MEDIA ADVISORY: Chinese Soybean Buyers Visit Beck's Hybrids

Editor's Note: This media advisory is an invitation to you to come out and visit with the trade delegation and Indiana soybean farmers and industry representatives. There will be plenty of opportunities for interviews and photos. Please call Megan Kuhn at 317-331-6918 with any questions.

CONTACT: Megan Kuhn
Phone: 317-331-6918
Email: mkuhn@indianasoybean.com

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (June 6, 2008) - A delegation of 30 executive staff from China's largest soybean crushers will visit Beck's Hybrids in Atlanta, Ind. on Tuesday, June 10 as part of a 10 day trip to the United States. They will also be meeting with soybean industry representatives, government officials and soybean farmers in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Washington, D.C.

Indiana Soybean Alliance - the state's soybean checkoff organization - is hosting the trade delegation's visit to Indiana, which also features stops at the Louis Dreyfus biodiesel facility and Dow AgroSciences global headquarters. The visit to Beck's Hybrids includes a tour of the facility, as well as a discussion with company officials and local soybean farmers.

In the current marketing year, 436 million bushels of U.S. soybeans have been sold to China, - equaling 45 percent of all U.S. soybean exports. This sets the record for the most soybeans that the United States has sold to a single country in one year. During their visit to St. Louis, delegation members are expected to sign contracts for more than $2 billion worth of U.S. soybeans. The soybean checkoff has worked to increase the demand for soybeans in China. Since 1990, China's soybean oil consumption has increased by 800 percent and its soybean meal consumption by 2,800 percent.

What:          Chinese Trade Delegation Visit to Beck's Hybrids

Who:           Delegation of 30 representatives of Chinese soybean crushers
                    Indiana Soybean Farmers
                    Beck's Hybrids Representatives

When:         Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Time:          3 p.m.

Where:       Beck's Hybrids
                   6767 E. 276th Street
                   Atlanta, IN 46031

Sponsors:  Indiana Soybean Alliance, U.S. Soybean Export Council and Beck's Hybrids