USGC, NCGA officers tour Indiana facilities

The group toured a facility that supplies distiller’s dried grains with solubles to livestock producers.
The group toured a facility that supplies distiller’s dried grains with solubles to livestock producers. | File photo

A "look and listen" tour in March connected Indianapolis agribusinesses with officers from the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) to address issues affecting the United States grain industry and the growing international demand for grain.

The group was also invited to tour The Andersons Ethanol Group’s Indiana facility that supplies distiller’s dried grains with solubles to livestock producers. Representatives spoke with the group about the potential for expanded ethanol demand, both domestically and abroad.

“While most of our attention is focused on building demand in our overseas markets, we know an integral part of that is working closely with NCGA and the whole value chain here in the United States,” USGC chairman Alan Tiemann said. “Having a robust, quality supply of U.S. corn and co-products is essential to serving our global customers, and we rely on working with our partners to keep production increasing.”

The officers and industry leaders also renewed their dedication to their working relationships and commitment to fixing issues among the grain industry.

“To build profitable demand for U.S. corn, we need strong relationships with the customers who are using our products. An important part of that is being able to see their facilities and operations and hear directly from them about what’s happening in their industry,” NCGA President Chip Bowling said.