The US Grains Council elects new leadership and board

At a recent meeting, the US Grains Council elected its first female chairman, the organization said.

Deb Keller is expected to be an advocate for trade and continue the Council’s work developing feed and grain markets, and enabling trade.

The election process also left the feed and grain marketing organization with a new board of directors, it reported. Members are set to serve through July of 2018.

That body now includes: Deb Keller, chairman, Iowa Corn Promotion Board; Jim Stitzlein, Consolidated Grain and Barge Co., vice chairman; Darren Armstrong, Corn Growers Association of North Carolina, Inc., secretary/treasurer; Philip “Chip” Councell, Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, past chairman; Tom Sleight, president and CEO; Ray Defenbaugh, Big River Resources LLC, agribusiness/ethanol and co-products sector director; Craig Floss, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, checkoff sector director; Greg Hibner, J.D. Heiskell Hawkeye Gold Office, agribusiness sector director; Charles Ray Huddleston, Texas Grain Sorghum Association, sorghum sector director; Philip McCoun, Kentucky Corn Promotional Council, at-large director; Tom Mueller, Illinois Corn Marketing Board, corn sector director; Jim Raben, Illinois Corn Marketing Board, at-large director; Mark Seastrand, North Dakota Barley Council, barley sector director; Jim Stuever, Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, at-large director; and Chad Willis, Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council, at-large director.