Growing up on a small beef cattle farm in Ohio, Gary Williams has always dabbled in different aspects of agriculture. With a seasoned career that includes 35 years of experience in merchandising, transportation and managing specialty grains and oilseeds from seed to end-use, Williams has donned another hat as executive director of Northern Soy Marketing (NSM).
“We are really excited to have Gary leading NSM as our executive director,” NSM chair Glen Groth said. “With a background in developing markets for a variety of commodities, he is uniquely qualified to help us bring our message of Northern Soy quality to customers around the world.”
Williams took the reins in December and felt it was a natural fit following several years in Vancouver, Wash., playing a role in selling soybeans overseas and witnessing the challenges associated with helping customers understand the value of northern-grown soybeans.
“It’s a really nice role to have gravitated into because it has been a little bit of a battle to get consumer and customer education, understanding how they need to be comparing apples to oranges in this case, and how it all relates nutritionally for the betterment of our soybeans that execute primarily out of the Pacific Northwest waterways,” Williams said.
Harnessing the tools he’s cultivated as director of transportation and regulatory affairs at the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) and as executive director of the Upper Mississippi Waterway Association (UMWA), Williams recognizes that NSM’s messaging will continue to evolve.
“As much as we know, there’s more that we continue to learn,” he said. “As we continue to develop an understanding of the nutritional benefits and herd and flock response to feeding a natural protein and energy content and also the significance of where that growing area is, and the collection and identity of it, our message is going to change a little bit over time.”
The changes within NSM’s messaging will also correlate alongside adaptations within feeding operations.
“They have changes that they make,” Williams said. “There’s advancement and evolution that takes place, and fitting up to where their needs are, whether met or unmet, is all part of what NSM’s focus will continue to be.”
Williams says NSM will continue to prioritize promoting the value of northern-grown soybeans through multiple webinars and inviting groups to step foot on the farm to understand the process from the field to supply chain.
“We also have trade missions to speak directly to the customer on their turf,” Williams said. “It makes them more comfortable and easier for them to listen and accept when you’ve come to them, it also shows a commitment that obviously you’re standing behind a product, that they can see that there’s the validity to what you’re saying, or you wouldn’t be spending the money, effort, and energy on your own personal time to be on their soil, to talk about it.”
