A LOOK INSIDE:
MEMBERSHIP
Cultivating the Next Generation of Growers, Members & Leaders
POLICY
2022 Legislative Wins
FARMER FEATURE
Lead with Passion: Dean Meyer
MARKET DEVELOPMENT
10 Years of E15 in Iowa: Looking Back and Looking Ahead
RESEARCH
Iowa Corn Opportunities: Investments for the Future
EDUCATION
When Corn Grows Iowa, Iowans Win
January 2023
CRAIG FLOSS
Chief Executive Officer
BRIAN JONES
Chief Operating Officer
BRIAN BELL
Director of Leadership and Organizational Development
SHANNON TEXTOR Vice President of Communications
AMANDA FORTMAN Publications Manager
RACHEL ZUMBACH Public Relations Manager
CHRIS FRELAND Market Development Manager
MINDY LARSEN POLDBERG
Vice President of Government Relations
KEVIN STUDER Director of Federal Policy
EMILY CALLISON Government Relations Manager
CARRIE DODDS Vice President of Grower Services
SHELTON HOEFLING District 1 Field Manager
SARAH TWEETEN District 2 Field Manager
JANELLE KRACHT District 4 Field Manager
JOHN STOAKES District 5 Field Manager
DANIELLE BALVIN District 6 Field Manager
KRISTEN AKERS District 7 Field Manager
ALYSSA PRESTON District 8 Field Manager
VICTORIA BUTT District 9 Field Manager
ROD WILLIAMSON Vice President of Research and Sustainability
DAVID ERTL Director of Production Technology
ALEX BUCK Director of Industrial Innovation
JULIE KIRBY Vice President of Finance and Administration
SARAH HARRIS Financial Manager
VALERIE SANCHEZ Accounting Analyst
LYNNETTE ROHRS Administrative Services Manager
MICHELE POE Administrative Assistant
DONNA LEMON Administrative Assistant
LANCE LILLIBRIDGE Chair Vinton
BARB KASTNER District 4 Yale
MIKE VER STEEG District 1 Inwood
STU SWANSON District 2 Galt
MARK MUELLER District 3 Waverly
JOLENE RIESSEN First Vice President Ida Grove
WILL CANNON District 5 Prairie City
ANDY HILL Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
CHUCK WHITE Iowa Soybean Association
LOGAN LYON District 6 Blue Grass
DENNIS FRIEST President Radcliffe
STEVE KUIPER District 8 Knoxville
DAN KEITZER District 9 Mediapolis
ADAM BIERBAUM District 7 Griswold
GREG ALBER At-Large Independence
KELLY NIEUWENHUIS Chair Primghar
CHAD HARMS District 1 Milford
JOE ROBERTS District 2 Belmond
LARRY BUSS President Logan
RYAN STEFFENSEN District 4 Guthrie Center
DEREK KEMPER District 5 Toledo
PAUL GIESELMAN District 9 Morning Sun
RYAN FRANKLIN Homeland Energy Solutions
BRENDA KOCHANNY Cargill
PETE BRECHT District 6 Central City
RALPH LENTS District 7 Menlo
JEROD FLAHERTY District 8 Osceola
DAN ROBISON ISU College of Agriculture & Life Science
STAN NELSON First Vice President Middletown
MIKE NAIG Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship
DARLA RECKER District 3 Arlington
It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. As we know, high fertilizer and input prices, difficult growing conditions and worldwide market disruptions have not made it easy. Though a difficult year, we must reflect on the successes we have gained as Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA).
This past year our efforts paid off with some exciting wins for our industry. For instance, the passage of the Biofuels Access Bill here in Iowa, the movement gained at the federal level for the Next Generations Fuels Act and the attention we brought to high input costs affecting our farmers.
Thanks to the efforts of our members, legislators, governor, partners and staff, Iowa will now be the first state in the nation to adopt an E15 standard through the passage of the Biofuels Access Bill. Across our state, we will see at least 70% of Iowa fuel retail stations offering E15 by 2026. Allowing us to expand the availability of E15 for consumers, saving them an average of 10 cents per gallon, and creating additional markets for Iowa corn farmers.
On the national front, we are also making great strides with the Next Generations Fuels Act. We are proud to share that the entire Iowa Congressional Delegation has signed on as co-sponsors to the bill. As the year moves forward, we will build upon this momentum and continue strengthening the efforts.
This last year Iowa Corn became concerned when we heard from our members about high input and fertilizer prices affecting their bottom lines. We took action, paying for a study that we shared with Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, allowing him to start an investigation into the matter. Throughout the year we continued to meet with Miller as well as other state attorney generals to bring attention to the matter and share the impacts at the farm level. We plan on asking the newly elected Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird to continue with the investigation.
We remain active on the work to increase funding in the Farm Bill for Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development programs. We have accomplished getting a Senate and House bill introduced to double the funding for these important trade programs. Iowa Corn will continue to engage on the Farm Bill and push on this issue when the next congress convenes in January.
Our 7,000-member strong organization was key in helping us gain real wins on real issues impacting our farms. I am looking forward to serving this next year as your Iowa Corn Growers Association President and hope we can continue to have another year of successful wins for your farm. Together, our voice is stronger than just one farmer alone. If you are not an ICGA member already, I invite you to join at iowacorn.org/join. If you are a member, thank you for stepping up, sharing your voice and engaging on our important issues.
Denny Friest, ICGA President
• Conservation/Water Quality – Maintain legislative funding stream for Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, including Maximum Return to Nitrogen (MRTN)
• Ethanol – Obtain and increase funding for infrastructure cost-share program (RFIP)
• Ethanol - Promote ethanol as a carbon reduction solution
• Livestock – Support existing regulatory framework for the livestock industry
• Taxes - Protect critical tax credits (Section 179 and biofuels)
• Ethanol – Retain the RFS, reallocation of unjustified SREs, reduce regulatory barriers for higher blends, and support low carbon high octane fuel (including the Next Generation Fuels Act)
• Carbon - Support carbon credit sequestration programs
• Trade – Expand new and protect existing bilateral and multi-lateral trade agreements and protect/expand funding for Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) as part of the Farm Bill
• Farm Bill – Protect crop insurance
• Taxes – Protect critical tax credits
The leadership of Iowa’s agriculture is built on generations of individuals who made agriculture their cause, not just a job. Iowa Corn recognizes that the future of agriculture depends on developing new leaders who share that same passion. That is why investing in leadership development is a core priority of our organization. We place great value on engaging our student members and finding the best way to get them involved early in their careers.
A highly sought-after Iowa Corn student program is the Iowa Corn Collegiate Advisory Team (CAT). CAT is made up of 22 students pursuing degrees related to agriculture at Iowa’s colleges and universities. The advisory team helps ICGA and ICPB in developing programs that target and enhance Iowa Corn’s relationship with students and the future of agriculture. Over 240 students have graduated from the CAT program in the last 12 years.
This year’s class is especially noteworthy with its diverse group of CAT students from 15 different colleges across the state of Iowa. CAT members learn about top policy issues affecting corn farmers and meet with legislators, tour top corn customers’ facilities such as ethanol and livestock, learn about their personal strengths and how to best leverage them, experience leadership training, provide input to Iowa Corn on student programs and recruit new members to join ICGA.
Justin McCaulley is a second-year CAT student from Graceland University. He is a sophomore studying Agricultural Business, Business Management and Agriculture Plant and Animal Science. Growing up he was actively involved in farming, where his family raised black Angus cattle. Justin became an ICGA student member after his ag advisor encouraged him to find opportunities to network within the industry. ICGA and CAT provided him with an avenue to get connected with others.
During his first year on CAT, Justin was able to create great relationships and friendships with students from across the
state also involved in agriculture. Through CAT he learned more about Iowa Corn’s efforts, its role in helping farmers and other opportunities within the agriculture industry. He looks forward to his second year on CAT and continuing to expand his knowledge within the industry and further develop his network.
“As an ICGA member, I know I am a part of something bigger that is striving to help farmers every day, whether that is on the trade front, marketing their crops or representing them in our capitals,” shared Justin.
Upon graduation, Justin plans to continue to stay involved in the agriculture industry. Next summer he will be interning with American State Bank to learn more about ag lending and one day plans to own his own farm and cattle business.
Iowa Corn awards eighteen scholarships to deserving, qualified students enrolled in a program of study that equips them to contribute to the agriculture industry in Iowa. ICGA student members or children of members are encouraged to apply for the scholarships to help them in pursuit of their agricultural degree.
Delia Swanson, a recipient of the latest round of scholarships, was born and raised on a diversified crop and livestock farm in rural north central Iowa, where her involvement and interest in the agriculture industry started. All through high school, she had a front-row seat to watch her
father, Stu and older sister, Lilian be active members of Iowa Corn and knew that she also wanted to get involved. Delia became an ICGA student member during her freshman year of high school and has continued to find ways to stay involved.
Currently, Delia is a freshman at Iowa State University studying Agricultural Business and International Agriculture with a minor in Feed Technology.
“There are many benefits of being an Iowa Corn student member as well as a scholarship recipient. Already in my short time at Iowa State, I have learned about the importance of networking throughout the agriculture because it’s such a small industry and everyone is connected somehow,” shared Delia. “By being a student member of Iowa Corn, I am given a network of individuals in the industry that I know would be willing to answer any questions I may have. I know that I can reach out to any board members or staff at any time! Aside from that, being a scholarship winner has helped me reach my dreams by assisting financially in my education.”
Growing up on her family’s farm, Delia always played an active role helping her dad and sisters in any way possible. She found it very inspiring to see her dad and sister share their farming story on such
a big platform through Iowa Corn. Delia hopes to be able to do the same in the future and connect with people of all ages who share the same interest in agriculture as her. While she is still working on paving her own path, Delia is excited to one day pursue a career in agriculture and follow in her dad and sisters’ footsteps.
One new Iowa Corn program developed out of District 7, is the Taylor County Youth Corn Team. Since January 2022, six student members from the Bedford and Lenox school districts have been actively involved in the Youth Corn Team.
The team has been busy last year planning and attending events in their district and across the state. Some of the events included attending the Iowa Biofuels Rally, touring the State Capitol, attending the Governor’s E15 Access Bill signing, organizing and participating in an ag retailers’ appreciation event, attending the Adams/Taylor County Corn Board meeting, touring a POET plant, visiting the Corning meat locker, attending the Iowa Corn roundtables in their district and participating in an Ag Policy Youth Social and finally participating in the Salute to Farmers event at the Adams County Speedway.
Vanessa Hill a junior at Bedford High School was selected to participate in the first Youth Corn Team. Growing up Vanessa was not raised on a farm but was able to get involved at a young age, showing many animals at the Taylor County Fair. She was interested in finding even more ways to continue to get involved in the ag industry.
Vanessa joined ICGA because she was interested in learning more about corn’s impact around the world. She applied to
the team, along with some of her friends, to dive headfirst into everything corn and help establish the foundation of the youth team.
During her year of involvement, Vanessa truly valued the opportunities that she was given to get involved and appreciated that as a student member of ICGA she was equally valued as adult members.
“I would highly encourage all students to apply to be a member of the Taylor County Youth Corn Team and ICGA because you never know where life is going to take you. The Youth Corn Team has helped me decide what I want to do with my life after high school,” shared Vanessa. “Agriculture is a large industry and there are many opportunities open to you within the field.”
After graduation, Vanessa looks forward to continuing to be involved in the agriculture industry and is planning to attend Southwestern Community College and earn a degree in Ag Business and Crop Production.
Another way students can get involved, unique to Iowa State University (ISU), is through the Iowa Corn Growers Collegiate Club. For a number of years, students at ISU have been able to get involved with ICGA through this on-campus organization known as the ISU Corn Club. Currently, over 50 students participate to learn more about the real-world issues that they will face upon graduation and get involved with ICGA.
At each monthly meeting, an industry speaker volunteers their time to discuss current issues and ag topics. During the fall the ISU Corn Club also hosts a industry tour to connect their members with local businesses to learn about the value chain of corn. They also work to connect with the Iowa Corn staff to learn more about our organization and ways to get involved. Many of the student members either come from a family farm, are going to stay involved in the industry or are going back to the family farm, so it is important to connect with ICGA early and form that relationship with them.
Sophie Bell, a senior at ISU in Ag Business and Vice President of the Corn Club, is no stranger to the importance of becoming involved in ICGA. Growing up on her family’s row crop farm in Keota, Iowa, Sophie has been actively involved with the farming operation and remembers often attending Iowa Corn meetings with her parents. This sparked her interest to get involved with ICGA early on and led her to join the Collegiate Advisory Team (CAT).
During her time at Kirkwood, Sophie served on CAT for one year before transferring to ISU where she served for a second year. Once at Iowa State she became actively involved in the ISU Corn Club, something she had looked forward to when transferring. Through her connections with ISU students in CAT, she knew the opportunities and networking that the ISU Corn Club provided were exactly what she was looking for.
“Being a student member of Iowa Corn and being involved in the ISU Corn Club has been incredibly valuable to be able to network and meet with different individuals and build my knowledge and exposure within the agriculture industry, I would highly recommend it,” shared Sophie. After graduating in May, Sophie will be joining Farm Credit Services of America as an insurance officer and will be moving closer to home where she will continue to farm. She plans to one day go back and take over the family farm.
If you or a member of your family is interested in becoming involved in Iowa Corn student opportunities, please visit iowacorn.org/student.
Your Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) membership is not only your voice but also your seat at the table. By joining the 7,000-member strong organization, you are also getting access to the collective membership which advocates and works together every day on behalf of Iowa corn farmers. Together, along with our partners, we can work on and accomplish real policy that impacts your operations. Last year ICGA was able to successfully lobby for:
• Removing tariffs on nitrogen from the United Arab Nations by winning the court case.
• Eliminating tariffs on phosphate and working to find other solutions to help you address high input costs.
• Getting a U.S. Grains Council office opened in India this summer.
• Engagement with Senators, the Secretary of Agriculture and U.S. Trade Representative office to fight against Mexico’s ban on biotech corn as we began seeing USMCA challenges.
• An end to potential rail strikes by endorsing a letter to Capitol Hill.
• Meeting with Ambassador Tai, Secretary Vilsack and Rep. Cindy Axne to develop and maintain global markets for Iowa farmers.
• Meeting with Federal Trade Commission and the Iowa Attorney General on fertilizer pricing.
• Passage of the Biofuels Access Bill to make Iowa the first state in the nation to adopt an E15 standard.
• Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) funding level at $10 million through the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund appropriations bill. This is a $5 million increase over what was previously provided to RFIP the year before.
• The entire Iowa Congressional Delegation to sign on as a cosponsor on the Next Generation Fuels Act in D.C.
• E15 year-round permanently by supporting the Governor’s office request to EPA for an RVP waiver for our state along with governors from eight other Midwest states. We continue to explore this option and others.
• A summertime waiver for E15 for this year. President Biden announced the waiver in Iowa in April.
• A nationwide legislative bill that was introduced in the U.S. Senate for year-round E15 along with our national ethanol partners.
• The denial of 65 small refinery waivers and the renewable volume obligations for blending requirements by submitting comments to the EPA.
• A proposed EPA rule to revise vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards for model year 2023-2026 vehicles by submitting comments along with National Corn Growers Association.
• Congressional appropriations requested by working with partners on Mississippi and Missouri River issues.
• A 75% general revenue and 25% Inland Waterways Trust Fund construction cost-share adjustment to be included in a final Water Resources Development bill to increase the number of waterways projects that could get started or be completed.
• Congress to not increase capital gains taxes and elimination of the stepped-up basis.
• Genome to Phenome corn research project received $2 million in federal appropriations.
• $1 million for Iowa State University’s Maximum Return to Nitrogen modeling system for fertilizer management included in Iowa state appropriations.
• Secured funding for the Foreign Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Fund and the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in support of our livestock partners.
• Questioning the EPA regarding the biological evaluation of neonicotinoid insecticides required by the Endangered Species Act to not be part of the pesticide registration review process by submitting comments.
• Urging the EPA to protect atrazine and oppose further restrictions by filing comments.
• The Harvest Weight Proclamation for Iowa corn farmers to see real savings, for example, a 500-acre corn farmer would have an average of 12 fewer truckloads.
Together, we’ve had many successes as the Iowa Corn Growers Association, and we want to continue to build upon those successes moving forward. Take your seat at the table and make our voice as Iowa corn farmers even stronger by going to iowacorn.org/join today.
Ten years ago, when Dean Meyer stepped into his first U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) conference, he had no idea that only a short while later he would be serving as the first USMEF chair from Iowa Corn. As of November 2022, he has taken over the reins of a global organization operating in more than 80 countries around the world promoting corn-fed red meat.
Dean is no stranger to the livestock industry. For more than 30 years, he along with his family, have been farming near Rock Rapids. Dean and his wife Linda have five children including three sons, Alvie, Jacob and Blake, who work on the family farm helping raise corn, soybeans, cattle and swine.
In 2011, Dean was elected to serve as a Director for the Iowa Corn Growers Association representing District 1. Being from one of the densest livestock regions of the state, he is passionate about supporting the crops he grows and the livestock he raises. Like many farmers in his district, the livestock industry is a high priority for him, and he quickly found himself serving on the Animal Agriculture and the Environment committee and later served as chair for two years.
He attended his first USMEF meeting in 2012 and was amazed by the passion of the leadership and professionalism of the domestic and international staff and quickly became consumed by the organization.
“When you realize that 96% of the world’s population lives outside of our country, you understand
just how key exports are going to be for long-term farmer and producer profitability,” shared Dean. “Which is why Iowa Corn and grower involvement in USMEF is so important to growing red meat demand around the world.”
Through multiple opportunities to be on trade missions both with Iowa Corn and USMEF, Dean was able to meet and interact with the international USMEF staff and represent the industry from a producer perspective. Through these missions, he was also able to observe markets mature and evolve, such as Japan which he was able to visit in 2015, 2019 and most recently in 2022. These markets continued to have more products available with U.S. red meat through the introduction of a more western diet.
In 2015, Dean was asked to serve on the USMEF Exec Board as the At Large Director and was later elected to serve as the Feed Grain Director. Over the past 7 years, he has see the continuity between the nine sectors become stronger and more effective. Dean has learned so much from those who work in the other segments of the industry and has developed great relationships.
“We are all here from different sectors, but with the same goal, to put U.S. red meat on the world’s table!”
Now, that Dean has officially stepped into his role as USMEF Chair he looks forward to all that the next year holds. The past couple of years have been great for red meat exports and there are still a lot of exciting opportunities ahead.
When you realize that 96% of the world’s population lives outside of our country, you understand just how key exports are going to be for long-term farmer and producer profitability.
It is a privilege to be serving as your Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) President for the 2022-2023 year and I look forward to working with you to accomplish our goals in the areas of market development, research and education. Achievement of these goals can be maximized with support from all Iowa corn farmers for the Iowa Corn checkoff. When all Iowa corn farmers contribute to the checkoff to promote corn and corn products, we all see a larger impact on our farms.
In the area of market development, ICPB works to expand markets and create corn demand both here at home and around the world. At home, efforts to use more cornbased ethanol are extremely important. Around the world, through our investment in U.S. Grains Council and U.S. Meat Export Federation, Iowa corn farmers have boots on the ground with programs operating in over 80 countries. All these efforts collectively create the demand needed to offset the corn production that we corn farmers provide.
In research, one project we have worked on for several years is MonoEthylene Glycol or MEG, where the ICPB found an efficient way to produce this product from corn rather than petroleum. This effort had a huge win this year with the sale of the technology to Technip Energies, who will continue to bring MEG to commercialization. Over 70 billion pounds of MEG is used in the world every year in products like antifreeze, pop and water bottles and polyester clothing. This has a yearly growth potential in the market equal to nearly 100 million bushels of corn.
Finally, ICPB invests checkoff dollars to bridge the gap between farmers and consumers through education. This investment occurs in multiple ways to show that Iowa corn farmers are truly great producers of food, fiber, fuel and feed for the use of not only Iowans but national and international consumers. We also share that Iowa corn farmers provide this production in a sustainable, environmentally supportive way. One way that we share this is through the Iowa Corn Mobile Education Trailer and Biofuels Trailer, which were incredibly popular this year going to more than 200 events across the state to connect with thousands of consumers.
As a farmer, I fully realize that all the above are very important to the price that I receive for my corn and the ultimate success of my farm and family. I could not do this alone and that is why a collective investment via the Iowa Corn checkoff by all corn farmers maximizes our efforts and gives us as corn farmers the best ROI for our farms.
Larry Buss, ICPB President
MARKET DEVELOPMENT
40%
EDUCATION
RESEARCH
20%
30% ADMINISTRATION
10%
For 10 years, E15, a 15 percent ethanol blend, has been available to Iowans as a cleaner-burning, homegrown, more affordable fuel option. Iowa Corn has a long history of promoting and building demand to continue to grow ethanol’s portion of the fuel tank to create profitability for Iowa’s corn farmers. Our commitment to ethanol is not just here in Iowa but across the country and world to have access to higher blends of ethanol, including E15.
Back in 2009 the EPA and Department of Energy began rigorous testing in the process of approving the sale of E15. The fuel certification program for E15 was the most thorough and extreme in our nation’s history, with over 6 million miles of testing on 86 different vehicles. Ultimately, EPA approved E15 in 2011 for use in vehicles 2001 and newer between September 16 and May 31 of each year. At that time, 2001 and newer vehicles accounted for just over 80% of vehicles on the road.
Following EPA’s approval of E15, Iowa continued to lead the nation in forward-looking ethanol policy initiatives, propelled by the strong support of ICGA. In 2011, Iowa became the first state to pass legislation creating E15 incentives for fuel retailers. Then, on September 16, 2012, Iowa’s very first gallon of registered E15 was sold at Linn Cooperative Oil Company in Marion.
In 2015, E15 upgrades for retail fuel stations became eligible for cost-share funding under the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program. By 2016, Kum & Go had begun offering E15 at over 30% of its stations, helping E15 gain real traction within our state. This trend was followed by many other Iowa retailers, as Casey’s and Kwik Star began offering E15, marketing it as Unleaded 88, in 2017.
Today, E15 can be used in over 96% of vehicles on the road in the U.S., and we continue to work to provide consumers with more opportunities to fuel up with more ethanol.
This past year we have achieved some big wins within our state to increase the use and availability of E15. In May, Governor Kim Reynolds signed the Iowa Biofuels Access Bill into law, which will lead to 70% of gas stations across Iowa offering E15 by 2026. This represents a huge increase from the current 17% of Iowa fuel stations offering E15.
The benefits to Iowa don’t stop there. This bill, once fully implemented, will create 60 million gallons of new ethanol demand annually, which will grind an additional 20.7 million bushels of Iowa corn. As part of the Biofuels Access Bill, additional cost-share resources are now available for retailers to make necessary infrastructure upgrades to offer E15. This legislation is a huge win for our state’s farmers, biofuel producers and drivers, all while showcasing Iowa’s leadership in the use of biofuels.
Another big win on the E15 front was President Biden’s announcement of an emergency waiver to allow uninterrupted nationwide sales of E15 during the summer of 2022. Without this emergency waiver, thousands of stations nationwide would have been forced to stop selling E15, because of red tape created by the EPA, and drivers would have missed out on cost savings provided by E15, especially during those summer months of record high fuel prices when E15 was saving drivers an average of 30 cents per gallon compared to E10.
Governor Reynolds continues to lead the charge on gaining a permanent solution for year-round E15 access. Along with other Midwest state governors, she signed a letter to the EPA Administrator asking for an E15 waiver for the Midwest region as a possible first step to permanent sales of E15 nationwide. Reynolds’ state-level action has opened the door for a nationwide solution, as even the American Petroleum Institute is now urging Congress to pass legislation that allows for the year-round sale of E15 across the country.
While E15 continues to face challenges, the Iowa Corn Promotion Board works every day to share the benefits of E15 with drivers, students and retailers through a variety of programs and partnerships. A few examples include the Drive Clean Iowa driver education program, the Biofuels Mobile Education Center that travels the state, a biofuels retailer consultant to promote costshare dollars, video ads at the pump and more.
At Iowa Corn, we remain committed to bringing E15 access to everyone and advocating for year-round E15 sales. ICGA continues to push for the Next Generations Fuels Act as the first step in our nation’s transition to a high-octane, low-carbon future for both fuels and vehicles.
Iowa Corn will continue fighting to increase market access for more affordable, environmentally friendly and homegrown fuel options in Iowa, across the U.S. and around the globe.
We know that farmers are always thinking about the profitability of their operations and trying to make the best decisions for their farms. Iowa Corn is always looking for long-term profitability opportunities for farmers. One effort was developed to enable active participation in new investments using Iowa Corn Opportunities LLC or ICO. ICO was created with the belief that farmers and rural communities gain increasing benefits and profits from investing in value-added agriculture opportunities and creating and protecting demand for corn and corn products.
ICO was established by the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board to make profitable, strategic, valueadded investments that will benefit Iowa’s corn grower members and checkoff contributors, help support new business development opportunities for Iowa’s corn growers and leverage investments to facilitate and coordinate further investment by individual corn growers. ICO is managed by a seven-member board made up of farmers, industry experts and Iowa Corn leadership. ICO’s investments are diversified to include new startup companies, growth companies, venture capital funds and private equity funds. Since its first investment in 2008 ICO has invested in fourteen companies and ten funds. Investing is obviously risky so while not every ICO investment has been successful we still have a positive record of success. In fact, for every dollar invested, ICO has generated over $1.30 return.
Learn more about a few of the successful ICO investments.
One of ICO’s investments is ClearFlame Engine Technologies, a startup company with a patented system that transforms diesel engines to run on 100% ethanol. ClearFlame is one of the most promising new technologies with great potential to significantly increase corn demand while significantly reducing carbon emissions at the same time. There is tremendous opportunity to utilize the technology in semi-trucks, agriculture equipment and stationary power generators. The company is also working in cooperation with John Deere to modify one of its 9-liter engines to utilize the ClearFlame technology. The ClearFlame system delivers lower tailpipe and greenhouse gas emissions, lower total cost of operation and the same power, torque and efficiency compared to diesel.
Today, the company is testing four ClearFlame ethanol-powered trucks on the road, but the potential for this technology to increase demand for ethanol and corn grind is huge. There are over 4 million semitrucks on the road today. If only 1% of those trucks, or about 40,000, adopted ClearFlame technology, that would add 1 billion gallons of new ethanol demand utilizing nearly 350 million bushels of corn per year. Not only does this technology work to lower the carbon footprint for over-the-road truck fleets but it also significantly reduces the total cost of operation by approximately 40 cents per mile driven.
Iowa Corn is doing more than just investing in this company. An Iowa Corn staff member sits on the ClearFlame Board in an observer role. With their expertise, they share valuable input and insight related to ethanol, benefiting ClearFlame and giving Iowa’s corn farmers a seat at the table.
ICO has also invested in Genvax, a company focused on developing novel vaccines for the prevention and treatment of animal diseases including African Swine Fever (ASF). The potential impact of ASF on the swine industry could be devastating, Iowa Corn is supporting companies using innovative technologies and research to mitigate the effects of an outbreak of ASF in the U.S. and even globally.
As the #1 user of U.S. corn, livestock plays an integral role in our market demand. This is why we have proactively invested in Genvax to help protect our livestock partners. Iowa Corn has also worked to assist Genvax during their research process and helped to secure additional grants.
PowerPollen is an ICO investment that uses technology to enable pollen to be preserved, stored and then applied at the optimal time to increase yield and minimize risks associated with today’s standard seed practices. This technology can enable new hybrids, such as introducing value-added traits like high oil corn into a farmer’s commercial field all while eliminating any yield drag and increasing the value of production coming off each acre.
The opportunity could be interesting for ethanol plants providing the opportunity to produce more high-value corn oil which could create low-carbon intensity renewable diesel. PowerPollen is also helping seed companies be more efficient in producing hybrid seed corn as it enables another tool in the corn breeders’ toolbox.
One of ICO’s most recent investments in the chemical space is Låkril Technologies. Låkril’s underlying, proprietary technology was developed at the University of Minnesota and allows for breakthrough acrylic acid yields of greater than 90% from plant-based lactic acid. Låkril has broken through the yield barrier on its way to delivering a plant-based alternative for existing products, at cost parity with petroleum key ingredients. Acrylic acid, which has a global production of over 15 billion pounds per year from petroleum, equivalent to about 800 million bushels of corn, and is used in a diverse array of consumer products like diapers, paints and adhesives.
ICO was one of the lead investors in Låkril Technologies and was later joined by the Kentucky Corn Promotion Council and with grants from the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council, Indiana Corn Marketing Council, Corn Marketing Council of Michigan and the National Corn Growers Association. This investor coalition represents corn farmers in the fight to replace petroleum-based materials and products with bio-based products in our everyday lives.
Iowa Corn Opportunities believes in a strong agricultural economy where farmers and rural communities gain increasing benefits and profits while investing in new value-added agricultural business opportunities driving corn demand. ICO will continue to pursue and invest in the next generation of opportunities that will deliver benefits to our corn growers.
To learn more, go to iowacorn.org/ico.
CRAIG FLOSS Chief Executive Officer BRIAN JONES Chief Operating Officer JON LEAFSTEDT President JAMES EILER Board Manager CURT METHER Board Manager PETE BRECHT Board Manager
here’s never a shortage of good, uplifting moments that connect us all, the everyday delights and small victories that make us smile. Farmer, urbanite, young, old, we all speak the language of positivity. However, this last year was not an easy one for both consumers and farmers alike. All Iowans faced economic hardships and uncertainty due to inflation, continued shortages and concerns on food and fuel prices.At Iowa Corn, we were worried that blame for these high prices would unfairly fall on farmers. That is why the consumer campaign ‘When Corn Grows Iowa, Iowans Win’ was launched. We used social media to connect with consumers, build rapport and gain understanding through a positive campaign linking all Iowans, farmers and consumers. Let’s be honest, we needed something positive in our social media feeds and conversations.
Iowa Corn launched the following tactics to accomplish our goals of this campaign:
• A digital and social media campaign posing the question, “What’s your win?” encouraging Iowans to share their wins – both big and small, via photos and videos using #IowansWin. Posts featuring Iowa’s corn farmers and their own wins were also utilized across Iowa Corn’s social platforms to integrate the role farmers play in our everyday lives.
• The campaign engaged local influencers and enthusiasts to increase the reach and engagement of consumers. Partners included the Des Moines Hummingbird Group, ag influencers and members of the Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and Quad City Mom blogger groups, who further spread our messages.
• A page was developed on the Iowa Corn website directing viewers to do a deeper dive into the many ways that corn helps Iowans win and see all posts that had been shared with #IowansWin.
• This campaign was also tied into other Iowa Corn events throughout the summer and fall such as county fairs, the Iowa State Fair and the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. During these events, attendees were encouraged to share their unique Iowan wins from that day.
As the Iowans Win campaign comes to a close, we are pleased with the impact and positivity spread. Consumers kept the blame on inflationary prices rather than on farmers and producers. Overall, the campaign had great performance, generating more than 400 posts using #iowanswin, having 23,500 total engagements and creating a very engaged audience on Facebook and Instagram.
Learn more at iowacorn.org/iowanswins
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.
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The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) is committed to protecting what matters most: your farm. Joining with nearly 7,000 other corn growers gives you the power to help shape decisions made at the state and federal levels on agricultural issues that impact your farming operation. With your membership investment, ICGA will continue to create opportunities for long-term Iowa corn grower profitability.
www.iowacorn.org/join
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