MANHATTAN, Kan. – Foot-and-mouth disease just might help U.S. feedgrain exports, according to Kansas State University economist Bill Tierney.

In April, U.S. corn export bookings were some 16 percent behind the pace usually needed to reach USDA’s April projection of 1.95 billion bushels for the 2000-2001 marketing year (October to September). Milo exports were 19 percent behind on their way to 215 million bushels in projected sales, Tierney said.

"Early last year, however, foot-and-mouth was reported among a limited number of cattle and hogs in South Korea. At the time, it was reported that the source of the infections was rice straw – foreign material contained in shipments of Chinese corn. Reportedly, Korea immediately suspended buying any additional Chinese corn," he said. "This year, foot-and-mouth disease was reported in Argentina during late March. So Korea and other markets may shy away from Argentine corn in the months ahead. If so, they may turn to the U.S. corn market."

Based on crop size alone, projections already are putting Argentina’s corn exports 10 percent below last year’s, the economist noted.

By mid-April, South Korea already had committed to buy 79 million bushels of U.S. corn.

But that’s 34 million bushels less than Korea had purchased by that date last year, Tierney said. And Korea typically books about 72 percent of its purchases for the marketing year by April 15.