At the U.S. Grains Council’s 51st Annual Board of Delegates Meeting, the Council delegate body elected its 2011/2012 leadership to serve on the Council’s Board of Directors.
The Council welcomed a new chairman, Wendell Shauman of the Illinois Corn Marking Board. Shauman and his wife, Janet, operate a corn and soybean farm in Western Illinois near the Mississippi River. Their farm operation also includes a small cow herd.
Shauman graduated from Monmouth College with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and earned his Master’s degree in Agronomy and Doctorate in Quantitative Genetics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Prior to returning to the family farm in 1975, Shauman was a corn breeder for Funk Seeds International for five years.
The newest member of the officer team is Ron Gray, Illinois Corn Marketing Board, who was elected as secretary.
Terry Vinduska, 2010/2011 USGC chairman, said the Council is fortunate to have many qualified individuals passionate about the agricultural industry in leadership positions at the Council. “Our new chairman, Wendell Shauman, the Board of Directors, Board of Delegates, A-Team leaders and state liaisons provide excellent insight into the challenges and opportunities in the international market arena,� he said.
The slate of officers is as follows: Chairman Wendell Shauman of Illinois Corn Marking Board; Vice Chairman Don Fast of Montana Wheat and Barley Committee; Treasurer Julius Schaaf of Iowa Corn Promotion Board; Secretary Ron Gray of Illinois Corn Marketing Board; and Past Chairman Terry Vinduska of Kansas Corn Commission.
The Council also elected two At-Large members and three Sector Directors to the Board. At-Large directors include newly elected Charles Ring of Corn Producers Association of Texas and re-elected Darrel McAlexander of Iowa Corn Promotion Board. Dave Lyons, Louis Dreyfus Commodities, was re-elected as the Agribusiness Sector Director. Chip Councell of Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board; Troy Skarke of United Sorghum Checkoff Program; and Mark Seastrand of North Dakota Barley Council, were named new directors representing the corn, sorghum and barley sectors respectively.
Click here for more photos from the meeting.