Former U.S. Grains Council (USGC) Chairman Jim Broten was presented with the organization’s lifetime achievement award at its 64th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting last week.
The award is the Council’s highest honor and serves as a recognition of Broten’s incredible devotion to developing and growing international markets for the entire U.S. agriculture industry.
Broten, pictured here with a group of international buyers in 2004, is a barley farmer from North Dakota and has been involved with the Council since the 1980s.
Broten was nominated for the award by nine of his colleagues, including former USGC President and CEO Tom Sleight (right) shown here speaking with Broten at the Council’s 59th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting in 2019. The number of nominators is a testament to the widespread impact of his work with the Council that continues to be felt today.
The Council underwent significant changes during Broten’s tenue as chairman in 2009. His diligence was a major factor in the Council securing market access program (MAP) and foreign market development (FMD) funding that the organization still depends upon today.
In addition to his work on the farm, Broten was committed to investing in the future agriculture leaders of America. He led the Grains Foundation, a Council initiative that brought students to key international markets to help them understand the importance of trade at a young age. Broten (right) appears here at a Grains Foundation golf tournament fundraiser in 2009.
The Council is forever indebted to Broten for his contributions to the organization and his fellow farmers in North Dakota and beyond. A short video celebrating his career is available to view 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.