USGC Members, Staff Arrive In Guatemala For 21st International Marketing Conference, 64th Annual Membership Meeting

U.S. Grains Council (USGC) members touched down earlier this week for the 21st International Marketing Conference and 64th Annual Membership Meeting in Guatemala City for the first time since the meeting was held there in 2009.

The event provides members with an overview of the Council’s strategy for the coming year and includes several Advisory Team (A-Team) sessions, where experts in various agricultural commodities and markets come together to conduct market and commodity-specific deep-dives and share experiences relevant to their industry for this year.

USGC Chairman Brent Boydston began Wednesday’s proceedings and welcomed both Chief Agricultural Negotiator from the Office of the United States Trade Representative Doug McKalip and Deputy Chief of Mission for the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala Patrick Ventrell. Panel discussions on the state of feed grain and ethanol markets in Guatemala, as well as the Council’s overall work in Latin America, followed.

“It’s great being in Guatemala, as it is a top market for U.S. grain. Patrick and Doug’s presentations expanded upon the opportunities, not only in Guatemala, but also in Latin America. It is great to see USGC members take their comments to heart and focus on policies to support this growth,” Boydston said.

Wednesday’s agenda also included a discussion on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP), which is designed to reimburse nonprofit agricultural trade organizations for their work in international markets.

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