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Issue 3: USGC Members are the Council's Foundation |
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 When the U.S. Grains Council began operations in 1960, its membership roster consisted of seven members. From this original foundation, it has been a journey to bring the Council to its current status, 120 members strong. In the early 1970s, agribusiness members represented a majority of the membership demographic. Ken Hobbie, USGC president and CEO recalls, "When I joined the Council's staff in 1976, it was largely an agribusiness association. There were three agribusiness representatives for every producer representative. Today that ratio is reversed." Just as in today's climate, the mid-1970s were faced with global economic forces creating a strain on world trade and the Council's financial ability to support future programs and initiatives.
As a result of several political decisions and economic inflation, operating costs were on the rise. This situation did not exclude the Council. In fact, overseas staff were told not to expect funding increases for at least three years. The timing of this funding halt could not have been worse as this was a time where the need for funding for future market growth was at a peak. With the idea of cutting program funding to address new markets in the former Soviet Union, the Council was reluctant to do so. Adding complexity to matters, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) was also withholding funds accessible to the Council until USGC could raise a sufficient amount of money through its members or other means. This is when the Council began to look to producer organizations as the future of its membership. At the same time, several commodity checkoff programs were forming. The Council's Executive Committee was asked in 1975 to increase funding by encouraging the adoption of these programs. As a result of the checkoff organizations and the Council's Executive Committee's work in the mid-1970s, investments made by checkoff organizations have become the financial backbone of today's Council. Growth in membership represents not only sheer numbers and financial figures, but also an expanding knowledge base, pooling more resources and expertise in working together toward the common goal of building export markets for barley, corn, sorghum and their co-products. As a membership organization, the Council always looks to the members to set the course for the future of the organization as well as leading the way to a long-term presence in the world market. As the Council looks ahead, there is optimism for a vast opportunity to gain new members in the growing sectors and through shifting market focuses around the world. Even with the merging of companies in the agribusiness sector, the Council has been able to continually increase membership numbers. In the last two years, the Council has seen an escalating demand for distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a co-product of ethanol production. Shannon Schaffer, USGC director of membership, sees the number of members who are actively involved in the production and marketing of DDGS as an important part of the Council's membership. The Council continues to promote partnerships among all of its members and staff throughout the world as one of the greatest benefits of a membership. The Council looks forward to a bright future with its current membership and the opportunities to grow on the horizon. "A membership in the U.S. Grains Council is a unique cross-section of American agriculture, from producers to agribusinesses; and geographically from East to West, from the northern border down to Texas," said Schaffer.
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