The U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) 22nd International Marketing Conference and 65th Annual Membership Meeting, held in Austin, TX on Feb. 12-14, will feature recognitions of the upcoming International Year of the Woman Farmer. Other speakers have also been confirmed for the event, including industry experts and USGC staff.
The United Nations (UN) designated 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer to recognize the outstanding contributions of women to the global agricultural value chain and the Council will hold a roundtable discussion in Austin as a lead-up to the official celebration next year.
Texas Department of Agriculture Assistant Commissioner Dan Hunter will welcome attendees with an opening address on Feb 12., followed by a trade policy outlook presented by former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman, who served on the Senate Agriculture Committee during his time in Washington and was a delegate to the UN’s 61st General Assembly.
The Council’s panel honoring women farmers will be moderated by USGC Director of Industry Relations Ellen Zimmerman and feature USGC Chairwoman Verity Ulibarri, USGC At-Large Director Jennie Schmidt and Ohio Corn and Wheat Director of Market Development Wendy Osborn. Conversations will center on their journeys to becoming leaders in the agricultural sector and their perspectives on the industry.
The first day’s agenda will conclude with an overview of the Council’s recent activities and outlook for the future from USGC President and CEO Ryan LeGrand.
The second day of the event is reserved for commodity sector and Advisory Team (A-Team) meetings, where members contribute their expertise to help tailor the Council’s promotional strategies based on their experiences as producers.
The final general session of the conference will start with a panel discussion on regional market development, moderated by LeGrand and involving USGC Regional Director for South Asia Reece Cannady, USGC Regional Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa Ramy Taieb and USGC Regional Director for Southeast Asia and Oceania Caleb Wurth.
The agenda will conclude at the board of delegates meeting on Feb. 14 and include an update on rail logistics between the U.S. and Mexico featuring USGC Director in Mexico Heidi Bringenberg, Polaris Analytics and Consulting Founder Ken Eriksen and Union Pacific Director of Bulk Sales Eugenio Leal.
Learn more about the meeting here.
About The U.S. Grains Council
The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. With full-time presence in 28 locations, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Detailed information about the Council and its programs is online at www.grains.org.