U.S. Grains Council

What U.S. Grains Council does

The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC), also operating under the trade name U.S. Grains Council, is a private non-profit trade association founded in 1960 and headquartered at 20 F Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, D.C. The organization develops international markets for U.S. grains, bioethanol, and grain co-products on behalf of corn, sorghum, barley, and related industry members. Its core "products" are the commodity categories it champions — corn, sorghum, barley, bioethanol, distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and corn gluten — supported by a recurring library of market intelligence publications (Market Perspectives, DDGS Weekly Report, Ethanol Market and Pricing Data Report, Corn Harvest Quality Report, Sorghum Harvest Quality Report) and data tools (Feed Grains in All Forms Portal, FOB Price Charts, Bulk Freight Indices, Top U.S. Export Customers). This is not a technology platform; the underlying capabilities are trade policy advocacy, technical assistance to foreign buyers, trade mission execution, and content publishing.

USGBC operates through seven advisory teams (Asia, Ethanol, Innovation & Sustainability, Middle East/Africa/South Asia, Trade Policy, Value-Added, Western Hemisphere) and maintains direct regional offices in Vietnam (regional HQ), Nantong, and Chengdu, with named personnel such as Regional Director Caleb Wurth, Vietnam Country Manager Tran Trong Nghia, and Regional Ethanol Consultant Kent Yeo. In 2024/2025, U.S. corn exports reached 72.5 million metric tons across 66 countries, U.S. ethanol exports reached 2.1 billion gallons, and U.S. grains/co-products/ethanol reached buyers in more than 75 countries.

Revenue mechanics are membership-based: dues and contributions from grain producers, processors, exporters, and ethanol producers (POET and newly added Repsol are documented member contributors), augmented through collaboration with USDA on international market development programs. There is no commercial product sale, no disclosed public revenue figure, and the organization prices its services through membership tiers rather than transactional pricing. The customer base is horizontal, spanning grain traders, livestock/pork producers (Muyuan Group, Latin American delegations), beverage/brewing companies, and ethanol/biofuel stakeholders, with notable enterprise engagements in China and Vietnam.

Name

U.S. Grains Council

Legal name

U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council

Website

https://grains.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council is a 1960-founded, Washington, D.C.-based non-profit trade association that develops international markets for U.S. corn, sorghum, barley, bioethanol, DDGS, and corn gluten across 75+ countries, serving grain producers, exporters, and ethanol/biofuel members through market development, trade policy advocacy, and technical assistance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Trade Services

NAICS

Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (424510)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Import/Export & Cross-Border Food Commodity Trading (AFAIAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sorghum & Millet Farming (AFAGAAAF), Pulses & Legumes Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAG)

Keywords

• Agricultural trade promotion
• Grain export market development
• International commodity marketing
• Bioethanol trade services
• Feed grains industry association

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Services: USGBC maintains membership from industry stakeholders including grain producers, processors, and exporters. The organization provides membership services, maintains a member directory, and coordinates member engagement through events and programs.
2. Member Organization Contributions: Council members such as ethanol producers (e.g., POET) contribute to and participate in Council programs to strengthen relationships with international markets and support Latin America's pork sector development.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

USGBC develops international markets for U.S. grains (corn, sorghum, barley), co-products (DDGS, corn gluten), and bioethanol through trade missions, technical assistance, market intelligence publications, and trade policy advocacy. The Council connects U.S. exporters with foreign buyers and policymakers across more than 75 countries, supported by a member-based funding model and USDA-coordinated programs.

Product overview

U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) operates as a trade organization providing market development services rather than a commercial product company. Its portfolio consists of grain commodities (Corn, Sorghum, Barley), bioethanol fuel, and ethanol co-products (DDGS, Corn Gluten). These are supported by a suite of market intelligence reports including Market Perspectives (weekly coarse grain update), DDGS Weekly Report, Ethanol Market and Pricing Data Report, and harvest quality reports for Corn and Sorghum. Data and analytics tools include the Feed Grains in All Forms Portal, Top U.S. Export Customers tool, Converting Grain Units calculator, FOB Price Charts, and Bulk Freight Indices. The organization also provides resources for importers including an Importer Manual, Purchase Inquiry system, and Notice to Exporters. Sustainability initiatives cover corn, barley, and sorghum sustainability programs. USGBC sells grains, co-products, and ethanol to buyers in more than 75 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corn Market Development

Quantifiable outcome

• 66 countries purchased U.S. corn; 26 countries purchased U.S. sorghum in 2024/2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RepsolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Repsol joined the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council as a member. The partnership strengthens Council activities in the ethanol and biofuel sectors, supporting market development for U.S. agricultural products in energy applications.
• POETcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPOET, a major ethanol producer and Council member, hosted a delegation visit as part of the Council's program to strengthen relationships with pork producer associations and support Latin America's pork sector development through DDGS promotion.
• LongRunminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCouncil member LongRun met with delegation in China to discuss promoting U.S. grains and co-products in the Chinese market.
• Iowa Corn Promotion BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIowa Corn Promotion Board hosted Latin American pork producer delegation visit during World Pork Expo as part of Council-led market development activities.
• U.S. Agricultural Trade Office in ChinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe U.S. Agricultural Trade Office in China organized the U.S. Pavilion at the China Animal Husbandry Expo, where USGBC hosted a booth to promote U.S. feed grains.
• Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSGBC supported Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade throughout the country's E10 fuel blending policy journey through technical assistance, industry engagement, policy advisory, and international study missions.
• Vietnam Fuel IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Vietnamese government agencies and industry stakeholders to support Vietnam's fuel ethanol program development and E10 implementation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• U.S. Wheat Associates: U.S.-based non-profit trade association that develops international markets for U.S. wheat through overseas offices and technical assistance. Closely analogous to USGBC's model for corn, sorghum, and barley — same funding structure (USDA cooperators + producer checkoffs), same overseas technical assistance playbook.
• U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC): Non-profit that promotes U.S. soybeans and soybean products globally via trade servicing, market access, and technical support. Operates the same USDA-cooperator model and competes with USGBC for share of voice within U.S. agricultural export market development.
• U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF): Non-profit trade association that builds international demand for U.S. red meat. Shares the cooperator-funded, overseas-office-based model with USGBC and frequently partners with USGBC on livestock-feed-related market development programs.
• USA Rice Federation: National trade association representing the U.S. rice industry with international promotion activity. Comparable in size, structure, and overseas market-development focus, though focused on rice rather than coarse grains.
• North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA): Trade association representing grain and oilseed exporters with a strong focus on trade policy, phytosanitary, and logistics issues. Highly complementary and overlapping membership with USGBC in facilitating U.S. grain exports.

Emerging players

• Renewable Fuels Association (RFA): National trade association for the U.S. ethanol industry. While more domestically focused than USGBC, RFA overlaps directly on ethanol market development and policy advocacy and shares key members such as POET.

Broad incumbents

• American Feed Industry Association (AFIA): Largest U.S. trade association representing the animal feed manufacturing industry. Overlaps with USGBC on feed-grain utilization and policy, though AFIA represents the manufacturer/processor side rather than the upstream producer/exporter side.
• Corn Refiners Association (CRA): National trade association representing the corn wet milling industry (HFCS, corn starch, ethanol). Shares significant overlap with USGBC on corn utilization and policy advocacy, particularly in the processed-products and ethanol segments.
• American Farm Bureau Federation: Largest U.S. general-farm organization with broad policy advocacy across all crops and livestock. Larger and more politically focused than USGBC, with overlapping membership and frequent policy coordination on trade and biofuels.

Others

• USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS): U.S. government agency that links U.S. agriculture to the world through market intelligence, trade policy, and capacity building. Functions as USGBC's primary government partner and cooperator funder rather than a direct competitor, but partially overlaps in international market-development activities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/USGC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/USGrainsCouncil
• Facebookfacebook.com/usgrainscouncil
• Instagraminstagram.com/usgrainsbioproductscouncil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about U.S. Grains Council