Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
The grain industry is evolving and with transformation comes opportunity. As new technologies, market shifts and industry challenges emerge, jeeps is at the forefront, helping our members stay informed, connected and ahead of the curve. In this episode, we’re exploring how these changes are shaping the future of what Jeeps is doing to support you let’s get started. The future of what GEAPS is doing to support you let’s get started. Hello and welcome to the show. Welcome to the Whole Grain Podcast. My name is Jim Lenz, your host and producer of the show and the director of global education and training at Cheaps, where the mission of the Grain Elevator and Processing Society is to champion, connect and serve the global grain industry and our members. At Cheaps. We work to be the global community and thought leader for the grain industry, which feeds and fuels the world. Thanks for listening today and for joining the network of thousands of other grain handling and processing professionals across the globe taking strategic steps to grow professionally. The Whole Grain Show will give you the competitive advantage to win at work so you can make more of an impact. We thank all the listeners out there. In our two years with Whole Grain, we have listeners from 83 countries. At this point. We thank our whole Jeeps family and grain industry professionals for joining us.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
Our guest today is John Caupert, Executive Director of Jeeps.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
We’ll discuss the transformational shifts happening in agriculture and what they mean for Jeep’s members, whilst we reflect on the success of Jeep’s Exchange 2025, the introduction of the grain processing track, the launch of our new Welcome to the Grain Industry course and the Jeep’s Grain Industry Glossary all initiatives designed to empower professionals like you. All that and more coming up next. Today we have a very special guest joining us, someone who plays a key role in leading Jeeps into an exciting future. John Caupert, the executive director of Jeeps, is here to talk about the transformational shifts happening in agriculture and what that means for Jeeps members. We just wrapped up Jeeps Exchange 2025, held February 22nd through the 25th at the Kansas City Convention Center, and it was an incredible event. Today, we’ll reflect on the highlights of Exchange 2025, explore new initiatives like the grain processing track, the launch of the new Welcome to the Grain Industry course and the Jeep’s Grain Industry Glossary all designed to support our members in the broader industry. John, welcome to the Whole Grain Podcast. Great to have you back.
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
Jim, it’s great to be here again, very much looking forward to this podcast, not only reflecting on all the amazing things that occurred at Exchange but, as you mentioned, all these new initiatives that Jeep’s is launching as we move forward.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
So we just got done with Jeeps Exchange, the biggest event in the grain handling and processing industry this year. We saw a dynamic mix of education, networking and innovation. John, can you give us and our listeners, your perspective on how the event went overall?
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
Yeah, jim, I can. Thank you so much for asking Jeeps Exchange. You know, after 2024, in the back of my mind, I wondered a little bit about how are we going to top what we did in 2024? And then there was the financial downturn in the ag economy throughout 2024. I wondered just a little bit more how are we going to top what we did in 2024? But we did top what we did in 2024, and we did it in major ways, record-setting ways, beginning with more than 3,900 registrants. That’s a 200-registrant increase over 2024. Over 2024. In 2024, we had a sold out expo of 391 different companies. Jeep’s Exchange 2025, we had 417 companies. So, even with some of the challenges that are out there in the ag economy, what were the key contributors to this exchange success in 2025? I’ll list a few.
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
Number one, the grain processing track, as you referenced, Jim. You know what that grain processing track did was it brought for the first time in history. For the first time in the 95-year history of Jeep’s Exchange, it brought the agricultural commodity groups National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association to Jeep’s Exchange. It also brought the Renewable Fuels Association, a leading biofuels trade association, to Exchange 2025. With the corn growers, with the American Soybean Association and with the Renewable Fuels Association, we talk all things grain processing and how, what farmers do as members of corn growers and American Soybean Association and as ethanol plant members do with Renewable Fuels Association, how they can work with us at Jeeps and how we at Jeeps can work with them in return to promote things. All things agriculture. It was just fantastic, Jim. It was absolutely fantastic.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
That makes this grain industry smaller. So many connections are made and they did a lot of speaking as well, besides networking opportunities with these different groups. Yeah, that’s a great start to describe that. One of the big themes this year was embracing transformational shifts in agriculture. How did that play into the educational sessions and discussions at Exchange?
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
Transformational shifts is key right now, Jim, and you know transformational shifts is one of those areas where you know what some may view as a challenge, we at Jeep’s view as an opportunity. Agriculture is going through a couple of transformational shifts Frankly, transformational shifts unlike anything that we’ve seen since the early 1980s. So I want to talk about both of those and how we saw this reflected in a very positive way, not only in exchange, but with what we’re doing here at Jeeps through various new initiatives. One of those transformational shifts is in the workforce, Agriculture in general. We are an aging workforce. We are retiring at a rate faster than what we can be replaced.
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
This is bringing a whole new generation of folks the non-farm, the non-rural America backgrounded folks into agriculture. This is incredibly exciting. These are folks who are new to the grain industry. Exciting, these are folks who are new to the grain industry, Jim. We had more than 1,300 first-time attendees at Jeep’s Exchange this year, and when we are offering member benefits, such as the Welcome to the Grain Industry course, which you referenced, and the Jeep’s glossary of terms and phrases, with more than 650 commonly used terms and phrases, this is not only an opportunity for us to welcome those who are new to this industry. It’s an opportunity for us to educate, motivate and inform those, and we saw this throughout the expo and educational sessions at Exchange.
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
Just incredibly exciting to see all this opportunity with folks not only new to Exchange but new to the industry.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
One of the things you just mentioned was increase in vendors and suppliers of the industry. People come there to get their problems solved, to get their questions answered, and there really is no better place to do that in person. It’s hard to beat that in-person thing, so let’s kind of focus on the Expo Hall right now. Obviously one of the major highlights for the Jeeps Exchange, highlights for the JEEPS exchange Based on your conversations just to me, just the surface area and the variety and depth scope of all the products and services that can support those in green facilities is immense. It’s just, it was a beautiful thing to see and there’s a lot of engagement. So, focusing on the Expo Hall Hall from your standpoint, can you describe some of those innovation trends and any other thing you noticed there?
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
Jim, it was amazing You’re absolutely right of this expansive expo at Exchange 417 different companies representing almost the entirety of the value and the supply chain of all things grain and grain processing. It’s an image that I will carry for a very, very long time, some of the highlights not only the, you know, one major highlight being just the excitement of companies that have always heard of exchange. Maybe they attended exchange as a registrant but they hadn’t been an exhibitor before and now they are. And when you talk to those folks they’re like I maybe haven’t done this before, but you know what, I’m in it now and I’m here. I’m here for the long term and they tell you why.
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
And one of the reasons that they give is the networking. The opportunity to meet with existing customers, new and old, or prospect customers is all great. Another real highlight, I believe, of the expo floor is where we’re seeing more and more in the area of automation and technology. The world is evolving, agriculture is evolving, we’re becoming more dependent on new forms of automation and technology, and seeing many of these cutting edge areas of automation technology on the expo floor again, Jim, I think it just scratches the surface of what future Jeeps exchanges are possibly going to look like.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
And, of course, an event like Exchange doesn’t happen without incredible collaboration. Can you talk about the engagement from our Chiefs members and industry partners this year?
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
Jim, the engagement was just incredible. It was absolutely incredible. I’ll start with the sponsorship. A conference like Jeeps Exchange would not be possible without our sponsors. Exchange 2024, we had two platinum level sponsors. Exchange 2025, we had five platinum level sponsors. We introduced a new level of sponsorship at Exchange 2025. And that was the opportunity for a company, or, in this case, two different companies, to sponsor the keynote session. So it was fantastic to see the coming together of our sponsors.
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
I’ve talked about our exhibitors, those 400 plus companies out there exhibiting would not be possible without them as well. But it also goes a step further in the collaboration of our membership. Now Jeeps again, we use terms like community and thriving community. I actually like the term family because that’s what we are. We are a family of thirty five hundred plus members, strong, all in this together. Right, we’re taking grain and we’re feeding, fueling and clothing the world from these grain products. So see this collaboration and the camaraderie that is built from it, not only leading up to exchange, but then seeing it in person at exchange. I like to think, Jim, that at the end of the day, that’s what you and I as staff with this great organization, that that’s a measure of success, seeing the collaboration and the camaraderie that’s built from it.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
Yeah, there are some great opportunities all throughout this event and one of the exciting additions this year was the introduction of the grain processing track, as noted. This really expands our focus beyond grain handling into the processing side of the industry. John, what inspired this track and how do you see it benefiting our members and you were part of a panel as well Can you describe that? What are the talking points for those who, as a review, for those who attended and for those who have not? In the trade show floor we had sessions going on and then, outside of that, the education sessions. We had other components of this. Can you just kind of elaborate a little bit more on that?
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
I can, Jim, you know. First, I have to give credit to you and everything that you’re doing and leading our education training committee and these you know kind of advancements in technology and the grain processing space. I also have to give a lot of credit to the Exchange Educational Planning Committee, which is made up of members, volunteer members, staff liaison being Betsy Poulis, staff liaison being Betsy Poulis, because between you, Jim, with what you and your team is doing on education and training Betsy, the way she’s leading the Exchange Education Planning Committee, they’re recognizing a second, one of these transformational shifts. The first one we already talked about, right, the changing dynamic in the workforce. But a second transformational shift that’s occurring is the flow, if you will, of grain Meaning.
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
Where’s our corn, soybeans, wheat, primarily grain sorghum, rice? Where is it going once it leaves the farm? Well, one area in particular which is just continuing to grow and develop is this processing area of biofuels, now corn-based ethanol. No, it’s not new, it’s been around nearly 20 years. But between 40 and 45 percent of our total corn crop in the United States is going into ethanol production. That’s grain processing. You’re taking that individual kernel of corn and, through a process called ethanol production, we’re producing fuel. We’re producing feed for animals in the form of distiller’s grains. We’re producing a very pure form of corn oil. This directly contributed to the growth in Exchange Expo, as well as a number of first-time attendees at this year’s Exchange. And I believe, Jim, now that we have laid the foundation, if you will, of grain processing, what we will see from Jeep’s Exchange forward is a continuing to build upon that and having groups like corn growers, American Soybean Association, Renewable Fuels Association and others on board with this, jim, as you said earlier, it really brings the family of agriculture together as one.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
Absolutely Good that you mentioned that. Can you describe some of those folks that were brought in to speak in the grain processing sector and some of the other key points they made?
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
I can. Longtime friend Robert White, Senior Vice President of Industry Relations of Renewable Fuels Association. Robert and I go back well over 20 years. He was with Kansas Corn Growers Association when I was with National Corn Growers Association. So 20 plus years ago, before the ethanol industry was a household word, Robert and I we were traveling the country together promoting ethanol made from corn, ethanol made from corn and how it could benefit America’s farmers, rural communities, energy independence, contribution to GDP and all these other areas.
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
And Robert is somewhat in a league of his own because Robert, like many of us, is a farm kid. Robert started with Kansas Corn Growers Association before moving into renewable fuels and what makes Robert very, very special as a spokesperson on these issues is he not only understands it, he’s worked it Literally, from farm to fuel, beginning with the farmer and ending with the consumer purchasing the fuel. Robert has worked all those areas. And for me, just on a special note you know Robert is Robert White is also a decorated Army veteran. He served his country in uniform before servicing in his country in the role that he does now and I just think that makes him a very, very special component of what we did at Jeeps Exchange and what those organizations bring to Jeeps Exchange.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
Right. I think another thing to touch on is new offerings that we have for Jeeps. Members Welcome. The Grain Industry Course is one of those things. It’s another major milestone for Jeeps and it’s designed for, of course, newcomers, whether they’re high school students, college interns or new employees to the industry. John, can you tell us about the vision behind this course and what makes it unique?
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
Jim. We have so many new initiatives and offerings coming in 2025. It’s kind of hard to contain the excitement on this, and who knows?
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
maybe I shouldn’t be containing the excitement, because it is exciting. We have new member benefits coming in the form of, as you just mentioned, the Welcome to the Grain Industry course. What a wonderful, wonderful introductory course to those who are new, but maybe not so new to the industry Old veterans like me, you know. There are things in this course that I can learn, or at least be reminded of, and I think that is fantastic. We talked about this glossary of terms, something that you and your education training committee worked on, and many other subject matter experts. Again, over 650 commonly used terms and phrases in the grain industry. What’s important about that is, regardless of whether we’ve been in the industry 30 days or 30 years, this glossary is something that all of us can utilize. All of us can use this as a resource, which I think is great, but these are member benefits there’s things that we’re also doing to address the industry as a whole, for members and non-members.
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
This podcast for members and non-members, this podcast, I think, is a fantastic example of just that.
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
This is a method and a manner by which we can speak directly to our members and non-members alike, which is wonderful. Another new initiative is this intern initiative, as we’re calling it, part of our student membership program at Jeeps. We are working directly with the ABCs of the grain industry. We’re working with companies that will hire between five and 300 interns this summer, where Jeeps will be working directly with those companies under our intern initiative to offer to those college students serving an internship a full one-year complimentary Jeeps membership. And why is that important? Well, it’s not just important, it’s critically important Because, whether you’re going to a four-year university, a two-year community college or a vocational or trade school, that student who is serving an internship today, they are the workforce, they are the industry workforce of tomorrow and they are the industry leaders to come. So, launching this initiative in 2025, again, I just think, jim from an awareness standpoint, it brings Jeeps in contact with this new layer of the workforce, where we want to be and need to be.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
Good overview. Thank you for sharing that. Like for the grain industry glossary, it’s at jeepscom forward slash glossary. You know so many times people can speak in acronyms in any industry. Certainly is the case here. There’s new terms and you know it’s a quick resource that people can get to on any device that they’re on, whether it’s your phone, your tablet or a laptop, whatever it may be. So that helps in that area. And again, the green industry course helps for those who are new to the industry and also provides a guide for continual professional development and support them throughout their career. So it’s exciting. We have a new initiative we’ll see in 2025 and beyond. We’re excited about that. Any last wrap-up summary statements before we conclude here today.
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
Just a couple things, Jim. This is a message straight to our members, but then I also have a message for our non-members, or potential members that are out there. Number one, to our members we thank you. Jeeps is a member-driven organization first and foremost. We are here for our members and we thank you for your membership. To our non-members, we welcome you to join our family. As I mentioned, we frequently speak about being this community, this thriving community of folks employed in the grain and grain processing industry. Again, we’re 3,500 plus members strong and we’re looking to add a membership to the student, to the person that might be a facility manager or a facility superintendent, where they have interest in multiple folks that are part of their organization. Becoming a member Jeeps truly has something for everybody, which I think makes us unique. So, again to our members, we thank you for your membership. To those non-members that have been thinking about a Jeeps membership or would like to learn more, we’d entertain that conversation and appreciate the opportunity.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
Great wrap up, John. Thank you again for joining us here on the Whole Grain Podcast. We look forward to connecting with more members virtually, and plus we have a lot of in-person events coming up as well. I’ll leave that in the show notes. I’ll also put that in the outro for this show. But thank you so much, John.
John Caupert, Executive Director GEAPS:
Yep. Thank you, Jim, it’s been a pleasure.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
That wraps up another episode of the Whole Grain Podcast. A big thank you to John Cowpert for sharing his insights on the transformational shifts happening in agriculture and what that means for Jeeps members in the greater grain community. If you found today’s conversation valuable, be sure to hit the subscribe button on your favorite podcast platform, whether it’s Apple Podcasts, youtube Podcasts, spotify, pandora, amazon Music or wherever you listen YouTube podcasts, Spotify, pandora, amazon Music or wherever you listen. You can also find the Whole Grain podcast on the Jeeps website at www. geaps. com slash wholegrain. Be sure to share this with your friends and colleagues. Don’t forget about the new free member benefits.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
Jeeps is excited to offer two new member exclusive resources to support new employees and hiring managers. The Welcome to Grain Industry course is a complementary interactive introduction to the grain industry designed for newer employees. This self-paced online course includes videos, interactive activities and expert insights to help participants build foundational knowledge, understand industry significance and gain confidence as they start their careers. A certificate of course completion is awarded at the end to add value to their professional portfolio. The Jeeps Glossary is a practical tool for clarifying terminology across teams in the industry. This resource ensures consistent understanding of key industry terms and acronyms, making it ideal for onboarding and team development. There are still more ways to grow with Jeeps. Looking for additional learning opportunities, jeeps offers 25 online on-demand courses covering essential topics for both newcomers and industry veterans.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
We also provide a one-of-a-kind Jeep’s credentialing program, giving you the opportunity to earn credentials that demonstrate your expertise, commitment and ability to grow within the industry. Jeep’s credentials include the Credential and Grain Operations Management, the Specialist in Grain Quality Management. Specialist in Grain Handling Equipment Management. A Specialist in Property and Casualty Risk Management, a Master in Credential and Grain Operations Management and the Credential and Grain Processing Management. Beyond credentialing, jeeps provides an ongoing lineup of webinars, a video library packed with hundreds of searchable industry videos and the biggest event in the grain industry, the Jeeps Exchange. We’ll see you next time.
Jim Lenz, Director of Education, GEAPS:
University for two in-person training events the hands-on training for the operation and maintenance of conveying equipment and the green elevator manager’s course. Check out the Jeeps website at www. geaps. com, that is, g-e-a-p-s dot com, for all the details. Finally, if your organization is interested in sponsoring an episode, being a featured guest or placing an audio commercial on a future episode, I’d love to connect with you. Reach out to me, Jim Lenz, director of Global Education and Training at Jeeps, at james@geaps. com. Thanks for listening and until next time, stay safe, stay informed and keep making an impact in the green industry. Have yourself a great day.
