Roots IOWA CORN
MEMBERSHIP POLICY MARKET DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH EDUCATION
September 2017
Roots ICGA Directors: Mark Recker, President Curt Mether, Vice President Kurt Hora, Chairman Dean Meyer, District 1 Jerry Maier, District 2 Mark Mueller, District 3 Jolene Riessen, District 4 Denny Friest, District 5 Jim Grief, District 6 Carl Jardon, District 7 Kyle Phillips, District 8 Roger Wuthrich, District 9
MEMBERSHIP
ICPB Directors:
POLICY
Duane Aistrope, President Wayne Humphreys, Vice President Larry Klever, Chairman Kelly Nieuwenhuis, District 1 Tom Renner, District 2 Greg Alber, District 3 Larry Buss, District 4 Roger Zylstra, District 5 Pete Brecht, District 6 Ralph Lentz, District 7 Gary Petersohn, District 8 Stan Nelson, District 9
The Iowa Corn Legacy — Cheers to 50 Years
2017 Annual Grassroots Summit Summary
MARKET DEVELOPMENT A Global Initiative for New Corn Markets
RESEARCH “Only the Beginning” — Iowa Corn Research Update
EDUCATION Iowa Row Crop, Cattle Farmer Finds Value in Cover Crops
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I am very honored to be stepping into the role of President of the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) during a year when we are celebrating an important anniversary. This year, ICGA is celebrating the historic occasion that is our 50th anniversary. For the last half-century, ICGA has done important work on behalf of Iowa’s corn farmers and we attribute our success to our farmer leaders and members.
7,500 MEMBERS STRONG
Our ICGA members have been instrumental in the success of this organization. It has been proven time and again that our members are not only committed to the job, but committed to doing the job right. We uphold these commitments because farming is not only a job, it is our livelihood and the future of our families. Throughout the last 50 years, our members have demonstrated outstanding leadership, and have been involved in creating and promoting beneficial legislation for corn farmers. As you know, our goal for ICGA is to reach 10,000 members. We need your help in asking your friends, neighbors, partners and family to join you in the Iowa Corn Growers Association. To advocate for our industry and be a voice for Iowa’s corn farmers, we need to continue to build our organization. We need your leadership and engagement at the county, district, state and national levels. Your involvement is key to our success. Mark Recker President, ICGA
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The Iowa Corn Legacy — Cheers to 50 Years T
Jim Greif, District 6 ICGA Director
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he Iowa Corn Growers Association has been representing our members throughout the last 50 years. And we would be remiss not to attribute our tenure in the agriculture industry without paying tribute to our leaders and dedicated farmers. Now, we might be a little biased, but we believe our farmer members and leaders are among the most hardworking and dedicated — dedicated to doing the job and doing the job right.
our halls, sat at the front of our boardroom and taken a seat in front of legislators in Des Moines or in Washington D.C. They have been involved in some of the most influential legislation for corn farmers and continue to offer guidance at both the state and federal level. We have a lot to learn from those that have headed up our organization throughout the decades and we wanted to share some of that wisdom with you.
As you know, 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and throughout the last half-century, there have been many farmer leaders that have walked through
Our leaders have been instrumental in the growth and reach of the Iowa Corn Growers Association. Without the current and former men and women that sit on the board, committees, districts and county organizations,
the political clout that follows Iowa Corn into any board room or hall of legislature would be non-existent. During the last 50 years, our reputation cannot be pinpointed to a certain program, or even a piece of legislation, but it can be attributed directly to our members. You have paved the way for future generations and have shown exemplary leaderships skills that are second to none. As was stated in the beginning, every person showcases their own way of leading, but every leader has showcased skills that have been just right for this organization and for that we are entirely grateful. We owe our success to you. We owe our past to you. And owe our future to you. Cheers to our 50th anniversary and thank you for your leadership and engagement.
U.S. Feed Grain team examines Columbian corn crop during a market development mission to South America. From left – right: D.G. Nelson – then Vice President of the Grain Sorghum Producers Association, Walter Goeppinger – then President of the National Corn Growers Association, John McCracken – Foreign Agriculture Service, Francisco Fernandez – Columbian Ministry of Agriculture, and Elbert Harp – then Director of the Grain Sorghum Producers Association. Roots • 2017 | 7
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At the beginning of the year, we reached out to current and former leaders to ask them to share some insight and experience from their time with the Iowa Corn Growers Association. We wanted to share a few of those responses:
What are you most proud of during your time with the Iowa Corn Growers Association?
“[I am most proud of the] passing the Iowa Corn Checkoff bill, which provided money to promote ethanol.”
What would you like to share with non-members who are considering joining the Iowa Corn family?
—Thurman Gaskill, 1967-88
“[I am proud of] presenting the Iowa Farm Bill study plan to the U.S. Senate on the opening day of hearings. I enjoyed leading the corn growers and the Iowa Farm Bill Study team.”
“I would tell them that they can make a difference for their operation and for the future generations. They can do so by becoming a member and helping craft policy that ensures a great future for the next generations of Iowa Corn growers. The support that you give, no matter your level of involvement, makes a difference in Iowa and Washington D.C.” —Bob Hemesath: ICGA President, 2015-16
—Doran Zumbach: ICGA President, 1994-95
“During the late 1990s, corn used nationally for ethanol and HFCS was about 1.8 billion bushels annually. During the next ten-year period, corn use for ethanol alone increased to over 5 billion bushels annually. Iowa Corn was a major player in helping realize this spectacular growth during a relatively short period of time.”
“Get involved and put forth as much effort as you can to make the organization better. There are issues that are new to the industry, as well as needing to re-think policies of the past, that need your perspective. You will only learn and grow if you put effort into it.” —Glen Moeller: ICGA President, 1995-96
—Ron Litterer: ICGA President,1999-2000; NCGA President,2007-08
“Proud to be a part of an organization that has very dedicated volunteers and staff who listen to the wishes of the membership and develop policy to address those wishes. I am also proud that ICGA was so instrumental in kick starting projects like: suggesting farmers support water quality monitoring, Iowa legislation that includes specific levels of ethanol in retail fuel sold, the Mississippi River lock and dam improvements and encouraging the Risk Management Agency to adjust crop insurance premium rates to reflect historical losses by crop and localized county.”
“Getting involved with Iowa Corn will give you the chance to promote corn and the way we grow it. It has given me and my family many opportunities to promote the crop we love to raise — from throwing candy in a local parade, to hosting international trade teams. Being involved at Iowa Corn has been a great way to teach my children the importance of promoting the corn we raise, and having them be involved has been very rewarding for me, and I am sure it has been rewarding for them as well.” —Kurt Hora: ICGA President, 2016-17
—Keith Sexton: ICGA President, 2005-06
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2017 Annual Grassroots Summit Summary
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he focus of the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) is protecting and defending our corn industry. Our policy development process is crucial for ensuring a bright future for generations to come, and supporting sound policy development and pro-farmer legislation at the local, state and national levels is what the ICGA does best. It is important to remember that our process is entirely grassroots driven — meaning that it begins and ends with our members. You help determine the future of our organization. Our development process is broken down into three steps beginning with the member survey that we send out every year. We use this as an opportunity for our members to provide policy
feedback and to help set the direction of our organization. We value your feedback and take great care in reviewing the comments that you send in. The second step would be our roundtable meetings that are held every summer across the state. We encourage all members to attend a roundtable and provide insight to Iowa Corn about what is happening on your farms. We use these regional roundtable meetings to discuss the how Iowa Corn can benefit your farm and hear the concerns of our members. Lastly, the culmination of our policy development process is the Annual Grassroots Summit. This year, the summit was held on Aug. 25-26 in Altoona, Iowa, at
the Prairie Meadows Conference and Events center. The summit began Friday with the local leaders forum for our grassroots attendees. We kicked off Day One with a welcome video from Governor Reynolds, followed by a personal address to the group by Lt. Governor Adam Gregg. As an I-LEAD class 6 member, the Lt. Governor recounted his involvement with ICGA and the impact of those leadership programs on his future. After hearing from Iowa’s Governor and Lt. Governor, members listened to a panel made up of former Iowa Corn leaders, including: former ICPB chair and NCGA’s first woman President Pam Johnson, former ICGA President Glen Moeller and former ICGA President
Pete Wenstrand. Iowa Corn CEO Craig Floss moderated the questions which largely surrounded involvement within Iowa Corn. Johnson offered some valuable knowledge to the attendees and told everyone to, “say yes” to any opportunity because you never know what doors will open for you. The local leaders forum also included something new this year — small group discussions. There were nine topics that members could choose from: Grain Trade and Export Promotion, Exports of Corn in All Forms, Ethanol Promotion and Marketing, Prescription for Corn Profits, Supporting Water Quality, Tax Reforms on the Horizon, Ag in the Trump Administration, Connecting
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey talks with an Iowa Corn member at the 2017 Annual Grassroots Summit.
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ICPB District 8 Director and Top Recruiter Gary Petersohn takes to the mic at the Grassroots Summit.
Corn to Consumers and Increasing Ag Literacy.
grateful to each and every member for their generous PAC donations.
Each panel had one or two industry professionals on hand to answer questions about these tending topics and discuss Iowa Corn’s involvement in these issues on behalf of our members. We received great feedback about offering these small group discussions and will revisit the panels for future events. Local leaders then dedicated some time to idea share on successful programming related to membership and recruitment. Members wrapped the evening with another successful fundraising auction for the Iowa Corn PAC, raising over $25,000 to support political engagement activities. We are continuously
Saturday morning was focused on development of the 2018 Iowa Corn policy and recognizing our achievements over the past year. In addition to recognizing the efforts of many of our outstanding local leaders and their programming at the county and district level, we also awarded members from outside the ICGA for their advocacy for the corn industry. Two “Friend of Iowa Corn” awards were given to Mike Gronstal, former Iowa Senate Majority Leader, whose support of ethanol, the Iowa Corn Checkoff and a plethora of other corn farmer issues has not gone unnoticed. The second recipient of the “Friend of Iowa Corn” award was Eric Branstad,
Director of America’s Renewable Future (ARF). Branstad organized, mobilized, and advertised on behalf of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and the 2016 presidential candidates that supported it. Our third award presented during the summit was the Walter Goeppinger Lifetime Achievement award which is given to an Iowa Corn member who has showcased exemplary leadership skills and service throughout his tenure with Iowa Corn. This year, we had the honor of recognizing past ICGA President Varel Bailey for his exceptional dedication to helping, improving and protecting the agriculture industry.
was led by ICGA Vice President Curt Mether. The delegate session is designed for members to discuss, debate and vote on corn industry issues and how Iowa Corn intends to continue protecting and defending Iowa’s corn farmers. More than 160 delegates attended the session to help set the 2018 policies and priorities for ICGA. Thank you to all members who took time out of their busy schedules to partake in the 2018 Annual Grassroots Summit. Your involvement and dedication to ICGA is what has been driving us forward for the last 50 years.
The summit also included the voting delegate session which
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2016-17 IOWA CORN USAGE
ETHANOL/FUEL
39%
As your 2017/2018 Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) President, I would like to thank you for your support of the corn checkoff. If there is one thing that Iowa farmers are good at — it is growing corn. And if there is one thing that the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) is good at — it is working year-round to continuously create opportunities for long-term corn grower profitability. Without you, we would not be able to ensure there would be adequate funds available to satisfy the demand for these much-needed renewable products, or promote research and education about the sustainability and versatility of corn and corn products. The ICPB works in multiple areas as we need to have our foot in the door of many markets, so our efforts are focused on new uses, expanding ethanol usage domestically as well as internationally, and trade for corn in all forms. All areas that the ICPB works on — promotion, education and market development are equally important in generating stability for the market and the future generations to come. Your support for the checkoff is greatly appreciated across the state. Your investments have allowed us to promote corn in its entirety. With your dedication to this industry, we will keep moving forward to create a sustainable future for the next generation.
FEED
26%
FOOD/INDUSTRIAL USE/ CORN PROCESSING
11%
EXPORTS
17%
RESIDUAL/OTHER
7%
Duane Aistrope President, ICPB
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MARKET DEVELOPMENT
A Global Initiative for New Corn Markets
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rotecting and maintaining our international relationships and keeping agricultural trades strong is of the utmost importance. Our relationships with international buyers need to remain healthy, and cultivating those relationships is something Iowa Corn, along with our partners, has been doing for a number of years. To promote these continued partnerships, we need to remain focused on buyer education and establishing customer loyalty. Iowa Corn works with several trade partners to ensure that agricultural trade remains strong in a number of countries. The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) aim to protect and increase agriculture trade by keeping up and grow the red meat demand overseas. Their main goal is to increase the value and profitability of the U.S. beef, pork and lamb industries by enhancing demand for their products in export markets through a partnership of stakeholders like Iowa Corn Promotion Board. One of the strategic priorities that USMEF focuses on is buyer education and loyalty. They work to educate buyers on the many attributes of U.S. red meat and red-meat products, building buyer loyalty to products from the United States. Throughout the year, USMEF sends delegates from Iowa Corn and other corn
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states overseas to talk trade and the importance of putting U.S. corn-fed meat on the world’s table. It is essential to facilitate these conversations and for key customers to meet the farmers producing their food. To help overseas buyers gain first-hand experience, Iowa Corn hosts several trade teams throughout the year — leading tours through Iowa farms to showcase products and the farmers that produce it. On average, we host around 200 international visitors a year. These tours are a way of getting our feet in the door to form new relationships overseas. One of the larger trade team events is hosted by Iowa corn farmer Gordon Wassenaar on his farm in Prairie City, Iowa. Each summer, Gordon opens up his homestead to several international delegations so they can see his farm firsthand and meet with Iowa Corn farmer leaders along with other ag leaders from our state. Throughout the years, Gordon has opened his farm to thousands of international buyers to speak on biotechnology, farming practices and importance of trade — all for the sake of creating customer loyalty and building relationships. Michael Fritch, Iowa Corn farmer leader and former I-LEAD Class 7 participant,
Denny Friest, ICGA Director, District 5.
traveled to meet with key customers in Japan and Korea to report on corn planting with the U.S. Grains Council (USGC).
“As a U.S. corn farmer, it is important to represent ourselves to the associations that are buying our products. The fact that we can sit down face-to-face and have those conversations is crucial, and the response to U.S. corn farmers and corn was very encouraging.” Cultivating relationships — whether domestic or international — is a critical part of the trade industry. The more relationships that we can develop, the greater market share that our product is going to have. Our partnerships with organizations like USMEF and the U.S. Grains Council are pertinent to Iowa Corn because they open the door to those who are directly utilizing our product and create a space for conversations to happen.
Iowa Corn works with trade partners like the USGC and USMEF to ensure that agricultural trade remains strong in a number of countries.
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“Only the Beginning” — Iowa Corn Research Update
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he Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) invests in research centered on developing new uses and the sustainable production of corn. Better yet, ICPB invests in research that will aid in production efficiency and reducing the environmental impact of corn production — this is key to advancing the industry and is important for the future economic viability for corn farmers nationwide. The Iowa Corn Promotion Board’s investment in research goes hand-in-hand with Iowa’s corn farmers’ goals to continually make progress in increasing corn plant efficiency and sustainability. The ICPB works on several research projects and one of the more public programs that ICPB has embarked on is creating a public, broad-umbrella initiative that translates the genomic information of the corn plant for the benefit of growers, consumers and society. Genomes to Fields (G2F) is funded by the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, National Corn Growers Association and includes 21 states plus Ontario, Canada. The purpose of this program is to leverage the mapping of the corn genome to identify key corn genetic traits that impact yield and the plants ability to respond to environmental stressors. Essentially, the G2F program is aiding in the research needed
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to design a better corn plant in the future. The first time that the genes of the corn plant were mapped and the first time that the genes were visible happened in 2009. Unfortunately, the complete corn gene sequence didn’t tell much of anything about the capability of the genes in terms of crop growth and production. So, the Iowa Corn Promotion Board has been taking the initiative to do more. Corn growth and productivity are determined by genes and how they interact with the environment the corn crop is grown in. Some of the environmental stressors that can affect growth are temperature, rainfall, soil type and pests. When combined with the genetic makeup of the plant, these stressors result in something that researchers refer to as the Genotype x Environmental interaction or GxE. To understand how genes affect growth, the G2F project evaluates the GxE on a large number of hybrids placed across a wide range of environments.
available to researchers and agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The release of this data will assist seed companies in commercializing improved corn hybrids and will advance precision farming techniques including a more efficient use of land and a more precise use of pesticides and fertilizers. Although the release of this data is monumental, it marks only the beginning. Unlike the sequencing of the corn genome (completed in 2009) researchers will never be finished collecting phenotype data and understanding how plants respond to various environmental factors. This data set represents the beginning of a resource that will only continue to become more valuable over
time. It will allow researchers to convert the corn genome sequences into functional knowledge and develop new methods and devices to analyze the relationship between genetic, trait and environmental data to predict performance of plants. This marks the fourth year of the G2F GxE trials. The initiative is working closely with Iowa Corn Growers Association in developing a strategy to use with Congress and government agencies to obtain research funding. The Iowa Corn Promotion Board is focused on investing in research for the good of agriculture and the environment. To learn more about the research projects that the ICPB is working on, please visit iowacorn.org/research.
Earlier this year, one main goal of the G2F project was accomplished when the 2014-2015 data was made publicly available and the 2016 data was made available to researchers. This represents the largest set of corn genotype, environmental and phenotypic data that has ever been made
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Iowa Row Crop, Cattle Farmer Finds Value in Cover Crops
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n his farm in Southwest Iowa, Doug Holliday is pleased with the role cover crops play in both his row crop and cattle operations. Tying the two together nicely, cover crops protect the valuable soil and add organic matter to his land, plus they also act as an important feed source for his cattle. “We use a single cover crop – cereal rye. It’s a fairly cheap and easy to manage crop; it has become a key component of our operation,” says Holliday. “We graze our cattle on the rye and also harvest and package some of it as a highmoisture ryelage bale that we feed our cattle.” With pasture in high demand in Southwest Iowa, having the packaged cover crops as a feed source comes in handy. Holliday even is looking into investing in equipment to be able to package the bales on his own. Another benefit Holliday has seen from the cereal rye is weed control since it suppresses broadleaf. It takes time to see all the benefits, so
he looks forward to seeing even more results in coming years. Cover crops haven’t always come easy to Holliday. He has tried a multitude of different types, including millets, radishes, turnips, collards, oats and wheat. His first year of planting them didn’t produce well due to wet spring and dry summer conditions. He re-evaluated and ultimately decided that rye is what is most successful on his farm. While he has found a crop that works well for him, he is open to trying others in the future.
While Holliday turns to several sources of information when it comes to questions he has about conservation, he has found Iowa Corn to be a great resource for him. He has been heavily involved with the association, serving on the board of directors for 11 years, being chair of the Grassroots Committee in the past and currently serving on the Usage and Production Committee. He also was part of the group that started the Collegiate Advisory Team that allows students studying agriculture to gain experience with committee work and advocating for the industry.
Become an Iowa Corn Stewardship Advocate Iowa Corn Growers Association members are invited to join the Iowa Corn Stewardship Advocate program. As an Advocate, you’ll be the first to know about hot topics, news events and upcoming stewardship activities that are relevant to your farming operation. You will receive: - Monthly email updates from Iowa Corn Sustainable Program Manager Ben Gleason and other experts on the topics of soil health, conservation and water quality - Latest information on stewardship topics impacting your farm - Regulatory updates that may impact your farm - Special offers that apply to your soil health efforts - The scoop on upcoming Iowa Corn stewardship activities and events You will also have the opportunity to hear directly from Iowa farmers, ask questions and join the discussion about conservation in Iowa. For more information about the program and to sign up, visit iowacorn.org/water.
“It’s something that takes time and experimenting,” says Holliday. “What works on my farm may not work on yours, so you have to do your research and experiment with it until you find what works best for you.” Along with using cover crops, Holliday has been practicing no-till on his farm for years. Conservation is important to Holliday, as he recognizes the need to preserve the land for future generations.
Doug Holliday, Iowa Corn Farmer, Greenfield, Iowa.
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At Iowa Corn, we do many things. We develop and defend markets for corn across the globe. We fund research that unearths new uses for corn. And we spearhead education and promotional efforts to communicate the many benefits and uses of corn and corn products. Why do we do what we do? Because we believe in the corn growers of Iowa. What corn farmers do impacts people worldwide, and it’s our mission to support corn farmers’ interests. We’re here to work for the corn farmer. And we’re proud to do it.
TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF CORN IN A SUSTAINABLE MANNER TO MEET THE GLOBAL NEED FOR FOOD AND ENERGY. PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2017
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Iowa Corn | 5505 Northwest 88th Street | Johnston, Iowa 50131 | 515-225-9242 | corninfo@iowacorn.org