The United States hosted the 59th International Grains Council Session and 2024 Grains Forum this past week in New Orleans, Louisiana. The IGC discusses world grain market developments, monitors changes in national grain policies and provides critical grain and oilseed market information and analysis to its members.

The event kicked off with a Mississippi river tour sponsored by the North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA), ending at Cargill’s Westwego export terminal. IGC and the United States then hosted the 2024 Grains Forum “Biofuels market outlook and grains market development,” which assessed the current situation of the global biofuels sector and implications of the further developing energy industry will be for food and feed sectors. FAS Administrator Daniel B. Whitley kicked off the session. He was joined by the Commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain, who highlighted how agricultural sectors can take advantage of the growing global demand for energy by embracing new technologies and innovations in biofuel development.

The forum also included numerous roundtable discussions on topics such as opportunities for biofuel development in global markets, grain and oilseed market outlooks and biofuel perspectives, the impact of biofuels uses on grains trade, and long-term prospects for biofuel development. Throughout the meetings, the U.S. delegates were able to showcase the importance of climate-smart agriculture in future opportunities for biofuels markets.