U.S. grain sector leaders met in Des Moines and online this week as part of the U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) summer annual meeting, focused on better understanding the challenges affecting their industry, from sustainability to cybersecurity, and engaging with Council staff in many of the markets to which their exports are headed despite still being affected by COVID-19 pandemic.
Joining for his first in-person meeting since taking on his role as U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack addressed attendees on the status and future of U.S. agricultural trade. Vilsack began his remarks by calling the U.S. grains industry the “secret sauce” of trade, noting that its members understand the importance of partnership to growing export demand.
The Thursday afternoon general session featured Bushel Co-Founder and CEO Jake Joraanstad who discussed creating digital infrastructure in agriculture to increase commodity competitiveness. Hogan Lovells partner and USGC general counsel Deen Kaplan followed Joraanstad then covered cybersecurity and how it relates to the business of agriculture.
During the meeting, the Council also bestowed two longtime figures with its Lifetime Achievement Award: Ray Defenbaugh, who passed away in 2019 during his tenure as a Council board member, and Tom Sleight, who retired as the Council’s president and CEO in 2019.
