Each year highly-qualified corn growers from across the state are chosen to sit on the Michigan Corn Growers Association board of directors. Four board members were re-appointed and three board members were newly elected to the MCGA this year.

The delegates at the MCGA Annual Meeting re-elected Jim Gillispie of Concord to represent District 7; Scott Lonier of Lansing to serve out-of-district in district 8; Dan Cable of Maybee to represent District 8; and Tom Durand of Croswell to an at-large position. Richard Maurer Jr. of Harbor Beach, Tony Igl of Mason, and Kenneth Blaauw of Shelbyville were newly elected to serve on the board of directors representing Districts 3, 4, and 6 respectively.

Along with the board appointments, the MCGA board of directors elected new officers. They are: Chair Tom Durand of Croswell, President Ed Breitmeyer of Buckley, Vice President Jeff Sandborn of Portland, Treasurer Scott Lonier of Lansing; and Secretary Loren Koeman of Grand Rapids. 

"I'm honored to serve as the President of the Michigan Corn Growers Association," says Breitmeyer. "The MCGA works on policy development, which affects corn farmers across the state. This year, we will continue our focus at both the state and national levels. We will also continue our work to increase the number of members in the association, since our strength truly comes from our members. This is an exciting time to be involved in the corn industry and I look forward to my new leadership role within the association."

"The entire board is looking forward to directing the MCGA during the next year," says Durand. "This year the organization will continue to work to improve opportunities for Michigan's corn industry through policy development. We are continuing our work to educate our state's lawmakers about the corn industry and agriculture, which has become more important as consumers get further removed from farming."

Headquartered in Lansing, the MCGA is a grassroots-membership association that has represented the state's corn growers' political interests since the 1970s. The MCGA works cooperatively with the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan a legislatively-established program that utilizes one-cent per bushel of Michigan corn sold and invests in research, education, new uses and market development.  Michigan's corn industry adds more than one billion dollars to the state's economy annually and in 2009, Michigan's corn farmers harvested a record setting crop of more than 309 million bushels. For more information, visit the website of the MCGA and the CMPM at www.micorn.org.