Leading Industry speakers to address NGTC's 70th anniversary meeting

A roster of leading industry figures, including the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Chairman of the Chicago Board of Trade, and the President, Chairman and CEO of the BNSF Railway will speak at the National Grain Trade Council's (NGTC) Annual Meeting, Feb. 1 to 3 in Los Cabos, Mexico. The meeting celebrates NGTC's 70 years as a leading advocate and defender of open, competitive commerce in agriculture.

"We are at an exciting place in our evolution as a trade group with a strong voice to influence public policy in the dynamic agriculture and commodity industry," noted NGTC Chairman Randal Linville, CEO, The Scoular Co. "This meeting, with its stellar business program, kicks off an eventful year for us in which we anticipate addressing a bevy of critical issues for our members including regulatory treatment of agriculture futures vs. financial markets, new farm legislation, trade liberalization and the Doha Round, and hedge accounting."

Meeting speakers and topics are:

--Reuben Jeffery, III, Chairman, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the evolving regulatory environment for agriculture futures;

--Charlie Carey, Chairman, Chicago Board of Trade, CBOT update;

--Matt Rose, CEO and Chairman, BNSF Railway, rail transportation in the 21st century;

--David Hightower, The Hightower Report, energy markets and implications for transportation;

--Suzanne Heinen, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service attaché, Mexico, U.S.-Mexico trade issues;

--Dr. Jorge Leyva, Director General, SAGARPA/SENASICA, U.S.-Mexico border crossing issues;

--Mike Gagne, President and CEO, Winnipeg Commodity Exchange, electronic trading;

--Bill Lapp, President, Advanced Economic Solutions, prospects for U.S. agriculture.

The meeting also features a special 70th anniversary dinner on Feb. 2, honoring past chairmen of the association. Past chairmen attending the meeting are: James A. Layton (1971-1973), W. Brooks Fields (1973-1975), Richard McWard (1978-1981), Jerry Osborne (1995-1997), John M. (Mike) McGowan (2001-2003), and Thomas E. Neal (2003-2005).

The National Grain Trade Council, founded in 1936, is a North American trade association that brings together grain exchanges, boards of trade, and national grain marketing organizations with their grain industry counterparts including grain companies, millers and processors, railroads, futures commission merchants, and banks, to advocate and defend open, competitive commerce in agriculture.

Date:1/24/06