LANSING – More than 140 corn growers, agricultural industry leaders, legislators and aides gathered to discuss corn-related issues, legislation and the future of the industry at the 2012 Michigan Corn Growers Association Annual Meeting.

At the meeting, corn growers heard presentations from the Governor?s office, received reports from state House and Senate leadership, participated in educational sessions and joined in roundtable discussions with state legislators.

Rick Tolman, CEO of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), kicked off the event by providing attendees with a summary of 2011 accomplishments, a national perspective on corn issues and priorities and important topics that will be examined closely in the coming years, including butanol and the corn genome. To combat misinformation in the media, Tolman emphasized the need for better communication between farmers and the public to help educate consumers about where their food comes from.

Attendees then heard from key state agricultural legislators and officials about Michigan?s promising agricultural future, including comments from Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley, and reports by state Senator Mike Green, Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chair; state Senator Joe Hune, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair; state Rep. Kevin Daley, House Agriculture Committee Chair; and Gordon Wenk, Deputy Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Kali Fox of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow?s office provided a legislative summary from the federal level, while Val Vail-Shirey, MCGA Policy Director, offered a policy overview on state corn issues.

Virgil Robinson, Market Analysis Manager at Pioneer Hi-Bred International, discussed the economics of trade, emerging markets, weather trends, and the impact all these have on growers and the industry.

Michigan Corn leadership also provided informative presentations, with Jeff Sandborn, MCGA president and a member of the NCGA?s Ethanol Committee, providing an important update about Michigan?s ethanol industry; and Pat Feldpausch, President of the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan (CMPM), reporting on his recent U.S. Grains Council Corn Mission Trip to Asia.

?The MCGA Annual Meeting provides Michigan?s corn growers an excellent chance to discuss policy and issues that impact the corn industry,? said Sandborn, a corn grower from Portland. ?By featuring key political leaders in Michigan agriculture, we were able to demonstrate the impact and importance of Michigan?s corn industry, shape policy to enhance our industry and develop relationships to assist us in communicating our message and concerns.?

Also at the meeting, the MCGA presented its ?Friend of Corn? award to honor deserving individuals for their support of Michigan?s corn industry. This year?s Friend of Corn recipients were Jeff Leipprandt and Dave and Teresa Wood.

? Leipprandt, a Farm Bureau Insurance managing partner in the Thumb and a retired account manager for Pioneer Hi-Bred, has always been a huge supporter of Michigan corn. With more than 20 years in the industry, he has made a positive impact on the corn industry and serves as an educational voice for growers across the state.

? Dave and Teresa Wood, of Wood & Sons Corn Bin in Williamston, have gone above and beyond the call of duty in promoting and educating consumers about corn heat. They have partnered with the CMPM for the past four years to provide corn-burning stoves at pregame tailgates for MSU football games, and made themselves available to answer questions regarding the corn heat industry.

Another highlight of the meeting was the roundtable discussions growers had with legislators during lunch to discuss important issues affecting their farming operations. This gave growers an opportunity to talk with legislators face-to-face to voice their concerns and priorities.

?By inviting legislators and aides to participate in our annual meeting, we are enhancing our grassroots strength and educating elected officials about our industry,? said Jody Pollok-Newsom, Executive Director of the MCGA. ?We were pleased that the legislators were eager to talk about the corn industry and get input from the state?s corn growers.?

During the Annual Business Meeting, MCGA members were asked to represent the state?s corn growers by running for one of the four open seats on the MCGA Board of Directors. Board members re-elected for another term were: Loren Koeman of Grand Rapids for District 6; and Jeff Sandborn of Portland for an at-large position. Matt Frostic of Applegate and Phil Gordon of Saline were also newly elected to serve on the board of directors representing Districts 3 and 8, respectively.

The meeting also included recognition of the state?s top three membership recruiters: Tom Durand of Sandusky; Tom Ziel of Pigeon; and Richard Dobbins of Concord.

Also recognized were winners of the state?s 2011 Corn Yield Contest; farms that were environmentally verified through the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP), and recipients of 2011 MCGA Scholarships.

The MCGA would like to thank the sponsors of the 2012 annual meeting for their ongoing support of both the MCGA and the corn industry: American Coalition for Ethanol; Carbon Green Bioenergy; Corn Marketing Program of Michigan; Conklin AgroVantage ? Tom Warschefsky; Crop Production Services; Dairyland Seed Company; Eastern Michigan Grain; Greenstone Farm Credit Services; Growers National Cooperative; Michigan Milk Producers Association; Pioneer Hi-Bred International; Pat Feldpausch ? Pioneer Hi-Bred; Specialty Hybrids; and Tri-County Equipment. For more information about sponsoring an MCGA event or newsletter, please contact the Michigan Corn office.

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