JOHNSTON, IOWA (March 4, 2024) — Iowa Corn farmer-leaders participated in the 2024 Commodity Classic in Houston, Texas. The delegation from Iowa consisted of Iowa Corn directors, Iowa Corn farmer voting delegates and alternates, Iowa Corn Collegiate Advisory Team members, and grassroots leaders. A key task for the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) at Commodity Classic is advocating in support of policies and actions for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) to implement and establish at the federal level to benefit Iowa’s farmers as well as corn farmers across the country.
“Each year, the policy process starts with our grassroots farmer-members through our membership survey and input gathered at our local roundtable meetings held across the state. The resolutions then move to the ICGA Annual Grassroots Summit held in August, and then on to the national policy development during NCGA’s Corn Congress at Commodity Classic,” said Jolene Riessen, ICGA President and farmer from Ida Grove, Iowa. “While at Commodity Classic, our ICGA delegates, presented resolutions that set the framework for our federal legislative efforts and directly influence our direction for years to come.”
The Iowa resolutions passed by the NCGA delegate body include:
- We do not support e-RIN’s to be associated with the RFS RIN’s.
- We support producer data protection legislation included in the Farm Bill requiring that data can only be released as aggregate data.
In addition to policy, the Iowa Corn Growers Association were rewarded the NCGA Numeric Growth Recognition award. The Iowa Corn Growers Association took top honors with the highest numeric membership increase in the past year and posted a 2023 closing total of 7,032 members versus a 2022 close of 6,807 members.
“When we collectively use our voices, we become stronger in advocating for policies that benefit corn farmers both at the state and federal level,” said Adam Bierbaum, ICGA Grassroots, Network, and Membership Committee Chair and a farmer from Cass County. “We have not received an award like this in several years, and I couldn’t be prouder of the growth that we have seen as an organization.”
The new NCGA policy document will be posted at iowacorn.org/membership/policy-development when it becomes available. For more information on upcoming policy development meetings in your area, contact the Iowa Corn office at (515)225-9242 or e-mail at corninfo@iowacorn.org.
The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) is a 7,000-member strong grassroots-driven organization, headquartered in Johnston, Iowa, serving members across the state, and lobbying on agricultural issues on behalf of its farmer members to create opportunities for long-term Iowa corn grower profitability. For more information, visit iowacorn.org.
