News

World Grain Production and Trade Forum – Beijing, China – November 27

All NAEGA members and their representatives are invited to attend a World Grain Production and Trade Forum in Beijing, China on November 27. The Forum, led by COFCO, CNAGS and the IGTC, will take place at COFCO LDC, North Long Quan Wu Village, Men Tou Gou District, Beijing from 9am-5pm. A preliminary speakers include:

  • Yu Xubo, President of COFCO and CNAGS
  • Ren Zhi, Vice President of CNAGS
  • Chinese government agencies and Ministry of Agriculture officials
  • Arnaud Petit, Executive Director of the International Grains Council (IGC)
  • Gary C. Martin, President of IGTC

Other invitees include experts, leaders, and entrepreneurs from Chinese supervisor government sector of grain, the China national grain information center, grain associations and enterprises.

International guest speakers will be present to provide expertise and updates on the production and trading environment in China and the world.

If you are interested in attending please contact Ryan at rolson@naega.org.

IGTC General Assembly – Beijing China – November 28

All NAEGA members and their representatives are invited to attend the IGTC General Assembly in Beijing, China on November 28. The General Assembly will take place COFCO LDC, North Long Quan Wu Village, Men Tou Gou District, Beijing from 8am-2:30pm and feature a lunch sponsored by CNAGS. More details and an agenda will be available soon.

If you are interested in attending please contact Ryan at rolson@naega.org.

Contracts and Best Practices Seminar – Tokyo, Japan – November 30

Please join NAEGA in Tokyo, Japan for a seminar on Commercial and Official Best Practices in the Japan-U.S. Grain Trade!

Led by NAEGA Senior Advisors Sam Bonilla and Andrew Marting and President and CEO Gary Martin, this seminar is an interactive, industry-wide opportunity to learn and exchange ideas on major official and commercial practices effecting the Japan-U.S. grain trade. 

Please click here to register for the Seminar. 

The preliminary agenda includes:

13:00-13:15: Welcome and introductions 

13:15-13:45: Update on current official and commercial practices and an identification of needs and opportunities. 

13:45-15:00: Introduction to the global contracting environment and the NAEGA 2 Contract

15:00-15:30: Break
 15:30-16:00: NAEGA 2 Contract revisions review

16:00-16:30: Best official practices in the Japan-U.S. grain trade 

16:30-17:00: Dialogue on global, regional and the Japan-U.S. bilateral trade relationships 

17:00: Adjourn

The seminar is free to NAEGA members and non-members. NAEGA member representatives are encouraged to invite others by forwarding this invitation. 

Please contact Ryan Olson at rolson@naega.org or 202-682-4030 if you have any questions. 

Japanese Grain and Oilseed Industry Cocktail Reception – November 30

Please join industry and government colleagues including NAEGA President Gary C. Martin and Senior Advisors Samuel Bonilla and Andrew Marting for a celebration honoring the Japanese grain and oilseed industry.

The North American Export Grain Association looks forward to hosting this business networking cocktail reception on November 30 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM JST at TKP Gardencity Shinagawa, Shinagawa Goos.

Please RSVP to Gary Martin (gcmartin@naega.org) or Ryan Olson (rolson@naega.org) or at the registration link here.

Upcoming Contracts and Best Practices Seminar – Tokyo, Japan

With the release of the revised NAEGA 2 contract on March 30, NAEGA conducted several educational seminars in 2018 to communicate these revisions and educate on the contract and industry best practices.

As we move forward into 2018, we are considering locations for our upcoming seminars. Let us know if you are interested in attending or hosting!

NAEGA seminars are an intensive and informative review of commercial and official practices taught in an interactive environment. The goal of each seminar is to improve predictability, reduce risks, resolve trade barriers and facilitate profitable trade.   

NAEGA conducts both public and private seminars, and curriculum can be tailored to your needs.  Please contact Ryan if you are interested in hosting a private, tailored seminar at your office. Click here for more information on the in-depth, interactive programs NAEGA conducts!  

RCC Stakeholder Forum – Washington, D.C. – December 4-5

NAEGA members are invited to attend a meeting of the U.S.- Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council’s 2018 Stakeholder Forum on December 4-5 in Washington, D.C. The stakeholder forum will bring together senior regulatory officials, industry, and other interested members of the public from both sides of the border to discuss recent accomplishments and new opportunities for regulatory cooperation. Further information, including location and agenda, can be found here.

Prior to the forum, the U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is requesting information and soliciting public input on how the Federal Government, under the auspices of the RCC, may reduce or eliminate unnecessary regulatory differences between the United States and Canada. OIRA also seeks public comment to identify ongoing or emerging areas for which cooperation could reduce the risk of divergence between U.S. and Canadian regulations. The comments submitted in response to the RFI may inform agencies' development of regulatory reform proposals to modify or repeal existing agency requirements to increase efficiency related to economic activity with Canada, reduce or eliminate unnecessary or unjustified regulatory burdens, or simplify regulatory compliance, while continuing to meet agency missions and statutory requirements.

The request for comments can be found here. Please let us know if you are interested in participating. These comments are due on November 8, 2018.

 U.S. Barge Trade Digitization Project Workshop

NGFA is convening a workshop this week in St. Louis to help determine next steps, including developing a prototype and establishing a project timeline for a new digital data exchange system for documents used in Mississippi River barge trade.  The NGFA-organized  task force is seeking input from other industry participants on the core requirements of a new system and any other feedback they should consider. Broad adoption by the industry is critical to achieving the maximum potential cost savings associated with the new system.     

All inquiries and feedback are welcome.  Please contact Julie Detlefsen (Julie_Detlefsen@cargill.com) or Charlie Delacruz (cdelacruz@ngfa.org) with any questions or comments.    

U.S. Food and Agriculture Dialogue for Trade

The U.S. Food and Agriculture Dialogue for Trade will hold a meeting at 10am on Tuesday, August 30 at the American Farm Bureau Federation. Ray Starling, Chief of Staff to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue will speak to dialogue members about USDA initiatives and the Trump Administration’s trade policies.

A tentative agenda and registration link will be available in the coming days.

APHIS Webinar on Biotechnology Regulations – September 20

APHIS’ Biotechnology Regulatory Services’ Biotechnology Quality Management Support program is hosting a free webinar on monitoring or volunteers on Thursday, September 20 from 1:00pm-3:00pm. The webinar will provide details and supporting examples on the relationship between volunteer monitoring activities and compliance with APHIS’ biotechnology regulations.

Register or find more information about the webinar here.