Since 1978, Iowa corn growers have elected their peers to serve on the Iowa Corn Promotion Board? (ICPB) to oversee the investment of funds generated by the Iowa Corn checkoff program.
On July 16, 2019, corn farmers in Crop Reporting Districts 2, 3, 5 and 7 can vote at their local county ISU extension office for representation on the Iowa Corn Promotion Board for a 3-year term. The board?s primary priorities and responsibilities include domestic and foreign market development, research of new and value-added corn uses and education on corn and the farmers who grow it.
Corn producers within Districts 2, 3, 5 and 7 who have produced and marketed 250 bushels of corn or more in Iowa in the previous marketing year (September 1, 2017 to August 31, 2018) and are interested in running for a position may still file a petition with the ICPB. Petitions can be obtained by contacting the Iowa Corn office and must contain the signatures of 25 corn producers from the same district as the prospective candidate. Completed and notarized petitions must be delivered to the Iowa Corn office no later than 4:30 PM on April 26, 2019. Once all grower petitions have been received, a final list of candidates will be generated, and candidate names will be listed on the election ballots.
Anyone who has produced and marketed 250 bushels of corn or more in Iowa in the previous marketing year is eligible to vote in the election. Producers unable to visit the local ISU extension office on July 16 can vote by absentee ballot. Absentee ballots can be requested beginning May 29. Requests must be made no later than June 24 by contacting the Iowa Corn office at 515-225-9242 or on our website at www.iowacorn.org. Absentee ballots must be postmarked or returned to the Iowa Corn office no later than July 16. Results of the election are announced publicly July 19.
Current candidates are as follows:
USDA Crop Reporting District 2 (Butler, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Mitchell, Winnebago, Worth, and Wright)
- Monica Lursen, Butler County
- Jerry Maier, Wright County
- Kevin Pope, Cerro Gordo County
USDA Crop Reporting District 3 (Allamakee, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek)
- Jim Fitkin, Black Hawk County
- Derek Taylor, Winneshiek County
USDA Crop Reporting District 5 (Boone, Dallas, Grundy Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, Marshall, Marion, Polk, Poweshiek, Story, Tama, Warren, Webster)
- Mark Kenney, Polk County
- Rod Pierce, Dallas County
USDA Crop Reporting District 7 (Adair, Adams, Cass, Fremont, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Taylor)
- Ralph Lents, Adair County
- Jeff Thomsen, Cass County
