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Don Hutchens to Receive USMEF Distinguished Service Award

Published: Oct 14, 2014

Don Hutchens is the 2014 recipient of USMEF’s Distinguished Service Award

Don Hutchens, who recently concluded a long career as executive director of the Nebraska Corn Board, has been named the 2014 recipient of the USMEF Distinguished Service Award.

Established in 1991, USMEF’s Distinguished Service Award is given to an individual in the red meat industry who exemplifies the exceptional dedication and outstanding capabilities responsible for the federation’s success. It will be presented Nov. 6 at the USMEF Strategic Planning Conference in Arlington, Virginia.

Hutchens joined the Nebraska Corn Board, a longtime USMEF member organization, in 1987. But his interest in global agricultural trade goes back even further.

“I first became very aware of the impact of international trade in the early 1970s, when I had just returned to the farm from college, and just as the Russians began buying large amounts of U.S. wheat,” Hutchens said. “The impact on the marketplace was very evident, and it made me realize even in the 1970s and 80s, that the U.S. represented such a small portion of the world’s population and there was no way we could consume everything we produced.”

At that time, his family farm had only a small cow/calf operation. But Hutchens realized that he had to add value to the corn he was growing, so he began feeding hogs.

“That value-added lesson I learned early on – it’s a big reason why I’ve always been a strong advocate of USMEF,” he explained. “Meat exports allow those in the grain industry to put a higher value on the commodity we produce, and it’s a win-win for both the grain industry and the livestock industry.”

Hutchens spent two years with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture – including a portion of that time as the agency’s director – before assuming the helm of the Nebraska Corn Board, where he quickly became active in USMEF.

“I chaired a USMEF communications committee back then that allowed me to become deeply involved in the organization’s strategic planning process,” he said. “This was extremely beneficial for me, because I was able to rub elbows with, and learn so much from, some of the great leaders of the U.S. livestock and grain industries, as well as the packing and processing sectors.”

USMEF Chairman Mark Jagels, who represented the Nebraska Corn Board on the USMEF Executive Committee, says Hutchens’ involvement with USMEF definitely benefitted him and his fellow corn board members.

“From the time I first became a member of the Nebraska Corn Board, Don was always trying to push us – to stretch us past our comfort zone,” Jagels said. “He has always been a great proponent of investing checkoff dollars internationally, and Don encouraged me early on to get involved with USMEF. I give him a lot of credit for me being asked to serve as a USMEF officer and the great experience I have had with this organization.”

Hutchens was also instrumental in building broad support for USMEF in the feedgrain and oilseed sectors.

“It was through Don’s leadership that the Nebraska Corn Board became one of the first commodity groups to invest in U.S. meat exports,” said Gary Marshall, CEO of the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council. “But his efforts didn’t stop at the Nebraska border. Don always encouraged other state corn and soybean programs to support USMEF, and he is truly one of USMEF’s strongest champions.”

Hutchens added that the opportunity to personally observe international programs and activities is one of the reasons he encourages active involvement in USMEF.

“If there is one thing that really left an indelible mark on me, it is that USMEF allowed me to actually see and experience the international marketplace and get a taste for how our products are received there,” he said. “It’s important that producers get the opportunity to do this, but it’s also very valuable for state executives and their staff members. They’re dealing not only with producers, but also the policy makers and media in their state. So it’s important that they be able to convey firsthand information about how checkoff dollars are being used effectively for international marketing, delivering value for all of U.S. agriculture.”