The U.S. Grains Council, an industry group which has worked to develop new markets for U.S. grain exports for more than six decades, has rebranded to become the U.S. Grains and BioProducts Council (USGBC).

USGBC President and CEO Ryan LeGrand told Agri-Pulse that the name more accurately reflects the council’s work over the last 10 years, which has expanded to include export promotion for ethanol and high-protein distiller’s grains.

“The promotion of these products has been part of our identity and practice, but not in name,” LeGrand said. “We wanted to fully bring in the full portfolio of all the products that the Grains Council is handling into our name.”

Members voted on the name amendment at the organization’s 65th annual board of delegates meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Friday. LeGrand said the motion passed with “overwhelming” support.

In a press release published Monday, LeGrand said that the new name was also selected to capitalize on opportunities in the energy sector and reflect the organization’s work in both the grains and ethanol markets, while also preserving existing brand recognition.

“We're working in the SAF space, sustainable aviation fuel,” LeGrand said. “And then sustainable marine fuel is one that's starting to pop up on a lot of people's radars.”

Bioproducts encompass more than just ethanol, LeGrand said, adding that the new name should reflect the group’s work on the latest and future biofuels and, therefore, have staying power.

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“It's a name that we're thinking will hold for another 30 years,” LeGrand said. “We looked at a lot of different options. And really landed on this one that we don't feel boxes us in to just one or two products."

The name change is the culmination of a two-year process, LeGrand said, which included market research firms testing reactions to a name change.

The organization has been known as the U.S. Grains Council since 1998 – when it changed its name from the U.S. Feed Grains Council. That change was to expand the organization’s work to include coarse grains and co-products, the organization says.

The council was originally established in 1960 and has expanded to offer programs promoting exports across more than 50 countries and the European Union, with offices in nine countries.

Among the council’s victories have been its contribution to the establishment of Vietnam as a prominent U.S. export destination for U.S. grain. The council led one of the first farmer trade missions to the country in 1998, according to the organization’s website.

The council was also quick to capitalize on China’s economic opening in the 1970s, opening a cooperator office with the American Soybean Association and U.S. Wheat Associates.USGBC_Stacked_Gradient_cmyk.png

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