conveyconference – July 14-16, 2025

Presented by:

Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS), the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA), and the GEAPS Media Group (GMG) are
pleased to announce the CONVEY‘25 conference will be held again this year in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 14-16, 2025. CONVEY‘25 is a unique opportunity for grain handling and processing employees and leaders to gain practical knowledge and training on real-world compliance issues, best practices and emerging industry trends.

New this year, the conference opens with an OSHA Grain Handling Workshop. This session will provide an overview of how to work safely and comply with the agency’s industry-specific regulations that focus on housekeeping, bin-entry and preventive maintenance.

#CONVEY24

WiFi Network: Hilton Honors Meetings | Passcode: CONVEY24

#CONVEY24 | WiFi Network: Hilton Honors Meetings | Passcode: CONVEY24

PROGRAM

Monday, July 14

		Photo
12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Exhibitor Set-up
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Workshop: Overview of OSHA Grain Handling Standard, 29CFR 1910.272 OSHA regulates grain facilities with an industry-specific rule called the Grain Handling Standard. The standard is found in 29 CFR 1910.272 and focuses on requirements for controlling grain fires, grain dust explosions and hazards associated with entry into bins, silos and tanks. This session will provide an overview of how to both work safely and comply with the regulations. Speakers: John Lee, Safety, Health and Environmental Services Director, Grain and Feed Association of Illinois Jared Roth, Senior Director of Safety and Compliance, Bartlett	John Lee and Jared Roth
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.	Opening Reception in trade show area

Tuesday, July 15


7:00 a.m.	Breakfast in trade show area
8:00 a.m.	Welcome and Introductions
8:05 a.m.	Importance of Safety and the Impact within Operations Speaker: Rayner Freyberg, Executive Director for the United States and Mexico, Viterra	Rayner Freyberg
9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.	Break in trade show area
9:30 a.m.	Dust Mitigation Best Management Practices Dust mitigation at a grain elevator is a critical component of operations to ensure safety, prevent explosions, and maintain environmental compliance. This includes facility design, hazard assessments and emergency response. Speakers: Timothy Heneks, PE, Director of Engineering Services, CV Technology TJ Tuetken, Environment, Health, Safety, and Security Director, Ardent Mills	Timothy Heneks, PE and TJ Tuetken
10:30 a.m.	Dust Hazard Analysis for Existing Assets and Future Designs This session will offer strategies to address modification and safe design processes at grain handling facilities following a detailed Dust Hazard Analysis. This includes recommendations following risk analysis and design phase considerations. Speakers: Elisabeth Freeman, PE, Regional Project Engineering Manager, Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) Hans McDonald, Safety, Health and Environmental Specialist, Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC)	Elisabeth Freeman, PE and Hans McDonald
11:30 a.m.	Lunch
1:30 p.m.	Safety Culture and Employee Engagement The session will focus on how the shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to safety within an organization impacts employee engagement and the level of enthusiasm and commitment employees have in both their work and organization. Speakers: Scott Biel, Director of Safety, MKC Erin Mies, Co-Founder, People Spark Consulting	Scott Biel and Erin Mies
2:30 p.m.	Emergency Preparedness and Response Emergency response at a grain handling facility requires a well-coordinated plan to address the unique risks associated with these operations. This includes prevention and preparedness, emergency response steps and post-emergency actions such as root cause analysis and enhancing safety measures. Speakers: John Lee, Safety, Health and Environmental Services Director, Grain and Feed Association of Illinois Joe Mlynek, President, Progressive Safety Solutions Jared Roth, Senior Director of Safety and Compliance, Bartlett	John Lee, Joe Mylnek and Jared Roth
3:30 p.m.	Break in trade show area
4:00 p.m.	Return on Investment - Automation in Safety Safety, technology, and maintenance are critical aspects of the grain industry, and advancements in these areas play a significant role in enhancing efficiency, reducing risks, and ensuring smooth operations. This includes hazard monitoring technology for grain storage, drones and site analysis and automated transportation. Speakers: John Craven , Regional Safety Director, Viterra US Matt Surdick, Senior Director EHS, CHS	John Craven and Matt Surdick
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.	Reception in trade show area

Wednesday, July 16

Wednesday, July 16
7:00 a.m.	Breakfast in trade show area
8:00 a.m.	Welcome and Introductions
8:05 a.m.	Safety Culture: Lessons Learned In this session, a retired General Manager in the grain and feed industry will discuss cultural leadership. Specifically, he will provide insight into improving your company's safety culture by examining the impact and changes due to both significant accomplishments and tragic losses. Speakers: John McClelland, former General Manager, Garden City Co-op	John McClelland
9:00 a.m.	Human Organizational Performance This session will focus on how and why employees make mistakes or errors and how they were dealt with either from an organizational or individual perspective. Speakers: Ruben Chong, EHS Senior Specialist, Cargill Brian Wanzenried, VP EHS US/Mexico, Viterra Reggie Williamson, Senior Regional Safety Manager, Bunge	Ruben Chong, Reggie Williamson, and Brian Wanzenried
10:00 a.m.	Break in trade show area
10:30 a.m.	Shuttle Loading and Rail Safety This session will address how to mitigate hazards in the rail yard that could potentially cause harm to personnel, equipment, or commodity. Speaker: Kevin Watts, Manager of Safety Operations, Union Pacific	Kevin Watts
11:45 a.m.	Adjourn
12:30 p.m.	NGFA Safety, Health and Environment Committee Meeting