U.S. Grains Council announces new officers, board

Nebraska farmer Alan Tiemann was elected chairman of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) during the organization's 55th annual Board of Delegates Meeting on July 30 in Montreal, Canada.

The USGC Board of Delegates also elected its 2015-2016 Board of Directors The U.S. Grains Council now also includes Vice Chairman Chip Councell, Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board; Secretary/Treasurer Deb Keller, Iowa Corn Promotion Board ; past Chairman Ron Gray, Illinois Corn Marketing Board; USGC President and CEO Thomas Sleight; Agribusiness Sector Director  Steve Brody, DuPont Pioneer; Barley Sector Director Mark Seastrand, North Dakota Barley Council; Corn Sector Director Dick Gallagher, Iowa Corn Promotion Board; Sorghum Sector Director Bill Kubecka, United Sorghum Checkoff Program; State Checkoff Sector Director Craig Floss, Iowa Corn Promotion Board; At-Large Director Jim Tobin, Monsanto Co.; At-Large Director Jim Stuever, Missouri Corn Merchandising Council; At-Large Director Charles Ring, Texas Corn Producers Board; and   At-Large Director Jim Raben, Illinois Corn Marketing Board.

Tiemann farms in Seward, Nebraska, and has spent more than 35 years in agriculture.

Tiemann is an at-large director and past chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board. He has been a delegate from that board to the USGC since 2005. Prior to that, Tiemann served as a delegate to the USGC from the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board for a number of years  

"Markets don't just happen, we have to work to make them happen," Tiemann said in his first speech to USGC delegates as chairman. "The council has been successfully doing that for more than 55 years and has developed a level of excellence in its work that I want to focus on this year. 

"That is why our theme this year is Excellence in Exports. I have found the council displays excellence in its membership, its global staff team, the relationships it fosters, the collaboration it has with its partners and its dedication to export markets," Tiemann said. "All these areas have been key in making the council the successful organization it is today."