The Grain & Feed Association of Illinois is the statewide trade association for the grain and feed industry in Illinois. The Association traces its roots back to 1893 when a group of privately held companies called the Illinois Grain Dealers Association joined efforts. Since that time there have been three other associations that in 1971 merged together to become the Grain & Feed Association of Illinois. Currently, The Grain & Feed Association of Illinois has a staff of four and is governed by a Board consisting of eleven state-wide Directors and six Executive Committee members. The Association has 240 member companies who represent over 950 facilities in Illinois and the neighboring states of Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri and Iowa. More than 90% of the commercial grain storage space in the state of Illinois is represented by the Grain & Feed Association of Illinois. Our members range in size from multi-national organizations to small, single facility operations. Membership consists of country and terminal grain elevators, feed dealers, feed manufacturers, grain brokers, truckers and both corn and soybean processors. In addition, there are over 160 members allied to the grain and fee industry. They include banks, construction companies, futures brokers, accounting firms, insurance companies, equipment suppliers and others. The Grain & Feed Association of Illinois is affiliated with the National Grain & Feed Association ( NGFA ) and the American Feed Industry Association ( AFIA ). The Board of Directors, many volunteer committee members and staff all work collectively to further the organization and fulfill the Association's mission. Most activities fall within three categories: 1 ) Education, 2 ) Information and 3 ) Government Relations. A primary focus of the Association is to build positive relationships and alliances with various state and federal governmental regulatory agencies, the Illinois General Assembly and the United States Congress. The SafetyHealthEnvironmental Services Program ( SHES ) was developed in 1989 to address safety education and training needs. This is a well-respected safety program and has one full-time employee dedicated to promoting industry safety and providing training and assistance to members who belong to this program. The Association also provides many educational conferences and informational meetings each year and facilitates an annual convention & trade show. In addition, the Association implemented a scholarship program in 1963 for junior college and university students. Since then member generosity and student involvement have grown tremendously in a collaborative effort to not only support students but to also foster the next generation of leaders involved in the grain and feed industry.