Corn growers, political leaders and other industry officials converged at Jefferson City on Feb. 17 to participate in the Missouri Corn Growers Association annual meeting and lobby day. A special highlight was a celebration of the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council’s 25th anniversary.

During the business portion of the annual meeting, members re-elected Kenny McNamar of Gorin and Paul Gross of Corder to the MCGA board of directors. Also elected were Morris Heitman of Mound City, Gary Porter of Mercer, and Greg Schneider of Warrenton.

Following the annual meeting, corn growers took to the Capitol to shine light on the true impact of commodity prices in grocery aisles. Armed with more than 200 boxes of cornflakes cereal, growers informed legislators and key staffers that only 19 cents of every food dollar goes to the farmer.

"Handing out these boxes of cornflakes allowed us to get our foot in the door and really talk about the issues important to corn growers," says Mike Geske, MCGA president. "A simple tool such as a box of cereal easily demonstrated what a small portion of the food dollar the farmer is actually receiving. Many legislators were surprised to learn that the price of the cornflakes was $2.18 yet the corn farmer's share was only 3 pennies."

The Missouri Corn Growers Association was formed to protect the rights of its members, build new markets for corn and increase opportunities for Missouri farmers. To learn more about Missouri's corn industry, call (800) 827-4181 or visit Missouri Corn Online at www.mocorn.org.  

Source: Missouri Corn Growers Association