OMAHA, NEBRASKA, U.S. — During the U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC) 54th Annual Board of Delegates meeting, which was held July 28-30 in Omaha, Nebraska, Larry Groce was recognized for his long-time commitment and service with the council’s highest honor, the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

“The journey for me began in 1974 when we took the Illinois Corn Growers Association out to Stratton Mountain, Vermont, U.S., and they became a new member of the council,” Groce told World Grain. “Lots of good memories of the people, places and programs that are still important to the corn, grain sorghum, barley and co-products sectors for international market development.”

Groce served as USGC chairman in 1994, an era marked by rapid change: the shift in U.S. coarse grains export markets from Europe to Asia, the increased participation of producer organizations in the USGC, the enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the emergence of an integrated North American market.