Committees

Mission

Provide a fair, cost-effective and timely way to resolve disputes involving grain, oilseed, feed, barge and barge freight transactions. Administer the compulsory system for resolution of disputes between Active members under the NGFA’s Bylaws, and to resolve disputes with and between Allied and Transportation members if the Arbitration Rules are referenced in the underlying contractual agreement or the parties otherwise consent. Serve as the “Supreme Court” of the NGFA Arbitration System, to which arbitration decisions rendered by three-member committees can be appealed and reviewed.

Staff Liasons:

• Charlie Delacruz, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
• Mary Hitchcock, Vice President, Systems and Office Operations
• Courtney Tucker, Coordinator, Legal and Commercial Affairs

Mission:

Represent the interests of feed, pet food and feed ingredient manufacturers and livestock and poultry integrators. Address federal, state and international legislative and regulatory issues. Improve operational effectiveness by addressing issues, and advancing technological developments and innovations, related to product safety, quality, production and manufacturing technology.

Staff Liason:

• Berit Foss, Vice President, Feed and Sustainability

Subcommittees:

• Feed Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee:

  Mission: Engage with the Food and Drug Administration, the Association of American Feed Control Officials, state feed regulatory agencies, and relevant international forums on feed safety, model feed laws, labeling, ingredient definitions and other issues. Address federal and state legislative initiatives significant to feed manufacturers and distributors.

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• Feed Manufacturing and Technology Subcommittee:

  Mission: Address operational issues and technological developments important to the manufacturing operations of commercial feed mills, feed ingredient firms, and livestock and poultry integrators. Interact with universities on feed-related education and research efforts; provide education and communication on feed issues; develop guidance and resources to address regulatory compliance topics; direct NGFA’s approach on feed quality and safety systems, such as hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP), ISO, and other international initiatives.

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Mission:

Support a vibrant, innovative, and prosperous grain, oilseeds, and feed industry through research, safety, and education initiatives. Provide effective stewardship of financial resources for the National Grain and Feed Foundation.

Staff Liason:

• Rebecca Grubbs, Vice President, Marketing and Member Services

Mission:

Develop and preserve inspection and weighing practices that facilitate timely, orderly, fair, safe, and economical grain marketing responses to customer needs. Provide input to Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on official grain standards as well as inspection and weighing practices that are accurate and consistently applied. Serve as the principal NGFA liaison to USDA’s Federal Grain Inspection Service on official grain inspection and weighing issues in an effort to facilitate orderly marketing.

Staff Liason:

• Jess McCluer, Senior Vice President, Safety and Regulatory

Mission:

Provide input and strategies on legal issues of industrywide importance. Create a forum for legal experts to learn and share information about legal developments affecting the industry, specifically those affecting NGFA-member companies.

Staff Liason:

• Charlie Delacruz, General Counsel and Secretary

Mission:

Ensure proper application of NGFA’s Rail Arbitration Rules to address rail service-related disputes and issues between shippers and carriers. Maintain equal representation from rail carriers and shippers/receivers. Recommend rule changes to the NGFA membership as needed.

Staff Liason:

• Charlie Delacruz, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
• Mary Hitchcock, Vice President, Systems and Office Operations
• Courtney Tucker, Coordinator, Legal and Commercial Affairs

Mission:

Serve as a liaison with the commodity exchanges and futures markets on issues important to NGFA members and commercial hedgers. Promote the adoption of policies that create an environment where cash and futures markets can remain efficient, sound and viable for agricultural users and commercial hedgers. Address issues concerning new risk-management products and USDA’s federal crop insurance program. Develop educational materials for industry use.

Staff Liason:

• Max Fisher, Chief Economist and Treasurer

Mission:

Serve as a liaison with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency on issues important to NGFA members. Develop regulatory compliance guidance and education/training materials for industry use to enhance workplace and employee safety and health, and the environment.

Staff Liason:

Jess McCluer, Senior Vice President, Safety and Regulatory

Mission:

Establish a framework in which NGFA member companies can advance measurable environmental improvements, efficiency and productivity of sustainability programs. Organize and articulate a shared set of definitions and sustainable practices. Develop a plan to elevate the NGFA’s ongoing commitment to sustainability to NGFA members and stakeholders. Create a forum for sustainability experts to learn and share information about developments affecting the industry, specifically those affecting NGFA-member companies.

Staff Liason:

• Berit Foss, Vice President, Feed and Sustainability

Mission:

Advocate for policies that promote sustained economic growth for all sectors of U.S. agriculture. Address U.S. regulatory and international trade developments including the use of innovative technologies that affect NGFA members. Serve as a forum for discussions with technology providers about their pipelines and commercialization plans, as well as policy and operational issues affecting commercial grain, oilseed, feed, feed ingredient, processing and exporting sectors

Staff Liason:

• Jess McCluer, Senior Vice President, Safety and Regulatory

Subcommittees:

• Trade Subcommittee – Subcommittee Roster
• Crop Technology Subcommittee – Subcommittee Roster

Mission:

Maintain and update the NGFA’s Grain Trade Rules, Feed Trade Rules, Barge Trade Rules, Barge Freight Trading Rules, and Secondary Rail Freight Trading Rules to reflect current trade practice. Ensure the NGFA Trade Rules provide a solid foundation for the NGFA’s Arbitration System and adequately facilitate trading of grains, oilseeds, feed and feed ingredients, barges, barge freight and secondary rail freight. Recommend rule changes to the NGFA membership as needed.

Staff Liason:

• Charlie Delacruz, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
• Mary Hitchcock, Vice President, Systems and Office Operations
• Courtney Tucker, Coordinator, Legal and Commercial Affairs

Subcommittees:

Feed Trade Rules Subcommittee

Mission: Provide expertise in current trade practice in feed and feed ingredients.
Subcommittee Roster

• Grain Trade Rules Subcommittee

  Mission: Provide expertise in current trade practice in grains and oilseeds.
  Subcommittee Roster

• Barge Trade Rules Subcommittee

  Mission: Provide expertise in current trade practice in barge transportation.
  Subcommittee Roster

• Barge Freight Trade Rules Subcommittee

  Mission:Provide expertise in current trade practice in barge freight and secondary rail freight.
  Subcommittee Roster

Mission:

Lead legislative and regulatory efforts that affect rail, motor, and water transportation and logistics of grain, oilseeds, feed and products derived from grains and oilseeds. Provide focused efforts on each mode of transportation to increase product movement, eliminate service issues, enable cost-effective transport, and improve infrastructure. Support the NGFA’s coordination of the Agricultural Transportation Working Group comprised of about 30 national producer and commodity groups and agribusiness organizations to coordinate on rail, truck, barge and vessel transportation matters.

Staff Liason:

• Allison Rivera, Vice President, Government and Legislative Affairs

Subcommittees:

• Rail Shipper-Receiver Subcommittee

  Mission:Provide expertise in rail legislative and regulatory policy issues, including rulemakings and proceedings initiated by the federal Surface Transportation Board. Interact with Class I and shortline rail carriers on policy and service issues.
  Subcommittee Roster

• Motor Carrier Subcommittee

  Mission:Provide expertise in national truck transportation to assist legislative and regulatory policy issues affecting transport of grain, oilseeds, feed and products derived from grains and oilseeds. Support the NGFA’s efforts to safely increase commercial truck capacity for agriculture use.
  Subcommittee Roster

• Waterborne Subcommittee

  Mission:Provide expertise in advocating for improvements to U.S. inland waterways and ports to facilitate the cost-effective transport and export of U.S. agricultural commodities and products. Serve as a liaison with Congress and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Develop and recommend policies and practices that facilitate commerce between shippers and receivers that utilize the inland waterways system and deep draft ports. Advocate for the optimum use of waterways that is balanced across all users, and supports efficient, sound, and viable waterborne commerce.
  Subcommittee Roster