If you didn’t think of an auction item to contribute in time for last year’s U.S. Grains Council’s 53rd Annual Board of Delegates Meeting in Ottawa, rest easy — the always popular Grains Foundation Auction will be back again at the Council’s 54th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting in Omaha, Neb., and donations for auction items are being accepted now.

No item is too big. No item is too small. From custom-made boots and hunting trips to monogrammed sheets and towels, football tickets and one-of-a-kind artwork, the items donated in recent years have spanned the spectrum, and your contribution for 2014 is limited only by your creativity.

Proceeds from the 2014 auction will benefit The Grains Foundation. Established in 1983, The Grains Foundation works to advance the understanding of the value of international trade, to build partnerships and to nurture the next generation of leaders in the agricultural and agribusiness sectors. The Council sees the foundation as an important tool in fostering relationships between Council members and customers and catalyzing the advancement and understanding of the value of international trade.

In recent years, the Foundation’s major activity has been the International Collegiate Leadership Program (I-CAL), a partnership with FFA which sponsors an annual international learning mission for student leaders. Recent I-CAL missions have included Latin America and Southeast Asia. This year’s team will get an in-depth and up-close look at Japanese agriculture in May.

Last year, the Grains Foundation Auction in Ottawa raised more than $15,000, a record. To help make the 2014 auction a success, please give serious consideration to goods, services or products that you would be able to donate. Contact Valerie Smiley (vsmiley@grains.org; 202-326-0626) or Dick Kasting (dkasting@grains.org; 202-326-0621) with any questions or to make your donation.