When it comes to agricultural superpowers, a handful of countries come to mind. One is the US because of their high production and another is China because of their sheer volume and massive growth.

Leaders from these two countries recently came together to talk about cooperation, food safety and security, and sustainable agriculture.

Last Thursday, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack hosted China's Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The result of their discussions was the signing of the Plan of Strategic Cooperation which is designed to serve as a guide for the two countries' agricultural relationship over the next five years.

Food security for the rapidly rising Chinese population, now at 1.3 billion, was stressed by Xi Jinping, China's vice president.

From the meeting came some really good news for US soybean growers - China also signed agreements to purchase 8.62 million metric tons of oilseed from the US in a deal valued at $4.31 billion.

As for corn, China isn't expected to be a significant importer because they produce what they consume. However, China's growing love of meat could drive up feed demand which could result in higher than expected corn imports. That said, many believe that if China were pushed to import feed, they'd be more likely to import DDGs because they're cheaper than corn.

Something interesting to consider is that China produces about 90 bushels per acre compared to the US average yield of around 150 bushels per acre. Barring weather issues over the next several years, you can bet that China's yield will keep going up, up, up.

On a completely separate note - as soon as I can shut down my computer, I'm headed to Iowa to participate in a Pioneer Hi-Bred event. And... Pioneer has just announced it will unveil on-farm yield results and research discoveries related to their drought-tolerant corn hybrids next week at Commodity Classic.

But perhaps those of us at their event this week will get a sneak peek!

Have a great week!