Mark Wilson Will Represent Corn Sector on US Grains Council Board of Directors

July 29, 2021
A man in a suit and tie is smiling in front of a corn plant.

Mark Wilson, a corn farmer from Toulon, IL and a director on the Illinois Corn Marketing Board, is named the next Corn Sector Representative on the U.S. Grains Council Board of Directors today during the organization’s summer meeting in Des Moines, IA.

 

Other Illinois leadership of the Council are immediate past chairman Jim Raben from Ridgway, IL and At Large Director Don Duvall from Carmi, IL.

 

“My goal has always been to consider how we [the corn industry] might stay in front of the issues and not always be playing defense. We must lead rather than follow,” Wilson said.


Wilson understands that leading the way on global corn trade issues can involve risk, but he knows that farmers understand risk and are up for the challenge.

The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. With full-time presence in 28 locations, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability.

 

The Illinois corn checkoff is a funder of the U.S. Grains Council’s work, which is extremely important to Illinois farmers given that more than half of the Illinois corn crop leaves the state via the river system for export.

 

Wilson will begin his term August 1 and will serve for two years.

Justin Moore headshot
By Tara Desmond July 23, 2025
Meet Justin Moore a staff member at IL Corn.
washington dc photo
By Lindsay Croke July 17, 2025
“If such language is included in the policy recommendations, it could significantly hamper the work of America’s farmers and raise prices on consumers without providing any additional layer of safety for the American public,” the letter said. “If the pesticides in the original report were to disappear completely, crop
FFA students at USDA
By Lyndi Allen July 17, 2025
IL Corn leaders met with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to discuss key ag priorities like trade, conservation, ethanol, and lock and dam infrastructure, while mentoring the next generation of advocates from Illinois FFA.
corn
By Lydia Rogers July 14, 2025
Debunking Myths
headshot of Shelby Watson
By Tara Desmond July 14, 2025
We recently caught up with Shelby Watson following the announcement of her promotion to Director, The Americas & Allied Industry Programs at USAPEEC. In her expanded role, Shelby is taking on new responsibilities across Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
Crops destroyed by storm
By Lyndi Allen July 10, 2025
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the new Supplemental Disaster Relief Program, providing assistance to farmers with crop losses due to natural disasters in 2023 and 2024.
Show More