Council Partners With National Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Corn For Trade Policy Academy

The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) held a Trade Policy Academy (TPA) event in Austin, MN for farmers and other agricultural sector stakeholders to learn about the latest developments in international trade and how it affects the markets for their products.

The event was held as a service to the industry in collaboration with the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and Minnesota Corn.

USGBC Director of Trade Policy Andrew Brandt, USGBC Manager of Industry Relations Rebecca Starrett and NCGA Director of Trade, Transportation and Animal Agriculture Michael Granché presented on the factors impacting global trade and how the Council, NCGA and its partners work on behalf of their grower members.

“The Council’s membership, a bedrock of state checkoffs and their producers along with key agribusinesses, is what makes our work possible and by offering tools to expand farmers’ understandings of global agricultural trade, we are developing a broader base of support and engagement for our programs,” Starrett said.

The morning section of the agenda featured current and potential international trade agreements and highlighted what it means for exports of U.S. feed grains and their co-products.

Later, Brandt reviewed the importance of Canada and Mexico as top export markets for U.S. farmers and Granché provided an overview of the logistics of agricultural trade. Finally, Starrett moderated a panel discussion where producers shared how strong global trade networks benefit their operations.