A-Teams promote U.S. grains globally

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Farmer and agribusiness members of the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council’s A-Teams continue to work diligently to develop new markets globally.

Each of the council’s Advisory Teams, or A-Teams — several of which include Illinois Corn Marketing Board members — have a specific focus, including: Asia, Ethanol, Innovation and Sustainability, Middle East / Africa / South Asia, Trade Policy, Value-Added, and Western Hemisphere.

Matt Rabin, who farms in White and Gallatin counties in southeast Illinois, serves on the ICMB’s Export Committee.

As an ICMB District 13 director, he represents Clay, Edwards, Jefferson, Lawrence, Marion, Richland, Wabash, Wayne and White counties. He is also a member of the USGBC’s Middle East / Africa / South Asia A-Team.

Rabin and other ICMB members attended the recent Illinois Corn Growers Association’s annual meeting where he spoke of his work with the international trade organization.

As an example of the USGBC’s work, Rabin said they have been focusing on the potential in countries such as India with its population of 1.4 billion, second to China.

Policy Challenges

India is a large importer of U.S. ethanol, but its uses are limited by that country’s policies.

“It’s only for industrial use. They will not use it with their sustainability goals, cleaner air, to blend in with fuel,” Rabin said.

“They’re probably the third major market for U.S. ethanol, but again we have to be patient. They have their goals, but there are reasons behind, probably that I’ll never know, why they don’t open that up, but we take small bites. We have to be strategic in our planning.

“One thing’s funny, with India, I did a mission there two years ago, and I will have to say the air quality is, well, I’m going to use the word ‘crap.’ It’s very heavy at night, and you have to remember this huge population is burning cow dung for heat or for burners they’re using straw and anything wood, so it’s very smoky. I noticed that late at night it’s very hard to breathe.

“The U.S Grains and BioProduct Council did investigate a stove that will burn ethanol.”

A similar stove is used in Africa and efforts are underway to promote its use in India, but there are challenges to overcome due to infrastructure and low income.

“They’ll take a 16-ounce water bottle, and they’ll buy water at a vending machine and fill it up, so they have this container,” Rabin said.

“So, what we had thought outside the box is, with that same type of container, why can’t they just go buy ethanol in a vending machine and fill their little container? They can afford that because it’s small enough, take it back to their household and burn it for their stove or for heat.

“I don’t have the gallons of what that would equate to if half the population went to that, but that’s the kind of stuff where I’m proud to be a member of IL Corn and have that ability to push that pencil because it’s kind of out-of-the box thinking.”

The USGBC is also promoting U.S. grains in the Africa.

“That’s probably more long game, but there’s a huge population there. We fight the GMO part there all the time on the corn. They’re very nervous about that,” Rabin said.

“But when you see their poultries growing, people want more proteins, DDGs, we’re sending staff members and we’re sending farmers who volunteer to go over there and putting educational programs together to make them aware of what we have to offer.

“We make sure you don’t push it on people. Just let them see it and see the trials and hopefully that’ll bring business to the U.S. later because that’s a growing growing economy, too.”

Developing Relationships

The USGBC’s work goes beyond just Zoom calls. Face-to-face connections can go a long way in developing those trade relationships.

“I’ve always said you can’t put a price on it. For them, and for me, too, to sit there in their house or them come here and really debate on the challenges we have, I don’t even know how to put a price on it because you will have people that will follow up with you over the years,” Rabin said.

“When that door opens, India might be blocking not taking ethanol for blending purposes in vehicles in gasoline. But when you make those contacts as you go and build those relationships and that trust factor, I’m a believer that someday things open up and then it all come back around and that relationship will pay off.”

About The Council

The U.S. Grains and BioProducts Council was founded in 1960 as the U.S. Feed Grains Council to develop new markets for U.S. coarse grains and co-products.

Since its founding, the council has undergone this process once before, when it changed its name to the U.S. Grains Council in 1998.

The USGBC is a non-profit organization that promotes the global use of U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including ethanol and distillers dried grains with solubles.

With offices in nine countries, the USGBC operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The council supports global economic development through partnerships, enabling U.S. agriculture’s profitability.