New IL Corn TV: How Trade Shapes Illinois Corn

When Andrew Brandt talks about trade policy, he doesn't start with tariffs or trade agreements. He starts with a simple idea: trade policy doesn't make the world go round — it decides what goes around the world.

Brandt serves as Director of Trade Policy for the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC), an organization that works with U.S. and foreign government officials to keep global doors open for American corn, feed grains, and ethanol. In a recent episode of IL Corn TV, he joined host Shane Gray to explain why that work matters to every corn farmer in Illinois.

The math is straightforward. The U.S. exports 15 to 25 percent of its corn crop in a given year. If those markets close, that grain doesn't disappear — it rolls into ending stocks, and prices fall. For a commodity crop already operating on thin margins, that kind of demand loss hits fast.

Looking ahead, Brandt sees Southeast Asia as the most immediate growth opportunity, with expanding middle classes and high populations driving protein demand. India and Africa hold longer-term potential, though both present challenges (India's protectionist trade policies and Africa's infrastructure gaps chief among them).

And then there's Brazil, which Brandt calls a "frenemy" because it's facing many of the same farming realities as U.S. producers, while also becoming an increasingly serious competitor on the world market.

Ethanol is also reshaping the export conversation. The U.S. set all-time records for ethanol exports last year, and interest continues to grow. While sustainable aviation fuel drew significant attention in recent years, Brandt says marine fuel is emerging as a major new opportunity. The scale of fuel consumption in global shipping is enormous, and ethanol is increasingly being looked at as a cleaner alternative.

Behind all of it is checkoff investment. The USGBC operates 10 offices around the world, funded by producer checkoffs, and the work those offices do is measured in years and relationships, not quarters. Brandt points to China as the example: USGBC opened its Beijing office in 1983.  Nearly two decades of market development later in 2000 we started to see consistent corn sales and payoff showed up.

"It takes a long time," Brandt said. "You got to prove yourself, and then you got to deliver a product."

It's not as visible as a government payment hitting a bank account. But for Illinois corn farmers, it's a significant part of what keeps demand and prices from going the wrong direction.

Watch the full episode below.