Mexico is the largest foreign market for U.S. corn and distiller’s grains and the U.S. Grains Council has chosen its top representative there, Ryan LeGrand, to take over as president and CEO next month.

You won’t find any tourists in the muddy, mosquito-ridden town of Barcarena in Brazil’s state of Pará, but you can’t miss the almost constant parade of trucks pulling in and out of port facilities under the scorching sun or torrential rainfall on the country’s northern coast.

Prospects for U.S. farm exports can change suddenly and dramatically. Breaking into foreign markets takes decades of persistent hard work and hefty investments in building infrastructure, relationships and, ultimately, sales.