"I'm so old I remember when all communications between the U.S. Grains Council's D.C. office and the overseas offices were via fax and Sprintmail," says Cary Sifferath, now marking 20 years of Council service.
Sifferath, USGC regional director for the Middle East and Africa, has weathered difficult times during his Council career, from the Southeast Asia economic crisis of 1997/98, when he was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to biotech corn issues when he ran the Japan office and more recently the Arab Spring movement, which began outside his front door in Tunisia.
He's quick to tally up many good days too: the first-ever U.S. corn shipments into Vietnam, the introduction of dried distiller's grains with solubles (DDGS) into Japan and China, reducing import duties on corn co-products to open the door for trade into Algeria and Morocco, and the expansion of corn co-product exports as the U.S. ethanol industry has grown.
"Cary is a great asset," says Chris Corry, former USGC director of international operations. "He hit Tunisia right when trade barriers were an issue, and he brought trade policy experience from his time in Japan.
"He's been very effective with sorghum and DDGS in the European Union and with Algeria's high import duties. He's also very good at keeping contact with customers, making sure they are aware of what's happening in the U.S. market. That's a key component of market development, and Cary is very good and very well-placed."
At 20 years, Sifferath isn't resting on his laurels.
"While it's fun to look back at past programs that were successful, it's important to look forward to what we can do today," Sifferath says, citing the growing competition for feed grain markets.
"We have seen Brazil become a major corn supplier...as well as growth in the Ukraine and other Black Sea region countries making them new competitors," he says.
"The Council needs to continue with quality programs that address feed grain issues and provide superior information to our customers – and the Council needs to continue technical support and policy assistance where it will benefit U.S. exports.
"At the same time, the Council needs to look at new frontiers. What is the next big market? Sub-Saharan Africa? North Africa and the Middle East?" he says. "The world is always changing, and so does the Council's strategies."