Three Grower Leaders Recognized For Five Years Of Service

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) recently recognized three farmer members for five years serving as delegates to the organization at its 19th International Marketing Conference and 62nd Annual Membership Meeting: Tom Gillis, John Greer and Robert Hanson.

Tom Gillis serves as the president of the Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board.

During his time with the Council, Gillis has been involved with the Trade Policy Advisory Team (A-Team) and trade missions.

“My involvement with the Council started off fast with trade missions to Japan and China,” Gillis said. “I then began serving on the trade policy A-Team.”

Some of Gillis’ favorite moments from his time with the Council take place in China.

“It was a surreal feeling to visit China, an import country that relies on trade for the staples of their own food supply chain,” Gillis said. “We visited with producers and met with end-users while there, so I’ve been able to see both sides.”

In Nebraska, John Greer is a member of the Nebraska Corn Board. In his first year on the Nebraska Corn Board, Greer dove headfirst into Council involvement.

“I was kind of overwhelmed when I attended my first Council meeting. I knew a few people on the Nebraska Corn Board, but I didn’t know everybody,” Greer said. “I sat in on the meetings and it really got me interested in the U.S. Grains Council and the work that the organization does. It really piqued my interest in exports at the time.”

Greer has been active on the Asia A-Team and the Western Hemisphere A-Team during his time with the Council.

While he did not have a single favorite moment, the interactions Greer has had with people through the Council stood out in his mind.

“I have been so impressed with the Council staff as I have gotten to know some of them. The staff members are so dedicated to what they do, and that is the thing that has impressed me the most about the U.S. Grains Council,” Greer said. “That in itself is the highlight of my being on the Council, seeing the dedication.”

Robert Hanson, president of the North Dakota Corn Growers Association, was also honored for five years of service as a delegate.

During his five years with the Council, Hanson has served on the Western Hemisphere A-Team. Hanson has also had the opportunity to travel with the Council and host trade teams on his own farm.

“Toward the beginning of my time with the Council, I did have a delegation visit my farm that was in town for Export Exchange. It was really cool hosting six or seven people from a few Asian countries on the farm,” Hanson said. “In 2018, I went on a four-day trade mission to Canada to visit the cattle yards there. Seeing the scale of the that, having 150,000 cows on a feedlot, was a great experience.”

When visiting with growers around his own state, Hanson works to create a better understanding of what the Council does for exports.

“A lot of people don’t understand how important the work of the Council is,” Hanson said. “When we have these grower meetings all around the state, I try to help them realize that the U.S. Grains Council has offices in many countries, and the relationships these team members have with buyers and end users is what helps facilitate sales.”

Please join us in congratulating these farmer leaders on their five years as delegates with the Council!