Margaret Henry, Director of Sustainable Agriculture for PepsiCo, was honored by the Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) at their annual meeting on November 23rd for her commitment to farmers and their farming practices as PepsiCo considered their own sustainability goals and how to meet them. PepsiCo has been a proud partner with IL Corn’s Precision Conservation Management (PCM) program for the past four years. The company enjoys PCM as a trusted farmer partner, as they work to help keep Illinois farmers resilient into the future. “PepsiCo is going above and beyond the vast majority of ‘sustainability’ commitments by not only working on our own operations, but also working hand in hand with the farmers who supply us to make progress together on issues that matter to communities worldwide,” said Henry.
Representative Cheri Bustos received the ethanol award from the Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) at the group’s annual meeting on November 23, 2021, in Bloomington, Illinois. Rep. Bustos is an important partner in ICGA’s goal to build ethanol demand with her bill, the Next Generation Fuels Act. Introduced in August 2021, the bill paves the way for corn-based ethanol to be a fuel choice in America’s clean energy future. “Cheri Bustos has been an advocate that we can count on when it comes to helping others understand that corn-based ethanol is a clean, climate-friendly fuel. Her legislation is different from other bills in that it recognizes that farmers and rural America can be a solution to our current challenges,” said Randy DeSutter, ICGA President and farmer from Woodhull. “Her Next Generation Fuels Act would impact Illinois farmers for the next 2-3 generations.” “Representative Bustos has always been a very important advocate for rural America and the U.S. government. She has represented her constituency very well and helped to amplify our voice when we would have been lost in the conversation otherwise. Her contribution to the ethanol industry – and to all of agriculture – has been very impactful,” said DeSutter. When fully implemented, the Next Generation Fuels Action stands to increase long-term annual ethanol usage by more than 5 billion gallons. That’s equal to over 1.8 billion bushels of new annual corn demand. In 2013, Rep. Bustos was sworn into her first term in Congress, representing the families of Illinois’s 17th Congressional District. Over the last eight years, she has served on the U.S. House of Representatives Agricultural Committee, as well as the House Appropriations Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Cheri was born in Springfield, IL and is proud of her agricultural roots. She and her husband Gerry have three grown children and three grandchildren, all of which live in Illinois.
Martin Marr, a farmer from Jacksonville, IL, has been elected president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) for 2021-2022 at their re-organizational meeting, which was held today (11/23/21) immediately following the organization’s annual meeting. Marr has served on the ICGA board for eight years, most recently as vice president. He will continue his role as District 10 Director for the duration of his term as president, serving members in Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Morgan, Sangamon, and Scott Counties. Joining Marr in leadership roles are Vice President Terry Smith of Clayton, Treasurer Mark Bunselmeyer of Maroa, and Secretary Joe Murphy of Harrisburg.
Paul and Donna Jeschke of Mazon, IL are the recipients of the Illinois Corn Growers Association’s (ICGA) top award. ICGA leaders honored the couple for their service to Illinois corn farmers at the ICGA Annual Meeting on November 23 in Bloomington. The World of Corn Award goes to individuals, organizations, or businesses for making significant contributions to the corn industry. The special award, now in its 32nd year, was created to recognize the global importance of corn, and specifically honor individual pacesetters that have made Illinois a leader in the corn industry.
For the first time, ICGA awarded the Mike Plumer Environmental Excellence Award at their annual meeting on November 23 in Bloomington, IL. Margaret Henry, Director of Sustainable Agriculture for PepsiCo was the inaugural winner of the newly named award. Mike Plumer served as an ex officio member of the IL Corn Growers Association Board from 1991 to 2010. Even after his retirement, he continued to work with the ICGA helping farmers understand and implement conservation practices until his death in 2017.
The Illinois Corn Growers Association’s 2021 Excellence in Media Award was given to Mike Perrine, MP Ag Radio of Troy, IL, at the ICGA Annual Meeting today (11/23/21 in Bloomington, Illinois. The award is given each year to an individual who promotes Illinois agriculture and, specifically, Illinois corn and corn farmers, through their coverage in traditional media or through their engagement on social media. “Mike is one of the true heroes of the Illinois ag media. He’s been through it all, covered it all with accuracy and excellence, and set an example that other ag media attempt to live up to. No one does radio broadcasting like Mike,” said Randy DeSutter, President of the ICGA and a farmer from Woodhull, IL.
Illinois Corn Marketing Board was excited to welcome Mexican white corn buyers from Gruma in Illinois after a halt in visits due to COVID. Representatives from Gruma, a global food company founded in Mexico that manufactures corn flour and tortillas, met with farmers and grain handlers to learn more about current and future white corn production in Illinois and identify potential suppliers for their mills in Mexico. White corn exports from the US to Mexico increased 30% in marketing year 20/21 to 31 million bushels. The group visited the IL Corn office and heard from Executive Director Rod Weinzierl, who spoke with the group about corn production and marketing in Illinois. IL Corn staff coordinated visits and meetings with Clarkson Grain, Archer Daniels Midland, Consolidated Grain and Barge, the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and several farmers, to build relationships for future grain purchases.
As harvest wraps up for most farmers across the state and an overall favorable forecast is predicted, focus turns to fall fertilizer and tillage. Precision Conservation Management (PCM) looks at the financial return of both fertilizer and tillage. Falling into Fertilizer With fertilizer prices at historic highs, it’s imperative to have a solid plan in place. PCM data would show the most profitable corn acres achieve a nitrogen use efficiency close to .85 which is lower than the 1-1.1 most think about. This means that for every bushel of corn, less than 1 pound of total applied nitrogen was used. As you think about your fall anhydrous, MAP, and DAP applications begin to think about how much of your total N are you leaving vulnerable for the next 7 months. Using a stabilizer even as ground conditions limit the conversion of anhydrous is still important to help keep your nitrogen investment in a stable form during the early spring.
