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Name: Dwain Ford, IALP ‘90 Current Occupation:
Owner/Operator of Ford Farms a 1,400 acre grain operation;
Ford’s Pork Farm a 1,070 sow farrow to wean swine facility
shipping 33,000 weaning pigs annually; and president of M &
D Seed Company selling corn and seed beans, Kinmundy, Ill.
Current Leadership Role(s):
Vice President/Secretary of the American Soybean Association
(ASA) Board of Directors; chairman of the Trade Policy &
International Affairs Committee (ASA) which has 14 offices
throughout the world promoting U.S. soybeans and soy products;
director, Illinois Soybean Association and director, Marion
County Farm Bureau.
How did you achieve your current leadership position(s)?
By beginning with obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in business
administration/economics at McKendree College and a master’s
degree in agriculture from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale, Ill. My area of concentration was international
trade and marketing so I traveled to Brazil and Argentina and
did my thesis on soybean production in Brazil. My career
occupations have included 25 years in production agriculture, 10
years in the banking industry, and 5 years in the retail
industry.
I am also a strong believer in continuing education having
graduated from the Illinois Ag Leadership Program, Illinois Farm
Bureau’s Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow program, Dupont’s
Young Leaders Program, ASA/Zeneca Environmental Leadership
Program, and am now participating in the ASA/Cargill
International Trade Leadership Program.
What do you feel are the agricultural industry’s top
priorities? Especially in your sector and how you’re impacting
them.
The ascension of China in the World Trade Organization (WTO)
and the United States giving Permanent Normal Trade Relation (PNTR)
status to China. China has the largest population in the world,
and provides the greatest sales opportunity of U.S. soybeans and
soy products. If we fail to give PNTR to China, we will be
giving this market away to our competitors. China will be
joining the WTO, so it is imperative we give PNTR to to do away
with tariff rate quotas China is now imposing on U.S. soy.
Another priority issue is the improvement of the infrastructure
system in the United States, especially the lock and dams on the
Illinois and Mississippi rivers. We are losing one of the main
competitive advantages the United States has over Brazil and Argentina. The Brazilian government, with outside investors, is
spending more than $300 million on its infrastructure this year.
This is giving Brazil the economic incentive to continue to
expand acreages in the state of Mato Grosso, and other regions
in north central Brazil. Brazil and Argentina already have
several competitive advantages such as labor, seed, chemical,
and land cost.
How did the IALP prepare you for where you are now?
The IALP is a very diverse and intensive program that
provides the participant with the tools needed to become a
successful leader in today’s complex world. I believe the IALP
provided me with seminars that gave me the confidence and
knowledge to meet the challenges as a leader at the state and
national levels. The contacts I made during the program have
been invaluable. Also, the friendships that can develop during
the program last a lifetime.
What was your greatest benefit as a participant of the IALP?
Our class’s international seminar to Brazil and Argentina.
That seminar was the building block for my experience and
knowledge development of that region of the world.
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