Judiann McNulty and Traci Sherlock will be joining Lee Hood Capps, Pat Donahue, Marty Orris, and Cora Loera as new members on the IFYE Association Board.

Check out this great article about four IFYE experiences in the latest fall issue of American Soybean magazine, a publication of the American Soybean Association.

Melissa Haberstroh, IFYE National Program Director traveled to Zambia and Tanzania in August to officially kick-off the new IFYE programs in those countries. Aside from the opportunity to meet the country coordinators, discuss program details, and visit the families that our IFYEs would later become a part of, it was an opportunity to officially sign the memorandums of agreement for each country.

Despite having programs in many African countries over the years, Tanzania has only hosted one IFYE Representative, Larry Fritzler, in 2012. Between 1970 and 1984 the United States sent seven IFYE Representatives to Zambia and between 1967 and 1978 seventeen IFYEs to Kenya.

This year, five IFYEs are being hosted in Africa: Tori Rasmussen (SD) and Kyle Newland (OH) in Tanzania; Abby Schmidt (MO) and Meghan O’Reilly (OH) in Zambia, as well as Nora Larson (ND) in Kenya. IFYEs arrived in their African host countries on September 17, 2023 and will return to the U.S. in mid-December for debriefing.

IFYE’s efforts to renew the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding with the USDA has proved successful as we have received the document with Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack’s signature. IFYE President Jan Wood and Interim Executive Director Carolyn Hansen began the effort to gain a renewed agreement in December 2022. The agreement is for a term of five years. We appreciate the efforts of USDA staff to assist with this process.

The goal of the MOU is to "promote the common goals of advancing the public interest through developing a highly prepared workforce for unique careers within the industry of international agriculture through rural-based international exchanges."

By Meghan O'Reilly, 2023 IFYE to Taiwan (Summer) and Zambia (Fall)
September 15, 2023

As a Northeast Ohio native and local grower of food grade soybeans, that are sold internationally, I never imagined I would have the opportunity to see where our soybeans were sold. I also never imagined I would be eating tofu as a staple in my diet. I can officially say that I am currently fulfilling both of these items and thoroughly enjoying it!

My name is Meghan O’Reilly, and I am a 2023 USA IFYE to Taiwan. I am spending the three months traveling, learning, and experiencing what Taiwan has to offer, specifically their agriculture industry. When I embarked on my IFYE experience I did not know that it would allow me to sit in on an international business meeting. Dan Schwartz, owner of Schwartz Farms in Cortland, Ohio, and his direct buyer of food grade soybeans in Taiwan, Mr. Lin, happened to be meeting to discuss purchase contracts for the upcoming year. This unexpected meeting showed me the end of the producer to consumer chain that my home farm is part of as a soybean grower.

With some travel we began our meeting at the storage facility for the soybeans. Once the soybeans arrive in Taiwan, they must be stored in an air-conditioned facility due to the elevated temperatures and humidity. This ensures the beans do not ferment and a quality product is being sold to every buyer. After a short warehouse tour, we sat down with a glass of freshly brewed green tea and got right down to business. As I listened to Mr. Lin's friend and translator explain the concerns and future business goals of Mr. Lin to Dan Schwartz, I realized just how important it was to have a face-to-face meeting.