News

Montana State trade group to visit Argentina- Gov. Martz to lead delegation

Montana’s third agricultural trade mission to Argentina — and the first involving Gov. Judy Martz — will focus on a growing livestock genetics business with the South American nation as well as handling an animal disease outbreak.

By GRAHAM UNDERWOOD – Associated Press Writer Helena IR

Martz, along with directors of the state livestock and agriculture departments, are scheduled to travel to Argentina on Aug. 24 and stay a week. It’s the governor’s first international trade trip, said staff members and Montana Agriculture Director Ralph Peck.

‘‘It emphasizes how important it is in a political way. That’s why we’ve got the governor going,” Peck said Wednesday, adding that Martz was invited on the trip by a group of livestock producers in Argentina.

Peck said the trip has a top budget of $20,000 that is coming from federal funds established about two years ago to develop markets for state products.

Five state officials are going. Peck said Martz’s husband is also making the trip, but is paying his own way.

Martz had planned to accompany a trade delegation to Taiwan this spring, but the trip was postponed after Asia’s SARS outbreak, Peck said.

Earlier Montana delegations visited Argentina in 1998 and 2000.

‘‘They’ve had some economic problems,” Peck said, ‘‘but they’re turning that corner and now is the time to be at the table.”

Brent Poppe of the Montana Department of Agriculture said a second delegation of Montana livestock producers is also going and will briefly link up with the officials.

‘‘It’s remarkable, despite language and cultural differences, how producers are similar, no matter where they’re at,” Poppe said.

He said Montana officials began about five years ago educating Argentine livestock breeders on genetics.

‘‘And the hook in that is, ‘Oh, by the way, we have some outstanding genetics for beef cattle in the state of Montana,”’ Poppe said.

Since then, frozen embryo sales between Montana and Argentina have resulted in about $1.5 million worth of business, he said.

Poppe, who will travel with the delegation, said officials also want to talk with Argentine state veterinarians about how they handled an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease about two years ago.

Poppe said officials are interested in seeing how Argentina, like Britain, went about stopping the disease.

‘‘Primarily our interest in talking with the animal health specialists in Argentina is more process-oriented than disease-oriented,” Poppe said.

Because Argentina has some crops in common with Montana, as well as some that haven’t been developed in the state, Poppe said officials are also hoping to get some marketing ideas.

‘‘We can learn a lesson about their system and what we might be able to utilize in the state of Montana and, perhaps, what we don’t want to do in the state of Montana, learning from someone else’s mistakes,” Poppe said.

The information could be especially timely, Peck said, since a soybean variety is now being developed that can be grown in the state.

http://helenair.com/articles/2003/08/07/montana/a05080703_01.txt

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.