brings together hundreds of international agricultural commodity buyers and sellers in a single venue for on-the-spot trading, making this the annual event that attracts the largest range of global leaders in oilseed and grain production as well as processing and trade. www.soyandgraintrade.com.

In addition, Lapérouse, and other investment experts, will speak on Agriculture as an emerging asset class at the company’s Global AgInvesting Asia 2012 conference in Singapore, Sept. 25-27. This premier agricultural investing conference offers a comprehensive overview of agriculture investment opportunities, risks, and return profiles across global production regions. GAI Asia features keynote speaker Jim Rogers, and panel discussions highlight themes of farmland, private equity, protein plays, palm oil opportunities and more. www.globalaginvesting.com.

---

Michelle Pelletier-Marshall, 978.887.8800
mmarshall@highquestpartners.com

Industry tours round out unique offerings at Soy & Grain Trade Summit

BOSTON (8/16/12) – The 7th annual Soy & Grain Trade Summit, Sept. 17-19 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, is poised to set the industry in motion with coverage of the latest topics across the global oilseed and grains value chain, presentations by industry experts, and a behind-the-scenes look into industry operations during two interactive tours.

We are grateful to the local facilities for hosting these tours as they are a great complement to the conference sessions, with the hands-on approach offering an invaluable opportunity for learning and networking,” said Mark Dineen, Chairman of the event from host Soyatech, a subsidiary of HighQuest Partners and an internationally-respected information platform providing integrated marketing, media, and events management in the soybean, oilseed, agribusiness, food, and biofuels industries.

Two tours will be offered on Monday, Sept. 17. A half-day Testing Laboratory Tour to SGS North America, the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, will be offered in the afternoon.

A Commodity Shipping Tour, an all-day event, to Port of New Orleans, the world’s busiest port complex, and ADM’s grain export facility, will include a plantation tour and luncheon, sponsored by Port of South Louisiana and Associated Terminals. A full conference pass includes the option to join a tour, but space is limited.

Attendees, of which more than 800 are expected representing 38 states, 40 countries and 200 companies, will have the opportunity to hear Dow AgroSciences President and CEO Antonio Galindez speak on Advancing Agriculture to Serve the Growing World, and Director and Editor of Oil World Thomas Mielke address Global Protein Meal and Vegetable Oil Outlook. The conference also welcomes the American Meat Institute and four secretaries and commissioners of agriculture on its speakers’ roster.

Day two includes sessions along seven diverse tracks: Food and Healthy Oils, Feed, Production, Processing, Trade Financing, Risk Management, and Transportation, and a discussion about New Options for Managing Grain and Oilseed Price Risk, presented by David Lehman, Managing Director of Commodity Research and Product Development for CME Group.

Throughout the conference, buyers and sellers of commodities and ingredients from around the globe will stream into the expanded exhibit hall, providing extraordinary opportunities for knowledge-sharing and networking, which last year netted over $150 million in ag commodities traded.
Learn more at www.soyandgraintrade.com. Also visit www.womeninag.com for details about the co-located inaugural Women in Agribusiness Summit.

---

CONTACT:
Philippe de Lapérouse or Michelle Marshall, PR Manager
email: pdelaperouse@highquestpartners.com
email: mmarshall@highquestpartners.com
1-314- 994-3282(o)
1-314- 960-1632(m)

Highquest Partners Experts: Eurozone crisis gives lift to old-fashion lending

BOSTON (July 17, 2012) – Dealing with risk is nothing new in agriculture, with years of market speculation, droughts, a world population boom and biofuels production pushing commodity prices higher and higher. But, as some of the major trade financing banks face crisis in the Eurozone, exporters and importers of soft commodities are looking at old ways of doing business to ensure that agriculture exports are still moving.

One approach for wholesale grain traders manage volatility in the markets is by using forfaiting. Forfaiting is a form of international supply chain financing involving the discount of future payment obligations on a without recourse basis.

“Since a lot of traditional financing sources for the retail markets just aren’t available for, say, containerized shipping,” said HighQuest Partners’ Director of Global Food and Agribusiness Practice Philippe de Lapérouse. “Companies are shipping and connecting with buyers in overseas markets. Forfaiting provides them with capital to finance sales and purchases of container loads of commodities.”

Forfaiting is a financial transaction involving the purchase of receivables from exporters by a forfaiter. The forfaiter takes on all the risks associated with the receivables but earns a margin. The forfaiting is a transaction involving the sale of one of the firm's transactions. The characteristics of a forfaiting transaction include:

• Credit is extended to the exporter for a period ranging between 180 days to seven years.
• Minimum bill size is normally $250,000, although $500,000 is preferred.
• The payment is normally receivable in any major convertible currency.
• A letter of credit or a guarantee is made by a bank, usually in the importer's country.

This shows that despite the economic crisis worldwide, agriculture is still thriving in the commodity trading market – in addition, there are also ways around traditional banking.

Learn more about forfaiting from representatives of London Forfaiting, who will be at the Soy & Grain Trade Summit in New Orleans, Sept. 17-19 to meet with wholesalers and retailers from around the world. For more information, go to www.soyandgraintrade.com.

HighQuest Partners is a globally recognized strategy consulting, events, and media company serving agriculture, agribusiness, grains, oilseed, food, and biofuels markets. Founded in 2000, HighQuest has worked with hundreds of public and private sector organizations in over 100 countries as it helps to satisfy the world’s growing need for agriculturally-based resources by providing information, cultivating relationships, and supporting its clients.

Global Trends Shape the Annual Soy & Grain Trade Summit

The annual Soy & Grain Trade Summit is one of the only conferences in the United States that brings together on an annual basis major buyers and sellers of oilseed products and feed grains from 38 states across the U.S. and 40 countries from major importing regions.

Where else could you find a keynote speaker such as Antonio Galindez, President and CEO of Dow AgroSciences, secretaries of agriculture from five key states in the U.S. Corn Belt, leading scientists from DuPont and Monsanto as well as a whirlwind of procurement executives from major food companies such as Kellogg’s and Coca-Cola and representatives of major ag commodity sellers and buyers at one event?

The 7th Annual Soy & Grain Trade Summit, Sept. 17-19 in New Orleans, promises to bring together hundreds of agricultural commodity buyers and sellers in a single venue for on-the-spot trading on the Summit floor, making this the annual event that attracts the largest number of participants in the global oilseed and feed grain value chain.

According to Mark Dineen, president of Soyatech LLC, global trends have shaped the agenda.

“Each year, the number of first time attendees from companies providing products and services related to the agriculture industry attending increases,” Dineen said. “JP Morgan and the National Bank of Canada are examples of just a couple of companies coming to the summit because of the investments involved in agriculture as commodity prices rise.”

In addition, as technology continues to play an important role in bringing efficiencies to agricultural production and trade, IBM will participate in the Summit for the first time. Paul Chang, Program Director, WW Industry Solutions at IBM, will be speaking about how new technologies are playing an increasingly pivotal role in monitoring the agri-food supply chain and ensuring food safety for supply chains that circle the globe.

“Really, this is the one summit that is a one-stop-shop to meet just about everyone involved in the global food supply chain and supporting services in agriculture,” Dineen said.

Other trends that are driving increased registration for the upcoming Summit include the interest of those responsible for procurement at the major food companies Dineen said. Leaders from the food industry who are purchasing commodity ingredients -- such as soy -- attend the Summit because of the opportunity it provides to them to obtain insights from industry experts as to trends in supply and demand and meet with their peers. This year’s Soy & Grain Trade Summit is expected to attract more than 800 critical key decision-makers in the ag commodity supply chain from around the globe, including sellers and buyers of major ingredients including vegetable proteins and oils and feed grains The Summit also will provide unparalleled content focused on key industry trends, opportunities and challenges facing the oilseed and feed grain supply chains. These include sessions on supply and demand forecasts for major commodities, vegetable oils and protein meals; priorities in capital improvements for storage and transportation; and emerging technological innovations for the grain and oilseed handling and processing industries.

To register for the Summit, go to: www.soyandgraintrade.com. Use the Registration Code NW-VIP.



U.S. Senate Moves Along 2012 Farm Bill Talks

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 6, 2012 - The full senate voted in support of continuing 2012 Farm Bill consideration on Wednesday, June 6. The vote passed 90-8 in favor of proceeding. This farm bill is known for cutting spending through its strict reform of direct payment programs to farmers.

Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture who also will provide the opening remarks at HighQuest Partners upcoming inaugural Women In Agribusiness Summit in New Orleans in September, said the current bill “represents commonsense and responsible reforms that will save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars while strengthening key initiatives that will allow our economy to continue growing and creating jobs."

Stabenow said it has the support from hundreds of agriculture and food organizations.

She encouraged her fellow senators to pass the bill immediately considering the 2008 Farm Bill is due to expire in September.

Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) co-authored the bill with Stabenow. He said the bill serves taxpayers while strengthening programs important to the life of rural America and the agriculture community.

"We’ve cut mandatory spending by $23.6 billion. We’ve reformed, eliminated and streamlined USDA programs to the tune of more than 100 programs and authorizations eliminated. We’ve done it on a voluntary basis and in a bipartisan fashion," Roberts said. "Simply put, this bill is commonsense reform and needs to be approved now to provide certainty for our farmers and ranchers to make planning decisions and to help our economic recovery."

This bill consolidates 23 conservation programs into 13 initiaves, ends four subsidy programs including direct payments, and is said to strengthen risk management during volatile times through market-based tools. The "Jobs" bill, as quipped by Stabenow, is credited with preserving jobs for Americans through reform.

"Sixteen million American jobs rely on agriculture. The time for reform is now," Stabenow said.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Natalie Walston

614.315-4697

natalie@walstongroupllc.com

Canola continues to dominate Canadian oilseed export crops

Commodity analysts still see chances for growth in the crop in the U.S.

BOSTON, June 11, 2012 – The market for canola is still growing as Canada is shipping the oil and high-protein animal meal in record-high volumes. Canada continues to be the world’s leading producer and exporter of canola, which is the number one oilseed commodity crop produced in Canada.

According to the Canadian Grains Commission, the first few months of shipments in 2011/2012 have been very brisk. Statistics show that Canada exported 7.3 million tonnes of canola in 2010/2011, one of the highest volumes on record.

“At the heart of it is strong global demand for vegetable oil,” said Philippe de Lapérouse, Director of HighQuest Partners’ Global Food and Agribusiness Practice in St. Louis.

Canadian scientists developed canola from rapeseed, an oilseed plant. Canola, which has less eruric acid — is highly sought after for cooking oil.

“Exports for canola meal are increasing as population and wealth grows in areas such as India and China – and populations are improving their diets,” Lapérouse said.

However, the United States is the biggest export market for Canadian canola as demand grows for non-trans fat cooking oils and soybean-based biodiesel production in the United States increases.

“The 2011 canola crop was of a fairly high quality. Of the 1749 samples we analyzed, 87.8% were graded as No. 1,” explains Véronique Barthet, Program Manager of Oilseeds for the Canadian Grain Commission’s Grain Research Laboratory.

As demand for canola grows, this could be a good time for investment in growing the plant in the United States. With strong demand and extensive imports from Canada, this creates opportunities for U.S. farmers to grow the crop.

HighQuest Partners/Soyatech is hosting its 7th Annual Soy & Grain Trade Summit in New Orleans, Sept 17-19, 2012, which will bring together more than 800 critical key decision-makers from 38 states and 40 countries in the commodity supply chain, including oilseed processors, vegetable oil refiners and market players in the feed grain sector (including corn, DDGs, wheat and barley).

This conference includes an exhibition floor with 140 booths of suppliers, and industry tours for those interested in seeing U.S. grain processing and transportation infrastructure in action. Attendees will learn about the complete value chain through exceptional content focused on supply/demand, harvest quality, commodity risk management and transport, and an “End User” panel of food/food service/feed buyers. See more at www.soyandgraintrade.com.

*To get 5% off registration, use promo code VIP-NW.