The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) recently released its membership recruitment program for 2009, which continues an incentive-based effort to encourage corn growers to reach out to their colleagues and promote the value of a membership in the influential national organization and its state affiliates.

“Our success in bringing in new members is due to a large part of the work of our recruiters, who understand the benefits of membership and communicate it clearly to others,” said Tim Dolan, chairman of NCGA’s Grower Services Action Team and a farmer from Winthrop, Minn.

Dolan noted that the membership program for 2007 led to a 3.5 percent increase in membership by the end of the year, and 2008’s program is also on track to be successful. Last month, it was announced that NCGA membership surpassed 35,000.

The 2009 plan, sponsored by Syngenta Agrisure, seeks to provide state corn associations with proper resources, training and incentives to assist recruitment and retention efforts and supplement NCGA and state association grower and consumer educational efforts with timely and accurate literature and collateral materials that address membership, as well as key corn-related issues. The target is increasing membership by at least 1.5 percent over 2008’s ending level, Dolan said.

As in previous years, the NCGA program provides incentives and awards for state associations and individual recruiters. They will be recognized publicly for their work and honored at the 2010 Commodity Classic.

For more information on NCGA membership, contact Mike Shelby at (636) 733-9004 or [email protected].