• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

National Grain and Feed Association

Over a Century of Service Protecting Your Business Interests

  • Sign In
  • News
    • NGFA Blog
    • Newsletter Archive (members only)
    • Press Releases
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • Podcast
  • Issues
    • Feed
    • Safety
    • Trade
    • Farm Bill
    • Biotechnology
    • Transportation
    • Barge Digital Transformation (BDT) Project
  • Events
    • Calendar of Events
    • Event Sponsorship
    • Ag Transportation Summit
    • Convention
    • Country Elevator Conference & Trade Show
    • NextGen
    • CONVEY
    • NGFA-PFI Feed and Pet Food Joint Conference
    • FSMA Courses
    • Trade Rules Seminar
    • Stand Up for Grain Safety Week
  • Training
  • Advocacy
  • Arbitration
    • Arbitration Overview
    • Decisions
    • File a Complaint
    • Volunteer
  • Trade Rules
    • Trade Rules Overview
    • Trade Rules Committee
    • Order Rules Booklet
  • About
    • Officers and Staff
    • Committees
    • Strategic Alliances
    • State/Regional Affiliate Associations
  • Membership
    • Join the NGFA
    • Benefits & Services
    • Get Involved
    • Member Companies
    • Membership Directory (members only)
    • Next Generation Agribusiness Leaders
    • Committee Apprentice Program
  • Foundation

07.14.20 NGFA, Press Releases

NGFA partners with new NGFDS to digitize barge industry transactions

ARLINGTON, Va., July 14, 2020 — The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) today announced its official partnership with a new affiliated organization – National Grain and Feed Digital Solutions (NGFDS) – to oversee the widely anticipated new Barge Digital Transformation (BDT) platform. 

The BDT project is the massive undertaking underway to digitize the current time-consuming, inefficient and costly paperwork-intensive processes common in the barge trade. In particular, the new platform is expected to digitize the approximated 70,000 to 100,000 negotiable barge bills of lading that NGFA members process each year. 

“This is truly a momentous development projected to save those of us using barge transportation significant costs now being incurred while greatly improving efficiency,” said NGFDS Chairman Brittany Schaefer, logistics manager at Bunge North America. My hope is that launching this innovative, secure platform for transmitting barge-related paperwork is just one step toward a future of efficient data transmission throughout the agricultural supply chain.”

[Listen: Schaefer shared more about the BDT project and the future of NGFDS in the latest “Listen with NGFA” podcast. Listen to Schaefer’s episode: “What’s Next for the Barge Digital Transformation Project?”]

“The establishment of NGFDS and the ensuing implementation of this electronic platform is yet another example of NGFA members working together to drive change and develop a solution that meets the business needs of the collective industry,” said NGFA President and CEO Randy Gordon. “All those who use or benefit from barge transportation owe a tremendous thanks to the Steering Committee, and particularly Brittany Schaefer, for the countless hours of time and intensive, detailed effort that has brought us to this threshold. NGFA is excited to be partnering with and supporting NGFDS in bringing this solution to the marketplace, and NGFA remains open to exploring additional opportunities for providing technological solutions to enhance industry operations.”

General discussions recognizing the industry’s need for this initiative began after an open meeting in New Orleans, La., in early 2018. Intensive work toward a solution, including project scoping and design and development of a prototype, began with a three-day session in St. Louis, Mo., in October 2018. After a rigorous search process, the technology partner – essDOCS – was selected from a field of strong candidates in October 2019. Since that time, the industry group of NGFA-member companies has been working with essDOCS to develop the new platform. User testing now is underway, with the goal of deploying the digital platform and training industry members on its use scheduled to begin by the end of this summer.

To oversee and administer the new platform, NGFDS was formed and officially certified as a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation earlier this year. At its first organizational meeting, NGFDS elected the following officers and directors:

NGFDS Officers

  • Chairman, Brittany Schaefer, Bunge North America
  • Vice Chairman, Julie Detlefsen, Cargill Inc.
  • Executive Director, Charlie Delacruz, NGFA
  • Treasurer, Steve Oberlander, CHS Inc.
  • Secretary/Asst. Treasurer, Mary Hitchcock, NGFA

NGFDS Board of Directors

  • Steve Burbrink, CGB Enterprises Inc.
  • Charlie Delacruz, NGFA
  • Julie Detlefsen, Cargill Inc.
  • Matt Giltner, Archer Daniels Midland Co.
  • Jason Hofer, Gavilon Group LLC
  • John Kopina, Louis Dreyfus Co.
  • Andrew Luttrell, Ingram Barge Co.
  • Rich McCarty, American Commercial Barge Line
  • Steve Oberlander, CHS Inc.
  • Brittany Schaefer, Bunge North America
  • Jeff Wilson, Zen-Noh Grain Corporation

This month, NGFA and NGFDS formalized their partnership wherein NGFA will continue to provide management and administrative support functions for NGFDS in its operations and activities related to the new BDT platform. 

-30-

sidebar

Blog Sidebar

Topics

  • Arbitration Decision (691)
    • Corn (6)
    • Rail (3)
    • Soybeans (2)
    • Truck (1)
    • Wheat (3)
  • Issue Advisory (18)
  • Newsletter (1,807)
  • Press Releases (269)
  • Subject-focused News (1,735)
    • Agriculture Policy (258)
    • Arbitration (35)
    • Biotechnology (104)
    • Education and Training (40)
    • Event News (217)
    • Feed (291)
    • Foundation (9)
    • NGFA (91)
    • Risk Management (131)
    • Safety, Health & Environment (196)
    • Trade (250)
    • Transportation (312)
  • Uncategorized (23)

Footer

National Grain and Feed Association

TwitterYoutubeFacebookLinkedin

Contact Us

ngfa@ngfa.org
1400 Crystal Drive, Suite 260
Arlington, VA 22202
202.289.0873

Member Login

Have an account? → Log in 
Need an account? → Register
Lost your account? → Reset

Manage Your Account

Copyright ©  2022 NGFA | All Rights Reserved
  • Sign in

Forgot your password?

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive mail with link to set new password.

Back to login

Lacy Holleman
Manager of Legal Affairs and Arbitration

lholleman@ngfa.org

Lacy provides staff support for one of NGFA’s premier member services – its more than century old system of industry trade rules and arbitration that facilitates the efficient marketing of grains, oilseeds and their derived products. She also works on contracting, legal and other related matters.

An Arkansas native, Lacy received her undergraduate degree with a double major in history and Russian studies from the University of Tulsa (Okla.) and her law degree from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. Prior to joining NGFA’s staff in November 2020, she managed a local business at the Pentagon and completed mediation training required by the North Carolina Supreme Court for those seeking to serve as mediators for settlement conferences and other settlement procedures in North Carolina Superior Court civil actions. She also has worked as an assistant for a law firm in her native state.