WASHINGTON, DC, US — Larry Groce, who served as chairman of the US Grains Council in 1994 and was credited with growing membership and steering the organization through significant changes in global trade during his tenure, died July 1 at the age of 80 in Quincy, Illinois, US.

Groce was elected chairman when the organization was called the US Feed Grains Council (USFGC), and the Council’s membership greatly expanded during his tenure before it became the US Grains Council. He guided the organization through major global trade shifts, including the enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and led the celebration of reaching the 50 billionth bushel of US corn delivered to Japan.

“It’s hard for me to have to say goodbye to Larry, a leader, colleague and friend,” said Tom Sleight, a former president and chief executive officer of the USGC. “His depth of caring, ever so deeply and consistently, about the Council’s past and future was striking. I know Larry thought about the Council and its various partners every single day.”

After his time as chairman, Groce was the executive director of the Grains Foundation, which raised money to support future agricultural leaders by escorting groups of college students to visit important international grain markets.

Groce received the Council’s lifetime achievement award in 2014 for his contributions to the USGC and the entire US agricultural sector.