U.S. Grains Council

Background

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is a trade association that “develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products” including dried grains and ethanol. [1]

Its website states that “exports are vital to global economic development and U.S. agriculture’s profitability” and lists a commitment to “developing markets”, “enabling trade” and “improving lives”. [1]

USGC members include Koch Industries subsidiary and oil refinery, Flint Hills Resources, agri-chemical and pesticides giants Cargill, Bayer Crop Science and Corteva Agriscience, and major trade bodies the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the National Corn Grower’s Association and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. [2]

The USGC also represents major ethanol producers and trade bodies and has run a dedicated program to expanding and promoting sales of US ethanol worldwide since 2014. [3]

The USGC is active in its attempts to influence trade deals and in 2018 and 2019 lobbied the US government on trade negotiations with both the UK and the European Union (EU). In both cases, the USGC called on the US government to negotiate a “science-based” agreement on issues such as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and pesticides. [4], [5]

According to campaigners at the Pesticide Action Network, the term “science-based” has a history of being used by US negotiators to criticise the EU’s “precautionary principle”, which enables member states to restrict the use of substances where there is uncertainty over its impacts on health or the environment. [6]

The precautionary principle has been behind EU bans on substances including the bee-killing pesticides neonicotinoids and chlorpyrifos, a pesticide which research suggests may harm children’s neurological development. [7], [8]

The USGC is not known to have paid for lobbying or political campaigning activities in the US, as listed on the Open Secrets transparency website. However, it has previously hired the consultancy, Green Orange, to represent its interests at the European Union. In 2019, USGC member Bayer met with EU officials to discuss issues including pesticides and plant “breeding techniques” – both subjects that the USGC has said are a priority in US–EU and US–UK trade talks. [4], [9], [4]

The USGC was established as the U.S. Feed Grains Council in 1957,  becoming the U.S. Grains Council under the presidency of Bob Bowman (2005-2020). The current president is Ryan Legrand, who previously led the USGC’s operations in Mexico from 2016-2019, during the negotiation of the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, or “new Nafta”, renegotiated under President Donald Trump. [10], [11], [12]

The USGC is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a “full-time presence” in China, Colombia, India, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Tanzania and Vietnam as well as “regional offices” in Panama, Malaysia and Tunisia. [13]

Stance on Climate Change

The U.S. Grains Council has not made any public statements on climate change. However it is a powerful voice for the US ethanol industry, representing major ethanol trade bodies including the National Corn Growers Association, the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy as well as individual corn and ethanol producers. [2]

While the US government claims that ethanol is a “carbon neutral” fuel, studies have found that when life-cycle emissions are taken into account ethanol can have a larger carbon footprint than conventional oil and gas. The United States accounts for around 55 percent of the world’s ethanol production and since 2014 the USGC has run a program dedicated to boosting exports, which it credits with leading to a “record” of 1.62 billion gallons of US ethanol exports in 2017/2018. [14], [15], [16], [3]

Funding

The USGC is funded by member contributions and matched funding from the US government. [17]

In 2018, the USGC received a total of $26.2 million, with member funds accounting for $13.4 million, funding from the US Department of Agriculture’s “Foreign Agricultural Service” accounting for $12.5 million, and funds from the US Department of State accounting for $318,000. [18]

US Department of Agriculture Funding

In 2018 funding from the US Department of Agriculture’s “Foreign Agricultural Service” (FAS) accounted for $12.5 million of the USGC‘s total $26.2 million. [18]

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is a US Department of Agriculture agency that “represents the interests of US farmers and the U.S. food and agricultural sector“ worldwide. It has a presence in over 90 countries, and has provided funding to major agricultural trade bodies including the USGC, the U.S. Dairy Export Council, the U.S. Poultry & Egg Export Council and U.S. Meat Export Federation. [19], [20], [21]

In 2019 it attracted media attention for its praise of an Ethiopian government decision to approve the commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) cotton which marked a break with the country’s approach to policy based on the precautionary principle which permits restrictions on products where there is uncertainty over impacts on health and the environment. [22]

In 2019 the USGC received $13.9 million from the “Agriculture Trade Promotion Program,” a $200 million dollar initiative delivered by the Foreign Agricultural Service and established by the Trump administration to help US farmers “identify and access new export markets” in the wake of a US trade war with China. USGC President and CEO, Tom Sleight said the funding would allow USGC members to address what he referred to as a trend of “creeping protectionism” in trade. [25], [26].

It is unclear whether the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program money will be received on top of existing FAS matched funding that is received annually by the USGC.

USGC member funding

As of August 2020, USGC members paid $5000 – $8000 per year to be part of the organisation. The USGC has also received contributions in the form of grants from its members and has been paid by members Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association to provide services as an independent contractor. [18], [23]

See table below for details on funding: (Data from publicly available 990 forms).

990 Forms

Key People

Ryan LeGrand – LeGrand is president and CEO of the USGC and directed the USGC’s Mexico office between 2016 and 2019, representing both US and Mexican producers during the Trump administration’s negotiation of the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) in 2017-2018. The USGC welcomed the USMCA as a “foundational” agreement that was “critical to the growth” of the agricultural sector. However, environmental groups and commentators have warned that the USMCA furthers a “deregulatory agenda” which risks becoming the “new norm” for trade deals. Referring to the trade deal’s provisions on GMOs, the news site Politico called the USCMA a “major step in America’s effort to export its biotech model around the world.” [12], [27], [28], [29], [30], [31]

Board of Directors (2020)

As of July 2020, the USGC board comprised: [32]

• Ryan LeGrand – President and CEO
• Darren Armstrong – Chairman
• Jim Raben – Vice Chairman
• Chad Willis – Secretary-Treasurer
• Jim Stitzlein – Past Chairman
• Duane Aistrope – At-Large Director
• Brent Boydston – At-Large Director
• Josh Miller – At-Large Director
• Ryan Wagner – At-Large Director
• Greg Hibner – Agribusiness Sector Director
• Mark Seastrand – Barley Sector Director
• Wayne Humphreys – Corn Sector Director
• Rick Schwark – Agribusiness / Ethanol and Co-Products Sector Director
• Charles Ray Huddleston – Sorghum Sector Director
• Tadd Nicholson – State Checkoff Sector Director

Board of Directors (2003 – 2020)

Name

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2019

2020

Description/Company

Alan Tiemann

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Past Chairman

Bill Kubecka

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Sorghum Sector Director

Brent Boydston

Y

Y

At-Large Director

Chad Willis

Y

Y

Y

Vice Chairman

Charles Ray Huddleston

Y

Y

Y

Sorghum Sector Director

Charles Ring

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

At-Large Director

Chip Councell

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Past Chairman

Craig Floss

Y

Y

Y

Y

State Checkoff Sector Director

Dale Artho

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Past Chairman

Darrel McAlexander

Y

Y

Y

Y

At-Large Director

Darren Armstrong

Y

Y

Y

Y

Past Chairman

Dave Lyons

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Agribusiness Sector Director

David Howell

Y

Y

At-Large Director

Davis Anderson

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Past Chairman

Debra Keller

Y

Y

Y

Y

Chairman

Dick Gallagher

Y

Y

Corn Sector Director

Don Duvall

Y

At-Large Director

Don Fast

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Past Chairman

Don Hutchens

Y

Y

Y

State Checkoff Sector Director

Don Jacoby

Y

Y

Past Chairman

Doug Boisen

Y

Y

Y

Secretary

Duane Aistrope

Y

Y

At-Large Director

Gary Marshall

Y

Y

Y

Y

State Checkoff Sector Director

Gerry Salzman

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

At-Large Director

Greg Hibner

Y

Y

Y

Y

Agribusiness Sector Director

James Tobin

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

At-Large Director

Jay Zimmerman

Y

Y

Y

Sorghum Sector Director

Jere White

Y

Y

Y

State Checkoff Sector Director

Jim Broten

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Chairman

Jim Massey

Y

Sorghum Sector Director

Jim Raben

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Chairman

Jim Stitzlein

Y

Y

Y

Past Chairman

Jim Stuever

Y

Y

Y

At-Large Director

Josh Miller

Y

Y

Secretary-Treasurer

Julius Schaaf

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Chairman

Ken Greene

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

At-Large Director

Ken Kindler

Y

Y

At-Large Director

Kenneth Hobbie

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

President and CEO

Kim Falcon

Y

State Checkoff Sector Director

Mark Seastrand

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Barley Sector Director

Paul Williams

Y

Y

Y

Chairman

Philip McCoun

Y

At-Large Director

Ray Defenbaugh

Y

Y

Y

Agribusiness-Ethanol and Co-products Sector Director – 2018-2019

Rick Fruth

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Past Chairman

Rick Schwarck

Y

Agribusiness/Ethanol and Co-Products Sector Director

Ron Gray

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Past Chairman

Ryan LeGrand

Y

Y

President and CEO

Ryan Wagner

Y

At-Large Director

Steve Brody

Y

Agribusiness Sector Director

Tadd Nicholson

Y

Y

State Checkoff Sector Director

Terry Vinduska

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Past Chairman

Terry Wolf

Y

Y

Y

Past Chairman

Thomas C. Dorr

Y

Y

Y

President and CEO

Thomas Mueller

Y

Illinois Corn Marketing Board

Thomas Sleight

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

President and CEO

Tim Burrack

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Corn Sector Director

Troy Skarke

Y

Y

Sorghum Sector Director

Verity Ulibarri

Y

At-Large Director

Vic Miller

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Past Chairman

Wayne Humphreys

Y

Y

Corn Sector Director

Wendell Shauman

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Past Chairman

(Based on archives from the USGC website) [32], [33], [34], [35], [36], [37], [38], [39], [40], [41], [42], [43], [44], [45], [46], [47], [48], [49]

Advisory Team Leaders (2020)

The USGC has seven Advisory Teams (“A-Teams” ) which “identify opportunities, set priorities and chart the course for the U.S. Grains Council every year.” These are made up of a mixture of “grain producers and agribusiness representatives.” [50]

As of July 2020, the A-Teams and their leaders were: [51]

•        Asia Advisory Team: John Greer – Nebraska Corn Board
•        Ethanol Advisory Team: Eric Baukol – Granite Falls Energy
•        Innovation and Sustainability: Mark Wilson – Illinois Corn Marketing Board
•        Middle East / Africa / South Asia: Troy Schneider – Colorado Corn Administrative Committee
•        Trade Policy: Dennis McNinch – Kansas Corn Commission
•        Value-added: Isaac Crawford – POET
•        Western Hemisphere: Mark Mueller – Iowa Corn Growers Association

Advisory Team Leaders (2012 – 2020)

Name	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	Description/Company
Adam Baldwin				Y	Y					United Sorghum Checkoff Program
Bill Christ			Y							Illinois Corn Marketing Board
Brandon Hunnicutt				Y	Y	Y				Nebraska Corn Board
Brent Hoerr									Y	Illinois Corn Marketing Board
Brian Arnold			Y							DeLong Co., Inc.
Dan Urnikis							Y			Bayer CropScience
Darren Armstrong				Y	Y					Past Chairman
David Howell	Y									At-Large Director
Dean Taylor				Y	Y					Iowa Corn Growers Association
Debra Keller	Y	Y								Chairman
Dennis McNinch								Y	Y	Kansas Corn Commission
Dick Gallagher		Y	Y							Corn Sector Director
Duane Aistrope						Y				At-Large Director
Eric Baukol									Y	Granite Falls Energy, LLC
Fred Miller							Y			Ohio Corn Marketing Program
Gary Porter				Y	Y	Y				Missouri Corn Growers Association
Greg Hibner				Y						Agribusiness Sector Director
Isaac Crawford								Y	Y	POET
Jeffrey Nawn						Y				DuPont Pioneer
Jim Galvin						Y	Y			Lakeview Energy, LLC
Jim Stuever	Y	Y	Y							At-Large Director
John Greer							Y	Y		Nebraska Corn Board
Mark Mueller								Y	Y	Iowa Corn Growers Association
Mark Wilson							Y	Y	Y	Illinois Corn Marketing Board
Martin Kerschen							Y			United Sorghum Checkoff Program
Paul Jeschke							Y			Illinois Corn Marketing Board
Philip McCoun			Y							At-Large Director
Randy Ives	Y	Y								Gavilon
Ray Defenbaugh				Y	Y					Agribusiness-Ethanol and Co-products Sector Director – 2018-2019
Rex Martin	Y	Y	Y							Syngenta
Rick Schwarck								Y		Agribusiness/Ethanol and Co-Products Sector Director
Sean Broderick					Y	Y				CHS
Steve Brody	Y	Y	Y							Agribusiness Sector Director
Thomas Mueller						Y				Illinois Corn Marketing Board
Troy Schneider								Y	Y	Colorado Corn Administrative Committee

(Data from the USGC website) [51], [52], [53], [54], [55], [56], [57], [58], [59]

Employees (2018)

USGC employees, as listed on its 2018 990 form:

• Debra Keller – Past Chairman
• Lyndsey Erb – Director of Industrial Relations
• Ray Defenbaugh – Agbus-Ethanol Sector Director
• Thomas Mueller – Corn Sector Director
• Philip Mccoun – Past Chairman (Term end August 2018)
• Jim Stuever – At-Large Director (Term end August 2018)
• Craig Floss – Checkoff Sector Director (Term end Aug 2018)
• Thomas N Sleight – President and CEO
• Mike Dwyer – Chief Economist
• Bryan Lohmar – Director, China
• Kimberley Atkins – Vice President and COO
• Cary Sifferath – Senior Director of Global Programs
• Floyd Gaibler – Director of Trade Policy and Biotechnology
• Kurt Shultz – Senior Director of Global Strategies
• Helen Elmore – Director of Finance and Administration
• Melissa Kessler – Director of Communications
• Marri Carrow – Regional Director, Latin America
• Alvaro Cordero – Manager of Global Trade

Actions

January 29, 2019

In a January 2019 hearing, Floyd Gaibler, a representative for the USGC, set out the USGC’s demands for a post-Brexit Trade Deal between the US and the UK. This included requirements that the UK significantly roll back regulations around pesticides and GMOs.

Gaibler said that current regulations “negatively impact” US imports, and called for the UK to adopt a new “science-based” approach, abandoning the use of the EU’s “precautionary principle”, which has led to restrictions on a large number of US pesticides due to health and environmental concerns.

Gaibler and the USGC also called for the removal of tariffs on US ethanol for fuel use, and for the end of the EU anti-dumping duty on ethanol, which was removed by EU regulators later that year. The anti-dumping duty was imposed by the EU in 2013 after European ethanol producers complained US producers were selling to the EU at unfairly low prices. In May 2019, the EU Commission eliminated the duties, claiming there was no longer a legal basis for the policy. [4], [6], [16], [60], [61]

December 6, 2019

The USGC was one of several biofuels trade bodies to give presentations at the annual UN climate summit, COP25, in Madrid. A press statement released by the “global coalition” of biofuels producers, which included the USGC, the Renewable Fuels Association and Ethanol Europe, described ethanol as “[an] immediate and cost-effective climate action measure” and said that the groups had “pressed government leaders” to “further bolster support for ethanol as a renewable fuel” and an alternative to petrol. [62], [63]

September 19, 2018

The USGC and two of its member associations, the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy, submitted comments to the UK Department of Transport as part of a UK government consultation on standardising the use of  “E10” for road vehicles. [2], [64], [65]

E10 is a blend of petrol with 10% ethanol and is used in countries including Germany, France, Belgium and Finland. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who announced the roll out of a consultation on the fuel, said the proposed new fuel was a step towards a “net zero future.” [65]

The overall benefits of ethanol are contested, with some scientists arguing that the greenhouse effects are equal to, or greater than, conventional petrol. [15], [66]

Related Organisations

Members

USGC is comprised of over 140 members which include private agricultural and agri-chemical producers, grain and biofuels trade groups, and state “checkoff boards,” programs run by state governments which take funding from producers in return for marketing their products. [2]

Notable members of the USGC include:

• The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) – The AFBF, a trade body for US agri-businesses, has consistently opposed climate policies and aligned its positions with the oil and gas industries, while senior figures at the organisation have denied climate science. In 2020, the AFBF became part of the Transport Fairness Alliance, a coalition of predominantly oil and gas trade associations set up to lobby against cleaner transport measures.  The AFBF claims to represent 6 million “member families” and spent $3.3 million on lobbying in 2019, according to OpenSecrets data. [67], [68], [69]
• Cargill – Cargill is the largest privately held company in the US and one of the largest agricultural businesses in the world. Cargill trades in products including cocoa, soy, grains and palm oil, and is one of the United States’ largest producers of beef. In 2020, Cargill was profiled as “the worst company in the world” by the campaigning organisation Mighty Earth and former Democrat Congressman, Henry Waxman. This is in large part due to criticism surrounding Cargill’s contribution to the deforestation of the Amazon and for “taking advantage” of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s rollback of environmental protections, despite the company’s pledge to end deforestation for all commodities in its supply chain by 2020. Cargill has also been criticised for its contribution to the contamination of water sources, including to the 8,200 square-mile so-called “dead-zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, which has been created from toxins released into waterways during meat production. [70], [71], [72], [73], [74]
• The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) – The IFBF is the Iowa state affiliate of the AFBF. The IFBF has repeatedly lobbied against federal and state policies to reduce carbon emissions, and, as of 2017, had around $462 million invested in fossil fuels through its insurance arm, the FBL Financial Group. The IFBF has previously promoted climate denial, with the policy platform for the organisation in 2015 stating “man’s effect on climate change is uncertain, and science does not give clear direction for any federal or state policy option.” [67], [75], [76]
• Bayer Crop Science  – Bayer Crop Science is the agrochemical and biotechnology division of the German life sciences company, Bayer Ag. As of February 2020, it was one of the five biggest pesticides manufacturers in the world and in July 2018 it completed a $63 billion acquisition of fellow global pesticides company Monsanto. [77], [78]
• Corteva-Agriscience – Corteva-Agriscience is an agrochemical and seed company and another of the world’s five largest manufacturers of pesticides, as of February 2020. Corteva was formed from the agricultural unit of DowDuPont, becoming a standalone company in June 2018. [77], [79]
• Syngenta – Another of the five biggest manufacturers of pesticides, Syngenta has, along with Bayer CropScience, protested an EU ban on “neonicotinoids”, pesticides which have been linked to declines in bee populations. Research by Syngenta which argued there was a “low risk” to bees from the pesticides was described by scientists at St Andrews University as “inadequate.” [77], [7]

Members (2010, 2012, 2020)

Member Name	2010	2012	2020
Abengoa Bioenergy Trading U.S.		Y
Absolute Energy, LLC		Y	Y
Accenture		Y
Ace Ethanol			Y
Adams Grain Company			Y
Advanta US Inc.		Y
Ag Processing Inc. (AGP)	Y	Y	Y
AgMotion LLC (AGP)	Y	Y	Y
Agniel Commodities LLC	Y	Y	Y
AgReliant Genetics LLC	Y	Y	Y
Agri Alpha Inc.	Y
Agribase International		Y
AgriStar Global Networks, Ltd.	Y
Al-Corn Clean Fuel			Y
Amaizing Energy Denison, LLC	Y	Y
American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE)			Y
American Farm Bureau Federation	Y	Y	Y
American Feed Industry Association	Y
American Seed Trade Association	Y	Y	Y
Archer Daniels Midland Company	Y	Y	Y
Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Board	Y	Y	Y
Arkansas Farm Bureau	Y	Y	Y
aT Grain Company (AGC)		Y
Attebury Grain , LLC		Y	Y
Badger State Ethanol, LLC			Y
BASF Plant Science	Y
Bayer CropScience	Y	Y	Y
Beck’s Superior Hybrids	Y	Y	Y
Big River Resources	Y	Y	Y
Blue Water Shipping Company			Y
Bluegrass Farms of Ohio, Inc.			Y
Boardman Enterprises			Y
Bratney Companies	Y	Y
Brea Commodities Inc.	Y
Bunge North America Inc.	Y	Y
Bureau Veritas AgriFood			Y
C&D (USA) Inc		Y	Y
Carbon Green BioEnergy, LLC		Y	Y
Cardinal Ethanol, LLC			Y
Cargill	Y	Y	Y
Case IH	Y	Y	Y
Central Life Sciences			Y
Ceroilfood (New York) Inc		Y
CF Industries Enterprises, LLC			Y
CF Industries, Inc.	Y	Y
Channel Bio Corp.	Y	Y
Chief Ethanol Fuels			Y
CHS Inc.	Y	Y	Y
CHS Renewable Fuels Global Trading			Y
CME Group	Y	Y
Co-Alliance LLP	Y
CoBank, ACB	Y	Y	Y
Colorado Corn Administrative Committee			Y
Colorado Corn Growers Association			Y
Commodity & Ingredient Hedging LLC			Y
Commonwealth Agri-Energy, LLC			Y
Conestoga Energy Partners, LLC			Y
Consolidated Grain and Barge Co.	Y	Y	Y
Corn Growers Association of North Carolina, Inc.	Y	Y	Y
Corn Marketing Program of Michigan	Y	Y	Y
Corn Producers Association of Texas	Y	Y	Y
Corn Products International		Y
Corn Refiners Association, Inc.	Y	Y	Y
Corteva Agriscience			Y
Cotecna Inspection Inc.			Y
Crosbyton Seed Company	Y
Custom Marketing Company	Y	Y
Deere & Company		Y	Y
Deerfield Ag Services			Y
DeKalb County Farm Bureau	Y	Y
DeLong Company Inc.	Y	Y	Y
Denco II, LLC			Y
Didion, Inc			Y
Dow AgroSciences L.L.C.	Y	Y	Y
DuPont Pioneer			Y
Eco-Energy			Y
Ecolab, Inc			Y
Elanco Animal Health	Y	Y	Y
Elite Octane			Y
Engelhart CTP			Y
Eurofins GeneScan Inc.	Y
Evercorn			Y
Farm Credit Services of America		Y	Y
Flint Hills Resources Fairbank LLC		Y
Flint Hills Resources Iowa Falls LLC		Y
Flint Hills Resources LLC			Y
Flint Hills Resources Menlo LLC		Y
Flint Hills Resources Shell Rock LLC		Y
Fluid Quip Process Technologies			Y
Fornazor International Inc.		Y	Y
Frey			Y
Furst McNess	Y	Y
Gavilon	Y	Y	Y
Glacial Lakes Energy, LLC		Y
Global Ethanol, LLC	Y
Golden Grain Energy	Y	Y	Y
Grain Densification International			Y
Granite Falls Energy, LLC	Y	Y	Y
Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc.		Y	Y
Gro Alliance, LLC	Y
GROWMARK, Inc	Y	Y
Growth Energy			Y
GSI Group, LLC		Y
H & B Specialties, Inc.	Y	Y
Hang Tung Resources Co., LTD			Y
Hawkeye Gold LLC	Y	Y
Hawkeye Menlo, LLC	Y
Hawkeye Renewables, LLC – Fairbanks	Y
Hawkeye Renewables, LLC – Iowa Falls	Y
Hawkeye Shell Rock, LLC	Y
Heron Lake BioEnergy, LLC			Y
Homeland Energy Solutions	Y	Y
Husker Ag, LLC.			Y
ICM Inc.			Y
Idaho Barley Commission	Y	Y	Y
Illinois Corn Growers Association	Y	Y	Y
Illinois Corn Marketing Board	Y	Y	Y
Illinois Department of Agriculture	Y	Y
Illinois Farm Bureau	Y	Y	Y
Illinois Renewable Fuels Association		Y	Y
Independent Professional Seed Association			Y
Indiana Corn Marketing Council	Y	Y	Y
Indiana Farm Bureau, Inc	Y		Y
Innovative Ag Services			Y
International Feed	Y	Y	Y
Intertek Agri			Y
Iowa Corn Growers Association	Y	Y	Y
Iowa Corn Promotion Board	Y	Y	Y
Iowa Economic Development Authority			Y
Iowa Farm Bureau Federation	Y	Y	Y
Iowa Renewable Fuels Association			Y
Iroquois Bio-Energy Company, LLC			Y
J.D. Heiskell & Company	Y	Y
J.D. Heiskell Gold Office			Y
KAAPA Ethanol LLC			Y
Kansas Corn Commission	Y	Y	Y
Kansas Department of Agriculture			Y
Kansas Ethanol, LLC			Y
Kansas Farm Bureau			Y
Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission	Y	Y	Y
Kellogg	Y	Y
Kentucky Corn Promotion Council	Y	Y	Y
KimShe International Grain & Feed, LLC		Y
Land O’Lakes, Inc	Y	Y
Landus Cooperative			Y
Lansing Trade Group	Y	Y
Lincolnland Agri-Energy		Y	Y
Lindsay Corporation	Y
Little Sioux Corn Processors	Y	Y	Y
Los Angeles Harbor Grain Terminal		Y
Louis Dreyfus Commodities	Y	Y	Y
Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board	Y	Y	Y
Macon County Farm Bureau	Y	Y
Macquarie Bank Limited		Y
Marinex Grains Inc.		Y
Marquis Grain Inc.		Y	Y
Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board	Y	Y	Y
McCaulay Dalton & Company USA LLC		Y
McKay Seed Company			Y
Michigan Corn Growers Association			Y
Midwest Ag Enterprises, Inc.	Y
Midwest AgEnergy Group			Y
Midwest Shippers Association		Y
Minnesota Corn Growers Association	Y	Y	Y
Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council	Y	Y	Y
Minnesota Department of Agriculture	Y	Y	Y
Mirasco Inc.		Y
Missouri Corn Growers Association	Y	Y	Y
Missouri Corn Merchandising Council	Y		Y
Missouri Department of Agriculture			Y
Monsanto Company	Y	Y	Y
Monsanto/Corn States Hybrid Service, LLC	Y	Y
Montana Wheat and Barley Committee	Y	Y	Y
Murex LLC			Y
National Barley Growers Association	Y	Y	Y
National Corn Growers Association	Y	Y	Y
National Sorghum Producers	Y	Y	Y
Nebraska Corn Board	Y	Y	Y
Nebraska Corn Growers Association			Y
Nebraska Department of Agriculture	Y	Y	Y
Nebraska Ethanol Board			Y
Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation	Y	Y	Y
Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board	Y	Y
North Dakota Barley Council	Y	Y	Y
North Dakota Corn Utilization Council	Y	Y	Y
North Star Grain International LLC	Y
Northwest Grains International, LLC		Y
Novus International	Y	Y
Nutriquest, LLC			Y
OCP Research, LLC			Y
Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association			Y
Ohio Corn Growers Association	Y	Y
Ohio Corn Marketing Program	Y	Y	Y
Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Inc.	Y	Y
One Earth Energy			Y
Pacific Ethanol, Inc.			Y
Pasternak, Baum & Co., Inc	Y	Y
Patriot Renewable Fuels LLC	Y	Y
Pellet Technology USA, LLC			Y
Perdue AgriBusiness, LLC			Y
Phibro Ethanol Performance Group	Y	Y	Y
Pioneer Hi-Bred, A DuPont Company		Y
Pioneer, A DuPont Company	Y
Platinum Ethanol LLC	Y	Y
POET	Y	Y	Y
Premium Ag Products	Y
Quality Technology International, Inc.	Y	Y
Rail Transfer Incorporated			Y
Raizen North America			Y
RBC Logistics LLC		Y
Remington Seeds LLC	Y	Y
Renewable Fuels Association			Y
Renewable Products Marketing Group (RPMG)	Y	Y	Y
Russell Marine Group			Y
Rycom Trading Ltd.		Y
SCAFCO Grain Systems	Y	Y
Scoular			Y
Seedburo Equipment Company	Y	Y
Siouxland Energy Cooperative			Y
South Dakota Corn Growers Association	Y	Y	Y
South Dakota Corn Utilization Council	Y	Y	Y
South Dakota Farm Bureau	Y	Y	Y
Southport Agencies Inc.			Y
Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC			Y
Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance			Y
Stone Arch Commodities			Y
StoneX Group Inc.			Y
Syngenta	Y	Y	Y
Syngenta Seeds, Inc.	Y	Y
T. Parker Host			Y
TALLGRASS COMMODITIES			Y
Tate & Lyle Food and Industrial Ingredients, Americas	Y	Y
Tate & Lyle Ingredients Americas Inc.			Y
Texas Corn Producers Board	Y	Y	Y
Texas Farm Bureau	Y	Y	Y
Texas Grain Sorghum Association	Y	Y	Y
Texas Grain Sorghum Producers Board	Y	Y	Y
Tharaldson Ethanol Plant I, LLC			Y
The Hale Group Ltd.	Y	Y
The Scoular Company	Y	Y
Touton USA Limited	Y	Y
Trans Coastal Supply Co. Inc.	Y	Y
United Grain Corporation (UGC)		Y
United Sorghum Checkoff Program	Y	Y	Y
United Wisconsin Grain Producers LLC		Y	Y
Valero			Y
Valero Marketing & Supply Company	Y	Y
Value-Added Science and Technologies (V-AST)	Y
Value-Added Science and Technologies (V-AST) LLC		Y
Virginia Corn Board	Y	Y	Y
Washington Grain Commission	Y	Y	Y
West Plains Company	Y		Y
Western New York Energy LLC	Y	Y	Y
Western Plains Energy, LLC			Y
White Energy Holding Company, LLC			Y
Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board, Inc.	Y	Y	Y
Wyffels Hybrids, Inc.	Y	Y	Y
Zeeland Farm Services, Inc		Y	Y
Feed Management Systems, Inc	Y
Illinois Foundation Seeds, Inc.	Y
Uriman Inc.		Y

(Data available from the USGC‘s website and archived webpages). [2], [80], [81]

Independent contractors

The USGC has used the following independent contractors, according to its 990 form in 2018.

• Green Orange LLC. – Has represented the USGC at the European Union, according to the EU Transparency Register. [9]
• Hogan Lovells
• Centrec Consulting Group
• Stefan Unnasch

Coalition membership

• The International Grain Trade Coalition (IGTC) – The USGC is a member of the IGTC, a coalition of over fifteen major grain-related trade bodies from the US, Australia, South Africa, the EU, China, Argentina, Canada, Brazil and Mexico. The IGTC has previously lobbied the European Union over its GMO legislation and called on it not to include gene-editing techniques under legislation used for GMOs. [82], [83]
• The USGC was part of a “global alliance” of “agriculture and biofuels partners” that pressed global leaders at the 2019 COP25 climate conference in Madrid to “bolster support for ethanol as a renewable fuel.” Other members of the coalition included Growth Energy, the Renewable Fuels Association, the World Bioenergy Association, Ethanol Europe, Solutions from the Land, and the Climate Ethanol Alliance. [62], [63]

Contact & Address

20 F Street NW,

Suite 900,

Washington,

DC 20001

T: 202.789.0789 [84]

Social Media

• @USGC on Twitter.
• U.S Grains Council on Facebook.
• U.S Grains Council on Youtube.
• @usgrains on Instagram.
• @usgc_jpn on Twitter.

Resources

1. “About the Council,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived July 22, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/8FAnt  
2. “Member directory,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived August 19, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.  
3. “Ethanol Market Development,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived August 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/SqWQ3  
4. “Transcript – Public Hearing on Negotiating Objectives for a US–UK Trade Agreement (PDF),” Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States Trade Representative. January 29, 2019. Archived July 23, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.  
5. “Comments on the negotiating objectives for a U.S – EU Agreement,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived August 19, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog  
6. The Pesticide Action Network UK, Sustain and Dr Emily Lydgate. “Toxic Trade: How Trade Deals Threaten to Weaken UK Pesticide Standards,” Pesticide Action Network UK. Archived August 12, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.  
7. Philip Case. “Bayer and NFU battling to overturn neonicotinoids ban,” Farmers Weekly, June 4, 2020. Archived August 12, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/RwhG9  
8. Natasha Foote. “EU Commission set to vote on ban of controversial organophosphate pesticides,” Euractiv. December 4, 2019. Archived August 12, 2020. Archive.fo URL:  http://archive.fo/GjYaM  
9. “Green Orange,” EU Transparency register. Archived August 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/sBBH  
10. “All About Sorghum,” Sorghum Checkoff. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/QgOFl  
11. “Building Trust Over Time: USGC Recognizes Bob Bowman for 15 Years of Service,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/OVqAi  
12. “U.S. Grains Council Board Names LeGrand as Next President and CEO – Press Release,” U.S. Grains Council, May 2, 2019. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/WGkUw  
13. “USGC Global Presence,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/OVqAi  
14. “Biofuels Explained,” US Energy Information Administration. Archived August 6, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/IAB8p  
15. David Biello. “Biofuels are Bad for Feeding People and Combating Climate Change,” Scientific American, February 7, 2009. Archived August 6, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/xG1Go  
16. Sybille de La Hamaide. “European ethanol makers fear influx from U.S. and Brazil,” Reuters, May 6, 2020. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/WDjFW  
17. “US Grain Council – About Us,” AgriProFocus. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/dlQIe  
18. “USGC Annual Report – 2018,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived August 20, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.  
19. “Foreign Agricultural Service,” U.S. Federal Register. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/7XQ8  
20. “About Us,” U.S. Dairy Export Council. Archived July 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/zFblG  
21. “USAPECC awarded nearly $6 million from USDA Foreign Agricultural Service,” WATTAgNet. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/SSip9  
22. Teshome Hunduma. “GMO debate is democratic test for liberalizing Ethiopia,” Ethiopia Insight, June 3, 2020. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/G5oZB  
23. “About USGC membership,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived August 28, 2020. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/SVpmJ  
24. “Foreign Agricultural Service,” United States Mission to the European Union website. Archived July 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/akQpG  
25. Aerin Einstein-Curtis. “US grains commodity group awarded over $13m in USDA funding,” Feed Navigator, February 5, 2019. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/RINat  
26. “USDA Launches Trade Mitigation Programs – Press Release,” U.S. Department of Agriculture, September 4, 2018. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/3cccy  
27. “U.S Grains Council Appoints Ryan LeGrand as President and CEO Effective Mid-June,” Grain Net, May 2, 2019. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/3GeU1  
28. “USMCA Enters Into Force, Paves Way for Improved Agricultural Market Access – Trade Policy Update,” U.S. Grains Council, July 2, 2020. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/gkEQY  
29. Sharon Treat. “‘New NAFTA” imposes hurdles to delay and weaken public protections,” Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, October 2018. Archived August 20, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.  
30. Kyla Tienhaara. “Nafta 2.0: What are the implications for environmental governance?” Earth System Governance, Vol 1. January 2019. Archived August 20, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.  
31. Sabrina Rodriquez. “Treasury’s currency report due today,” Politico Weekly Trade (newsletter), October 15, 2018. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/GOtSV  
32. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived July 22, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/LJ4LM  
33. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived July 22, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/LJ4LM  
34. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived November 4, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/8AKQe  
35. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived July 8, 2017. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/aF4RC  
36. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived August 8, 2016. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0ZoG1  
37. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived August 1, 2015. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/eQIUo  
38. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived July 27, 2014. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/6WDGP  
39. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived March 28, 2013. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/yFh7z  
40. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived April 6, 2012. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/xTAH8  
41. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived April 10, 2011. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/1Hzag  
42. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived November 29, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/UFTGF  
43. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived April 23, 2009. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/9zSUJ  
44. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived May 19, 2008. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/M4xxs  
45. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived July 4, 2007. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/1YwLw  
46. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived September 30, 2006. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/TkvBC  
47. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived April 27, 2005. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/wPael  
48. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived May 9, 2004. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/m8t3K  
49. “Board of Directors,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived August 20, 2003. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/pdN48  
50. “Advisory Teams,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived July 22, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/wGWoc  
51. “Advisory Team Leaders,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived June 11, 2020. Archive.fo URL: 
52. “Advisory Team Leaders,” U.S. Grains Council.  Archived December 1, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/z5C33
53. “Advisory Team Leaders,” U.S. Grains Council.  Archived October 5, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0LCt6
54. “Advisory Team Leaders,” U.S. Grains Council.  Archived July 8, 2017. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/T9opo
55. “Advisory Team Leaders,” U.S. Grains Council.  Archived April 24, 2016. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/hHoNm
56. “Advisory Team Leaders,” U.S. Grains Council.  Archived August 4, 2015. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/eQIUo
57. “Advisory Team Leaders,” U.S. Grains Council.  Archived July 27, 2014. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/iDltw
58. “Advisory Team Leaders,” U.S. Grains Council.  Archived March 28, 2013. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/ah3nY
59. “Advisory Team Leaders,” U.S. Grains Council.  Archived June 21, 2012. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/8cJmA
60. Sarantis Michalopoulos. “Commission repeals US anti-dumping duties on ethanol, irritates industry,” Euractiv, May 17, 2019. Archived July 22, 2020. Archive.fo URL:http://archive.fo/bRNrs
61. Erin Voegele. “EU repeals anti-dumping duties on US ethanol,” Ethanol Producer Magazine, May 15, 2019. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/3idrn
62. “U.S. farm leaders tout role at COP25 meeting,” The Fence Post, December 6, 2019. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/4IoJA
63. U.S. Grains Council et al. “COP25 Ethanol Press Release,” Ethanol Europe. December 5, 2019. Archived August 20, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
64. “Growth Energy, USGC, RFA Submit Comments to UK Department of Transport on Benefits of E10 – Press Release,” Growth Energy, September 19, 2018. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/2mgLd
65. “E10 petrol: UK to standardise higher ethanol blend,” The Guardian, March 4, 2020. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/KsMiH
66. C. Ford Runge. “The Case Against More Ethanol: It’s Simply Bad fro the Environment,” Yale Environment 360, May 25, 2016. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/Uqp4y
67. Neela Banerjee, Georgina Gustin, John H. Cushman Jr. “The Farm Bureau: Big Oil’s Unnoticed Ally Fighting Climate Science and Policy,” Inside Climate News, December 21, 2018. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/2LH96
68. Kevin Grandia. “Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman believes in global cooling,” Desmog, July 16, 2009
69. “Impact Report – 2018,” American Farm Bureau Federation. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
70. Chloe Sorvino. “Silent Giant: America’s Biggest Private Company Reveals its Plan to Get Even Bigger,” Forbes, October 22, 2018. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/lbml2
71. “Sustainable Beef,” Cargill. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/V9t5o
72. David Yaffe-Bellany. “From Environmental Leader to Worst Company in the World,” The New York Times, July 29, 2019. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/oVyO0
73. “Cargill named worst company in the world,” Mighty Earth, July 11, 2019. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/KucdW
74. Oliver Milman. “Meat industry blamed for largest ever ‘dead zone’ in Gulf of Mexico,” The Guardian, August 1, 2017. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/0iKbW
75. “Austin Frerick highlights another Iowa Farm Bureau conflict of interest,” Bleeding Heartland, February 26, 2020. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/95Lac
76. “Resolutions Adopted at the 9th Annual Summer Policy Conference September 4, 2014,” Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. Archived August 20, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog
77. Crispin Dowler. “Revealed: The pesticide giants making billions on toxic and bee-harming chemicals,” Unearthed, February 2, 2020. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/lPZS5
78. Ruth Bender. “How Bayer-Monsanto became one of the worst corporate deals – in 12 charts,” The Wall Street Journal, August 28, 2019. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/9ZGtC
79. “Corteva ™ Separates from DowDuPont to Form Leading Pure-Play Agriculture Company,” Corteva Agriscience, June 3, 2019. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/f9Iux
80. “Our members,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived April 3, 2010. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
81. “Our members,“ U.S. Grains Council. Archived September 2, 2012. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
82. “Production Innovation – Biotechnology,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/ffxht
83. Sarantis Michalopoulos. “Trade body: don’t lump ‘new plant breeding techniques’ in with GMOs,” Euractiv, May 3, 2016. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/lWIdC
84. “Home,” U.S. Grains Council. Archived July 20, 2020. Archived July 22, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/4pgDJ