The US Dry Bean Council’s new Executive Director/
“Relationships to me are very important in this industry”

Daniel on…his first few months at USDBC

• “It’s been a really fun time getting to meet the members and touring around some of the states. It’s my intent to visit as many members as I can to get to know them as relationships to me are very important in this industry.”

• “Technology such as this certainly has its place and has brought us closer together, but there’s lots to be said for being in person and conversing with someone at meetings or events. I make that a priority.”
• “Agriculture is a huge part of my life, professionally and personally, and part of the history of my family as well. I enjoy representing US agriculture domestically and internationally.”

…the upcoming season and dry bean harvest

• “We’re keeping a close eye on everything and Mexico and the southern US have already experienced some tropical systems. It’s nothing different from year to year in agriculture - it’s in the hands of mother nature and producers globally are resilient and optimistic. They know they can’t control the weather and have learned to improvise when adversity presents itself.”

…growing dry bean production

• “At this point I'm in the evaluation phase, both in administration and in looking at the markets at home and abroad. I want to get intimate with the data and info and then together with the membership and the Board we will look for areas of growth, where US dry beans can really focus in different markets around the world.”

…bean markets in the USA

• “It depends on the future of the foreign ag service and grant programs provided for agriculture in the US. There’s a new grant program, the regional ag promotion program, which is a new approach the foreign ag service is taking in grant funding and we appreciate their willingness to reevaluate the programs available in the past and create new ones that bring greater amounts of allocations to different commodities.”
• “We can only do so much with what we have so each year as we are allocated these funds, we have to evaluate the efficacy of the marketing initiatives in each individual region or country and see if we’re taking full advantage of the funds we are receiving.” 

…food aid and domestic programs

• “We plan to continue providing one of the safest, shelf-stable, least expensive protein sources for areas of the world that need it.” 
• “The domestic market is not very robust at the moment and we are looking at some programs to fund that bring US dry beans to the forefront and focus on their potential in terms of nutrition and affordability, especially in the context of the inflationary environment we are experiencing in the US.”

…sustainability in export markets

• “As far as the environment within Europe and the UK, that area of the world has always been very socially and environmentally conscious; they’re leaders and ahead of the curve in those areas.” 
• “I see it as more opportunity for the pulse industry as a whole. Especially when we look at pulses as a smart protein source; they’re not a just an alternative but a star of the plate in their own right - there’s a place at the table for everyone.” 

…the upcoming elections 

• “If we could predict what will happen in politics, we wouldn’t need to work! Any time an administration changes, at the end of the day the world has to eat and we are here to provide an affordable, abundant, nutritious source of protein that’s available for everyone. As far as the politics go, we have to learn to navigate those waters as we come to them.” 
• “No matter what administration has office, we want to work with everyone for the betterment of the pulse industry and the dry bean community.” 

… his goals and focus areas

• “Administratively, my primary goal is to get the industry headed in the same direction in terms of domestic and international marketing and things like sales figures reporting, to get an accurate depiction of where we are in terms of volume, acres etc.” 
• “Outside of that, the goal is to progress the market for US dry beans. How we do that will be up to the board but we’ve already been discussing some opportunities in reaching those goals and to remove dry beans as a side dish and give them a primary place on the plate, both in the US and on international markets - that’s the key goal.”

… eating beans

• “I’m absolutely a bean eater. I love them all. It depends on the cuisine but I love pintos and black beans, especially in the Latin American dishes we eat here in Florida. There’s not a bean that I don't like.”