Welcome to the U.S. Grains Council

The United Sorghum Checkoff recently elected its Board of Directors. Front row (left to right): Greg Shelor, Kan.; Gary Kilgore, Kan.; Troy Skarke, at-large; Earl Roemer, Kan.; Dale Artho, Texas; Billy Bob Brown Texas. Back row (left to right): Bruce Knight, under secretary, marketing and regulatory programs for USDA; Bill Kubecka, Texas; James Vorderstrasse, Neb.; Bill Greving, Kan.; Jerry Van Zee, at-large; U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer; Jeff Casten, Kan.; Louise Rigdon, at-large; and Stewart Weaver, at-large. Read more in Global Update.

The U.S. Grains Council will celebrate 50 years of developing markets, enabling trade and improving lives.

Member Views

“The U.S. Grains Council's DDGS (distiller's dried grains with solubles) marketing programs have been very effective at increasing the rate of adoption of DDGS internationally. Moreover the Council provides us with immediate foreign buyer access and acceptance by them as a reliable supplier to be taken seriously. We continue to support the Council Programs and support further advancement and funding of their marketing efforts.”

--Randy Ives, Hawkeye Gold, LLC

"The USGC has done an excellent job of bringing world buyers to the exporters of U.S. co-products. They not only bring the buyers but they also do a good job in helping educate them about the advantages and the quality of the U.S. co-products that are available for export on a daily basis. Overall, the USGC has been and still is an asset to the U.S. grain industry by their continuous tireless effort of marketing U.S. co-products to the world consumer."
--Tim Potter, CHS

"This country can produce so much more than we can use domestically. Without trade and the U.S. Grains Council as a marketing arm, we would definitely be hurting."

--Richard Groven, North Dakota Barley

In cooperation
with USDA/FAS

Promotion assistance
provided by USGC.
Click on the logo to learn
more about this program.

The U.S. Grains Council does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation or marital/family status. Persons with disabilities, who require alternative means for communication of program information, should contact
the U.S. Grains Council.

The U.S. Grains Council is an
Equal Opportunity Employer.

For more information on Section 508,
please go to the following website:
http://www.ocio.usda.gov/508/index.html.

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Headlines

Colombia FTA Ratification Pertinent
U.S. corn growers could face a significant trade barrier in Colombia as a result of an
increased import duty, imposed by the Colombian government this week, from a current 5 percent to 25 percent. Todd Drennan, U.S. agricultural attaché in Colombia, said the focus has turned away from why this decision was made and is now centered on the impact that may occur. “We are not absolutely convinced there will be any major impacts due to a variety of reasons,” said Drennan. Specifically, he referenced an uncertainty of the amount of corn in intervention stocks. In addition, the 25 percent tariff only goes into effect when Colombia imports more than 2.3 million metric tons of corn (90.5 million bushels) and at zero duty prior to that point. “Colombia’s real demand for corn is projected at 4 million tons (157.5 million bushels) but demand has dropped due to a weakening economy. Last year Colombia imported roughly 1.4 million tons (55 million bushels) of corn from the United States. I am also venturing to guess that between 500,000 tons (19.7 million bushels) and 1 million tons (39 million bushels) remain in stocks. But, then again, no one knows how much corn is in stocks,” he said. With all these factors in mind, we may never see imports go above 2.3 million tons (90.5 million bushels), thus keeping the tariff at zero duty.” Colombia, according to Drennan, is also likely to require 1 ton (39 bushels) of domestic corn to be purchased for every 4 tons (157.5 bushels) imported. Read more in Global Update.

Fruth Talks about Council’s Efforts Overseas
The U.S. Grains Council is dedicated to creating growth for the export of U.S. corn, sorghum, barley and their co-products, Rick Fruth of the Ohio Corn Marketing Program and U.S. Grains Council vice chairman said in an interview with Stacia Cudd of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. One of the examples of such work is through the Council’s partner dairy farm in China, he said. “[China is] a developing economy. Its middle class is growing and its demand for milk in particular is just growing,” he said. Fruth explained how the Council has been active in training dairy industry workers in China with the aim of creating more demand for U.S. feed ingredients. “As their dairy production per cow goes up, they have to feed more grain and we can help them,” he said. Fruth also talked about how the Council addresses obstacles faced in the work of market creation and expansion and highlighted several Council success stories in relation to its effort to promote export markets for U.S. grains and their co-products. Listen to the interview.

Ring Discusses China's Corn Export Ban
China has put a two-year ban on corn exports, creating a huge trade vacuum U.S. producers can take advantage of. Charles Ring of the Texas Corn Producers Board and U.S. Grains Council Asia Advisory Team leader, was recently interviewed by Bill McLean of the Texas Department of Agriculture regarding the impact China’s trade ban has had on U.S. exports overseas. “By having banned that export, we have actually picked up exports into Korea to replace what they were providing,” Ring said during the interview. “Their demand is increasing and at some point in time they’re going to be buying corn.” Listen to the interview.

Conference Yields $73 Million in U.S. Ag Export Transactions
U.S. corn and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) contributed to an estimated $73 million in U.S. agricultural export transactions during a conference co-sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council and American Soybean Association – International Marketing. The Council hosted 26 buyers from Southeast Asia who attended the Global Soybean & Grain Transport 2008 Conference held Nov. 5-7 in Chicago, Ill. The team represented 19 trading and feed milling companies from Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. “Based on the survey of participants’ feedback, a conservative estimate shows that 35,000 metric tons of DDGS and 30,000 tons of corn (1.2 million bushels) were negotiated and transacted by the Southeast Asia team,” said Adel Yusupov, USGC regional director for Southeast Asia, who escorted team members during their time in the United States. “Including transactions for soybeans and soybean meal, the total amounts to a little over $73 million in U.S. export sales as a direct result of the conference.” Read more in Global Update.

Upcoming Meetings

6th International Marketing Conference & 49th Annual Membership Meeting
Guatemala City, Guatemala
February 7-11, 2009

49th Annual Board of Delegate's Meeting
San Diego, California
July 19-22, 2009

View Calendar of
Upcoming Meetings

The U.S. Grains Council is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to building export markets for barley, corn, sorghum and their products.

The Council is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has nine international offices and active market development programs in more than 50 countries.

Financial support from the Council’s private industry members, including state checkoffs, agribusinesses, state entities and others, triggers federal matching funds from the government and support from cooperating groups in other countries, producing an annual market development program valued at more than $25 million.