A milestone for the Iowa Corn Growers ? as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of the association with the eleventh Iowa Corn Indy Car Race on Sunday.
Many dignitaries at the Iowa Speedway in Newton have called out ?start your engines? at the Iowa Corn Indy Car 250 and 200 races, in recent years.
Lighting up the high-tech, ethanol powered engines and accelerating to well over 200 miles per hour has vindicated corn-based fuel in the eyes of much of the public.
Iowa Corn Growers Association CEO Craig Floss has been there every year, and sees great value in the race?s Title Sponsor.
?It?s a way for us to connect as an organization with our members and our Checkoff contributors, to show them how we?re helping them move corn. We?re also connecting consumers to ethanol. Every one general consumer drives by these cornfields and asks, ?Hey, where does all this corn go?? We can tell you with the Iowa Corn 300, it goes into those gas tanks, and an IndyCar runs on an 85% blend of ethanol, the very same type of blend that anybody can get at a Flex fuel pump here in Iowa. It?s all about connections for us, and the Iowa Corn 300 and our partnership with the Iowa Speedway has been a great way to connect all parts of agriculture to the consumer,? Floss said.
He also saluted his members on achieving 50 years, as one of the most active grower groups in Iowa.
?Since 1967, Iowa corn farmers have come together to work on all these issues. Whether its market demand or policy, these are all things that we think have had a big impact on advancing the corn industry in Iowa. This is a year to celebrate. Not only is 2017 a great year for us at the Iowa Corn 300, but in celebrating 50 years of success for Iowa?s corn famers.?
The race will begin at 4:00 p.m. Sunday.
