News

World’s grain buyers eyeball IL assets

World’s grain buyers eyeball IL assets

Photo: Saga Communications


Bloomington, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – It’s a reverse trade mission – the Illinois Department of Agriculture is hosting foreign grain buyers, bussing them around the state.

2025, though, hits different.

“To be blunt, it’s a pretty tough mission right now with the climate we have around the current federal tariffs,” said ag director Jerry Costello (pictured). “People from China are on this particular mission. We know the Chinese have yet to buy a single delivery of soybeans from the United States. Last year the state of Illinois alone exported $1.4 billion worth of soybeans to China.”

Why fly halfway around the world when it’s cheaper to Zoom? “Definitely, having the exposure of dealing with a different culture with the producers, visiting the farms and the elevators,” said Egyptian soybean buyer Amr Eissa, “I think is an added value. Definitely much better than having a Zoom meeting.”

Costello said the 2024 tour resulted in about $159 million in trade, up $30 million from the year before.

Recent Headlines

9 hours ago in Entertainment

Kelsey Grammer, 70, announces the birth of his 8th child: ‘Isn’t that lovely?’

It's a boy — named Christopher — for 70-year-old actor Kelsey Grammer and his wife Kayte Walsh. The "Frasier" star announced his latest baby news on Monday's edition of the "Pod Meets World" podcast.

9 hours ago in Entertainment

40 years later, Michael J. Fox looks back on ‘Back to the Future’

It's been 40 years since "Back to the Future" debuted in theaters, but neither time, nor Parkinson's disease has done much — regardless of what he says — to diminish Fox's boyish good nature.

14 hours ago in Trending, World

Hurricane Melissa is set to hit Jamaica as its strongest storm since records began

Hurricane Melissa was set to pummel Jamaica on Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the strongest to lash the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago.