Chicago City Wire

The Illinois Pork Tour, an annual Illinois Department of Agriculture initiative, recently brought international buyers to the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) to how the board operates and how they can manage their risks.

The tour helps connect international buyers to the Illinois agricultural sector, according to a press release from the agriculture department. At CBOT, the 31 international buyers who took part this year met with representatives of the CME Group to learn about financial risks and allocating assets. The buyers were also able to meet with traders and brokers from MannStraders and witness the opening of the CBOT.

“The Illinois pork industry is a vital component of Illinois agriculture," Raymond Poe, the director of the agriculture department, said, according to the release. "The industry contributes billions of dollars to our economy and creates thousands of jobs. Through the Illinois Pork Tour we can build relationships between foreign buyers and Illinois agri-businesses in the hopes of growing our industry and improving our export sales.”

Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Raymond Poe | www.ilga.gov

This year’s tour hosted participants from China, Myanmar, Mexico, Ecuador, Dominican Republic and Vietnam over the course of five days. In addition to their CBOT visit, the buyers toured Cedar Ridge Farms in Red Bud, stopped by Farmweld in Teutopolis, heard talks at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and visited Alman International in Vernon Hills. Over the past two decades, the Illinois Port Tour has helped direct more than $12 million into Illinois’ agricultural industries.