notes the situation was further aggravated by bad fall weather that extended or prevented harvest. Johnson estimates half of North Dakota’s 2018 soybean production is still on the farm or at elevators. Successful Navigation “Global grain trade is in constant fl ux. Currencies fl uctuate, elections happen, economies grow and policies shift,” says John Gri th, senior vice president, CHS Global Grain Marketing. “But the U.S.–China tari situation is the single largest politically driven event in recent history. It reminded us all to be wary when business gets concentrated with one country.” Recent grain fl ow interruptions due to trade issues — compounded by heavy snow that limited rail shipments and spring fl ooding that slowed river barge movement — reinforce just how critical a global footprint is to the U.S. farm economy. Export business is the marginal demand that has the biggest impact on prices U.S. farmers receive, says Gri th. CHS markets grain to buyers in more than six dozen countries. “Demand in the Asia Pacifi c region is growing. Latin “Infrastructure investments have given North Dakota access to growing world protein demand.” — Nancy Johnson America is a strong market, right in our backyard. And South America and the Black Sea region remain critical for sourcing so we can be a reliable year-round grain supplier,” says Gri th. “Every day, we bring these pieces together to fulfi ll our mission of providing market access and competitive bids to our owners.” When trade disputes slowed grain fl ow to China in 2018, the CHS grain marketing team in Southeast Asia was able to secure new business in countries including Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. E ective communication has been critical to navigating through the changes, Gri th says. “We put extra e ort into keeping everyone well informed, and we strategized together as a supply chain so farmers, > China 96,500 Egypt 25,550 South Korea 15,665 Japan 24,600 Vietnam 17,700 LEGEND Biggest importers of U.S. soybeans, corn and wheat, 2018–2019 (thousand metric tons) Emerging importers of U.S. soybeans, corn and wheat, 2018–2019 (thousand metric tons) Indonesia 13,325 Your CHS Connection 21