Idaho ag industry fared well on trade mission

By Sean Ellis

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

BOISE – Idaho’s recent trade mission to Japan and Taiwan will pay dividends for Idaho’s agriculture industry, Gov. Brad Little and other state leaders said Nov. 14 during a media video conference.

“This was a great trip for agriculture,” Idaho State Department of Agriculture Director Chanel Tewalt said during the conference.

Twenty-two Idaho businesses and organizations joined the governor and ISDA and Idaho Department of Commerce staff on the seven-day trade mission, which concluded in early November.

Idaho sold $69 million worth of agricultural products to Japan and $14 million worth of farm products to Taiwan in 2023.

About half the trade mission participants are involved in Idaho’s agriculture industry, said Little, a farmer and rancher himself.

The governor said the mission to Taiwan and Japan strengthened trade opportunities for Idaho.

“I think it was very successful,” he said Nov. 14, adding that strengthening friendships with existing customers is one of the main benefits of a trade mission.

“It’s always good go see our friends there,” he said.

During the trip, Little and other Idaho participants met with representatives of the Taiwan Flour Mills Association, which two years ago, in Boise, signed a pledge to purchase $576 million worth of U.S. wheat over the next two years, much of it from Idaho.

It was basically a “letter of intent” to buy the wheat, and Little said Taiwan followed through on that pledge and actually exceeded the amount they said they would buy.

Tewalt said it is very important to regularly meet in person with groups like the TFMA.

“In these two countries, I cannot over-emphasize how important it is to meet face to face,” she said. “You have to go in person to continue your relationships with your friends.”

While in Idaho two years ago, Taiwanese delegation members said they purchase wheat from Idaho because they can bank on its quality and consistency.

Tewalt said the Idaho delegation was very well received at that meeting.

“We had an exceptional reception,” she said. “Members of the Taiwan Flour Mills Association have been on farms in Idaho and they understand the quality and consistency of the wheat our growers produce.”

Idaho wheat farmer Justin Place said the Idaho delegation had productive meetings in both nations.

He said it’s important to not only build relationships with customers, but to maintain them as well and that’s what a trade mission facilitates.

“From the wheat perspective, I felt like we had very successful meetings,” said Place, president of the Idaho Grain Producers Association. ‘We have good relationships with both Japan and Taiwan and we’ve been selling wheat to those countries for quite some time.

While in Japan, Little continued policy conversations on gaining market access to Japan for fresh U.S. potatoes, which could be a $150 million opportunity for U.S. growers if it happens.

Japan is a major destination for processed potatoes from the United States, but it does not allow fresh U.S potato imports.

“We worked really hard on that,” Tewalt said.

Member of the Idaho Potato Commission and potato growers were part of those discussions, she said.

“It was a great cross-section of folks advocating on behalf of Idaho potatoes,” she said.

“The Idaho Potato Commission had a very productive trade mission to Taiwan and Japan …,” IPC President and CEO Jamey Higham said in a news release from the governor’s office.

The governor and other members of the trade delegation also attended an Idaho beef luncheon with local culinary and food media to promote high-quality beef in Japan, which is one of Idaho’s top export markets for beef.

“Participating in the trade mission to Taiwan and Japan provided an excellent opportunity to create connections with our export partners and reinforce consumer confidence in the quality of Idaho's beef and other agricultural products,” Idaho Beef Council Chairman Steven Taylor said in the news release. “This mission showcased the dedication of our beef producers, ensuring Idaho’s reputation for high quality products continues to grow globally." 

Representatives of Idaho’s dairy, oilseed and produce industries also joined the trade mission.

"Joining the trade mission allowed us to tell the story of Idaho’s dairy farmers – our commitment to quality, sustainability, and family farming,” said Idaho Dairymen’s Association President Pete Wiersma. “Building these relationships with international markets is vital, and I’m confident the connections we made will benefit our industry in the future.”