Keller is the first woman to hold the position
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
A farmer from Clarion, Iowa is the new chair of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC).
Deb Keller received the necessary votes to acquire the role during the 57th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting in Vancouver, Washington.
And she’s the first woman to hold the position in the organization’s nearly 60-year existence.
Keller revealed the organization’s new theme – Friends and Frontiers – during her opening remarks as the new chairwoman
“We all know how important it is to maintain our relationships with our old friends,” she told the delegation, according to an Aug. 2 release.
“And we are also looking to the future, to new opportunities. Those new frontiers exist throughout our industry and around the globe. There are so many places where we must continue to work to build new demand for today and tomorrow.”
Keller has a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Purdue University and served as chair of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board.
She also served as a member of the National Corn Growers Association’s research and business development action team.
Keller’s dedication to agriculture at all levels provide her with the necessary tools to lead the organization, according to her colleagues.
“Deb has given a lot of time and leadership as an advocate for agriculture at the local, state and national levels,” Iowa Corn CEO Craig Floss, who serves on the USGC Board as state checkoff sector director, said in a statement on August 2.
“I have no doubt that she will do an outstanding job representing Iowa’s corn farmers as USGC Chair.”
Full USGC Board of Directors:
- Deb Keller, Chair, Iowa Corn Promotion Board
- Jim Stitzlein, Consolidated Grain and Barge Co., Vice-Chair
- Darren Armstrong, Corn Growers Association of North Carolina, Inc., Secretary/Treasurer
- Philip “Chip” Councell, Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, Past Chair
- 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
- Chad Willis, Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council, At-Large Director
The Board members will serve until July 2018.
Farms.com has reached out to the USGC and Deb Keller to discuss her areas of focus for her first months in the role.
Top photo: Deb Keller/U.S. Grains Council