by Sarah Lovas
The North Dakota Soybean Council arranged for a trade team from South Korea to visit our farm. It was such a great experience! There is something very special about meeting your customer/end user face to face and having great conversations about your farming operation and learning about what is important to them as customers.
Our farm has had trade teams from various countries visit us in the past and each country brings a little different culture with them. The South Koreans had a more formal and stoic demeanor about them. However, since stoicism is part of my Midwest Scandinavian heritage, I understand this quiet, stern presence. I could also identify with their quiet enthusiasm as they politely asked questions about agriculture technology and what impacts it has on our farming operation. They wanted to understand how we are actively trying to reduce soil erosion to be more sustainable. My favorite part was when we walked into the field to feel the Fargo Clay soil that we farm. They were thrilled with the rich, black color and mesmerized by the stickiness of the soil in its moist state. The soybeans in this field were just starting to emerge and I picked one and showed it to them. I gave my seedling to one gentleman and he was so thrilled with the souvenir that he gave everyone a huge smile!
It is special to meet and visit with the end user of our agricultural products. I love having conversations with people about how agricultural products are produced. I don’t think it matters whether it is someone shopping in the local grocery store or someone from half-way around the world. All our customers are important. We are producing safe, affordable, abundant, and nutritious food. We try to do this in a sustainable way that takes care of the land and water so that future generations can also provide safe, affordable, abundant, and nutritious food to their people.
To South Korea, thank you for visiting our farm! I thoroughly enjoyed our visit and will continue to produce soybeans for you. To any other people, if you ever want to visit about where your food comes from or how other agricultural products are produced, I’d love to visit with you.
Photos courtesy North Dakota Soybean Council