If you’re a Hoosier farmer and would like to have a say in how Indiana’s corn checkoff investments are spent, you’re encouraged to run for one of the five seats up for election on the board of directors for the Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC).
The organization manages the corn checkoff investments with a goal of supporting and growing Indiana’s corn industry.
“We need good people with ideas,” says Tim Gauck, a Greensburg farmer who serves as ICMC Treasurer and has been on the board for five years.
The money for the corn checkoff comes from the sale of corn in Indiana when a farmer takes it to market. One half-of-a-cent per bushel sold is set aside and given to the Indiana Corn Marketing Council for the corn checkoff, which is then reinvested in promotional, educational and research activities. The ICMC board of directors directs where that money goes and how much of it is spent.
Some of the board’s priorities have included increased ethanol use, improved transportation infrastructure, on-farm research, livestock promotion and expanding international exports.
“We want to grow all we can, but we’re not like the store where we advertise and have sales. We have to find people interested in buying what we’re producing. We’ve got to keep our product ahead of buyers. If we didn’t do anything, who knows where the markets would be?” said Gauck.
To run for an ICMC director seat, Indiana corn farmers must be at least 18 years old, a registered Indiana voter and a resident in the appropriate district. All farmers who submit a valid petition by June 1, 2022 will be listed as a candidate on the election ballot. Voting takes place at Purdue Cooperative Extension Service county offices in August or by absentee ballot, which will be made available in July.
Here is the breakdown of each district:
- District 1– The counties of Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Starke, Pulaski, Jasper, White, Benton, and Newton.
- District 4 – The counties of Warren, Tippecanoe, Montgomery, Putnam, Owen, Clay, Vigo, Parke, Vermillion, and Fountain.
- District 7 – The counties of Sullivan, Greene, Daviess, Martin, Knox, Dubois, Pike, Gibson, Warrick, Spencer, Vanderburgh, and Posey.
- Two statewide At-Large seats up for re-election covers all Indiana Counties.
Farmers can download any necessary forms at www.incorn.org/elections or by calling the ICMC office at 1-800-735-0195. Forms are also available at all Purdue County Extension offices.
Newly elected directors will begin a three-year term Oct. 1. ICMC directors can serve three consecutive full terms or a total of nine consecutive years.
For more information about Indiana Corn Marketing Council, visit www.incorn.org.
