Grower Delegates Recognized For Five Years Of Service

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) recently recognized three farmers for five years serving as delegates to the organization at its 20th International Marketing Conference and 63rd Annual Membership Meeting: Jim Greif, Carl Jardon and Jon Miller.

Jim Greif is a member of the Iowa Corn Growers Association.

During his time with the Council, Greif has been involved with the Value-Added and Asia Advisory Teams (A-teams). He has also had the opportunity to visit China, Korea and Taiwan during this time as a delegate, allowing him to see firsthand the good that comes from Council programming.

“The grain quality rollout is a good thing that the Council does. The buyers like to talk to the actual farmers because farming in the U.S. is a little different than it is in other parts of the world – we’re still a family, down to the grassroots business over here. They probably think to themselves ‘these people actually grew this corn; they know what it is,’” Greif said.

Along with the quality rollouts conducted by the Council, Greif sees the value in the global connections the Council has.

“It’s all about connections, and I think the Council is good at keeping the backdoor open. The Council has connections that we, as individuals, will never have.”

Also a member of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, Carl Jardon has been farming since 1982 in southwest Iowa. He got his start with the Council as a member of the Western Hemisphere A-team.

“After that, I was on the Ethanol A-team for quite a while,” Jardon said. “Being from Iowa, I wanted to be on the ethanol committee, but then I became interested in reading about what’s going on in Africa, so now I’m on the MEASA A-team.”

One of Jardon’s favorite memories during his five years as a Council delegate took place in Colombia.

“A couple of guys and I went with Juan Diaz on an ethanol trip to Colombia and that was fascinating. To see a sugar cane farm and processing plant was very interesting.”

Jon Miller, a member of the Ohio Corn Marketing Program, was also honored for five years of service as a delegate.

Miller has served on the Trade Policy A-team and is currently a member of the Middle East, Africa, South Asia (MEASA) A-team.

“There’s so much going on with the MEASA A-team, but it’s always good information and upbeat,” Miller said. “Like with the India office opening up, there’s a lot of positivity that comes out of that A-team and you leave each meeting feeling good.”

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

“I try to help them understand how important it is that there are people working 24/7 on behalf of farmers trying to sell the product around the world that we’re producing. It’s a good connection between growers and buyers and even other growers,” Miller said. “I was in Mexico this past summer because the Ohio Corn Marketing Program teamed up with the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council and the Kentucky Corn Promotion Council to sponsor equipment. It’s great to meet and connect with people who all have similar interests and goals.”

Please join us in congratulating these farmer leaders on their achievement!