The U.S. Grains Council\u2019s (USGC\u2019s) work often calls for a long-term effort. With 10 years of service, four current Council delegates can point to major Council achievements, while still noting challenges on the horizon.<\/p>\n
Bill Christ of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board cites the Council\u2019s success with distiller\u2019s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) promotion overseas.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the first meeting I attended, I remember the ethanol companies coming to us and saying they were going to be drowning in DDGS because there wasn\u2019t enough market in the United States,\u201d Christ said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBy the time I visited Asia three or four years later with a Council mission, the Vietnamese were feeding DDGS to fish on the Mekong River. It was amazing how fast the Council was able to turn Asia into a viable market. I was really impressed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Bob Bowman of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board talks about the Council\u2019s trade servicing efforts with customers.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBack in the 1980s, I remember the work producers were doing to try to open up trade to South America,\u201d Bowman said. \u201cNow I\u2019m just returning home from presenting the Council\u2019s <\/span>2014-2015 Corn Harvest Quality Report<\/em> findings in Colombia and Peru. I saw the actual results of all our efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt was a chance to discuss issues like identity preservation, how we handle the product and concerns about quality. That\u2019s really important for our exports.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Dean Taylor of the Iowa Corn Growers Association also cites the Council\u2019s DDGS promotion for providing a major boost to the ethanol industry. Looking ahead, he sees ethanol promotion as an important second stage and, at the same time, he foresees new challenges from world regulatory systems.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think one of the bigger challenges out there is with regulatory process to approve genetic traits. It\u2019s potentially a real problem we have to get a handle on,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n