Thanks to COVID, there have been few opportunities for in-person visits on Capitol Hill but farm broadcaster Tony Ricketts spent all last week on the 4th Annual All Ag, All Day DC Capitol Ag Tour. Ricketts met with members of Congress, including the House Ag Committee, and agricultural industry leaders to discuss important topics such as trade, infrastructure, broadband, and …
Remembering Seed Industry Legend Owen Newlin
The agriculture industry is mourning the passing of Dr. Owen Newlin, who spent 44 years helping to guide the development and production of new corn hybrids at Pioneer. Newlin, who was actively involved in both the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) over the years, was 92. Dr. Newlin contributed to tremendous growth in the …
Grains Council Talks Trade at NAFB Trade Talk
Trade was probably the top topic at NAFB Trade Talk last week and the U.S. Grains Council was more than ready to talk about it. Darren Armstrong, a North Carolina farmer who is currently serving as chairman of the council, discussed the need for Congress to ratify USMCA, the new agreement with Japan, potential for ethanol in China, and some …
Global Ethanol Summit Kicks Off in DC
The first Global Ethanol Summit gets underway this morning in Washington D.C. with industry and government officials from 60 countries are meeting with U.S. officials to learn about prospects for expanded global ethanol use. This week’s Summit, sponsored by the Council, Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), features high-level government and industry officials from Algeria to Vietnam, who …
Japan Deal is Good for Grains and Ethanol
The U.S.-Japan trade agreement signed by President Donald Trump this week “will solidify our longstanding partnership for the future and create a platform for growth into new sales and new sectors, including the potential for sales of U.S. ethanol,” according to the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) Japan is one of the largest and most loyal U.S. corn customers, having bought …
Global Ethanol Summit Announced
Three global ethanol export organizations are teaming up this year to host the first-ever Global Ethanol Summit (GES), scheduled for Oct. 13-15, 2019, in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Grains Council (USGC), Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) are working together with the goal of engaging a broad array of global ethanol leaders about the benefits of expanding global …
Study Shows Economic Impact of Grain Exports
A new study commissioned by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) points to the importance of export markets to U.S. farmers. The study highlights the total economic impact of U.S. grain exports to be $55 billion in 2016 and also shows grain exports supporting 271,000 jobs directly or indirectly, according to Kimberly Atkins, vice …
U.S. Grains Council Board Names Next President And CEO
U.S. Grains Council (USGC) Director in Mexico Ryan LeGrand has been named as its next president and chief executive officer, effective next month. LeGrand joined the organization in Mexico in 2015 and has served as the director of the Council’s Mexico City office since 2016. In this capacity, he has overseen the expansion of the Council’s programming in that country …
USGC Releases Latest Corn Harvest Quality Report
A warm and moist growing season resulted in near-record yields and good quality for the 2018 corn crop, according to the U.S. Grain Council’s (USGC) 2018/2019 Corn Harvest Quality Report. The report revealed the majority of 2018 corn crop conditions were rated as good or excellent during the growing season, leading to strong plant health, good kernel size and a …
Grains Council Officers Meet in Mexico
U.S. Grains Council (USGC) officers headed south of the border last week to talk about the new trade agreement and meet with new government officials in the country that accounts for a big chunk of U.S. feed grains exports. Leaders from the U.S. feed grains value chain traveled to Mexico on the heels of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) negotiations, …