Amy Cornell, president of the Agribusiness Council of Indiana, discusses the value of groups like Women of Indiana Agribusiness. As part of NGFA's 125th anniversary celebration, the Association is focused on how to best position the industry for success in the next 125 years, including "transforming the face of our future." 

Randy Gordon is retiring by the end of March 2021 after serving nearly 43 years with the nation’s largest and most diverse agribusiness association – the last eight as its president and CEO. In this discussion, he reflects on his time and lessons learned serving the grain, feed and processing industry, and looks forward to the future. 

Jonathan Coppess, assistant professor at the University of Illinois, joined “Listen with NGFA” to discuss his experience as a member of President Biden’s transition team for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the role of land idling programs in potential climate legislation, and the next generation of agricultural leaders.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., joined NGFA Vice President of Legislative Affairs and Public Policy Bobby Frederick to discuss legislative priorities under a Biden administration, challenges in representing a diverse district with both large urban and rural counties, as well as progress toward the goal of "civility" in Congress, among several other topics. 

Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., joins NGFA Vice President of Legislative Affairs and Public Policy Bobby Frederick to discuss agricultural policy and what to expect in 2021. With the retirement of Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Sen. Boozman is expected to be the leading Republican on the committee. 

Dr. Deborah Reed received her BSN, MSN, MSPH, and PhD from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Reed was named a UK Provost’s Distinguished Service Professor in 2011 in recognition of her service to the university and the Commonwealth. She was appointed to the Good Samaritan Foundation Chair in Community Health Nursing in 2012. In addition to her research and service in the College of Nursing, Dr. Reed works with the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment as an agricultural health nurse. Read more about her here and her most recent research, Farm Dinner Theater. 

Access the Crisis Text Hotline and several other mental health resources at CauseMatters.com. 

NGFA's 49th annual Country Elevator Conference and Trade Show is virtual this year on Dec. 8-10! What does that mean and what exactly are you getting when you register? NGFA Vice President of Meetings and Marketing Rebecca Grubbs is here to answer your biggest questions about a virtual event. (Register at ngfa.org/cec).

Jason Eardley, process safety director for Archer Daniels Midland Co. and chairman of NGFA’s Safety, Health and Environmental Quality Committee (SHEQ), outlines the most important aspects of harvest safety and ways to instill a culture of safety in any workplace. 

NGFA Vice President of Events and Marketing Rebecca Grubbs describes how NGFA events have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic and what members can expect for the rest of the year. She also outlines some aspects of NGFA membership that new, seasoned and prospective NGFA members will find valuable.

Brittany Schaefer, logistics manager at Bunge North America, shares the latest updates on the Barge Digital Transformation Project (BDT), which is preparing to launch commercially this year. Schaefer, who chairs the industry BDT Steering Committee, describes how the new electronic platform will digitally transmit barge trading documents for southbound barge traffic on the Mississippi River system, including the estimated 75,000 to 100,000 bills of lading issued annually on this segment of the river system alone. 

Schaefer also chairs the National Grain and Feed Digital Solutions, which has been established to oversee implementation and administration of the new platform. 

Learn more at https://imis.ngfa.org/members/ngfa/Arbitration/NGFDS.aspx.