A new CEO for the U.S. Grains Council
Farm and Ranch September 17, 2009 Former USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development Thomas C. Dorr will serve as president and CEO of the Washington, D.C., based U.S. Grains Council. Dorr succeeds the retiring Ken Hobbe as the head of the country’s largest export market development organization for barley, corn, sorghum and their co-products. Dorr said being an Iowa farmer for more than 30 years and serving seven years with USDA afforded him the opportunity to understand and value the nearly 50 years of export market development efforts orchestrated by the Council. During a teleconference Dorr described one of his first priorities. Dorr: “And my intention is to get very busy sitting down and listening to all of the members, the sorghum, the barley and corn side of equation, to make sure that our strategies are aligned and that we are fully appreciative of all the opportunities in market development that we are going to be faced with. There are an ever evolving number of challenges, of requirements involve biotechnology, sustainability and any number of things. So it is going to be very critical that we listen to our members, those producers, to make certain their concerns and the opportunities we see are aligned and done in such a manner that foster growth in all aspects for the producers‘ ability to dispose of their product.” Barley growers in Washington and Idaho help fund the work of the U.S. Grains Council. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network. ?
