William Mark

Bill Mark is an international market development specialist with 38 years of experience in agricultural development in Latin America.  He is skilled in managing both private sector and US government –funded development projects in Mexico, Central and South America.  Mr. Mark has served as country director for Venezuela for IRI Research Institute, Inc., International Director of Programs for Latin America, the Middle East and Sub Saharan Africa for the US Grains Council, Director of International Marketing for the Texas Grain Sorghum Association and has managed ranches in Paraguay, Venezuela and Honduras. 

In Venezuela, Mr. Mark put together a development team to start a commercial tropical pasture seed company, set up a model ranch for the Ministry of Agriculture and managed large cattle ranches.  The tropical pasture seed company introduced several African grasses to Northern South America; the most important introduced grass was Brachiaria humidicola, a drought resistant grass that has become a major tame pasture for cattle operations in the semi-arid regions of Northern South America. 

While working with the US Grains Council he was successful in establishing a public-private partnership, through establishing an Egyptian buffalo producers association, obtained funding from both the Egyptian and US governments and then established a buffalo producer’s bank.  This bank was designed to assist the buffalo producers in funding their operations while at the same time helping the US grain farmer in maintaining an export market for approximately 400,000 metric tons of US feed grains annually. 

Recently Mr. Mark has been working with the Texas Grain Sorghum Association in developing channel management systems to improve net income for US cooperative farmers and Mexican sorghum end users.  One of the results of this development effort is that there is currently approximately 400,000 metric tons annually of Texas grain sorghum being directly marketed from Texas elevators to Mexican end users.  The channel management work has been centered on improving logistics efficiencies, hedging grain (risk management), grain quality control through use of Near Infrared Technology –utilizing the Internet and increasing direct contact between suppliers and buyers.  Mr. Mark designed, submitted and obtained funding from USDA/FAS (emerging markets program), Texas Grain Sorghum Association, Texas Department of Agriculture, US Commerce Department (Economic Development Administration) and support from the Mexican Government (State Agricultural Development Commissions, ASERCA and Federal Banking Institutions – FIDA) to do the channel development work in Mexico for the direct marketing program. 

Mr. Mark is fluent in Spanish, graduated with a BS in Animal Poultry Science from the University of Delaware and has an MS in livestock production and range management from Texas A&M University.