The Honorable James Miller, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, and Dr. Joseph Glauber, USDA’s chief economist, will address attendees at the U.S. Grains Council’s 50th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting.

“We look forward to having such distinguished figures in the agriculture and trade world address our conference attendees as the Council celebrates 50 years of carrying out its mission of ‘Building Markets, Enabling Trade and Improving Lives’,� said USGC Chairman Rick Fruth of the Ohio Corn Marketing Program. “As we assess the changing dynamics of international grain trade overall, it is beneficial to hear what experts in the field have to say about some of the issues affecting our work of promoting U.S. corn, barley, sorghum and their co-products.�

Miller served as chief of staff for the National Farmers Union in Washington, D.C., prior to Senate confirmation in April 2009 for his current position at USDA. He has also worked as senior analyst for agriculture and trade on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee. For more than 20 years, Miller operated his fourth-generation family farm in Garfield, Wash., from 1974-1995.

As chief economist at USDA, Dr. Glauber is responsible for USDA’s agricultural forecasts and projections and for advising the Secretary of Agriculture on economic implications of alternative programs, regulations and legislative proposals. Prior to holding his current position, Glauber served as USDA’s deputy chief economist from 1992-2007 and was named the special Doha agricultural envoy at the office of the U.S. Trade Representative in 2007 where he continues to serve as chief agricultural negotiator in the Doha talks.