ICGA fights for the corn checkoff program because it benefits farmers

Scott Smith
President Indiana Corn Growers Association

A winning team on the field requires teammates with different skills and strengths to work together for a common goal. On a baseball diamond, a good pitcher needs a skilled catcher. On the football field, a speedy running back needs many strong blockers.

It is with that principle in mind, I am reminded of how much all Indiana farmers need both the Indiana Corn Growers Association (ICGA), a policy organization, and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC), our state’s corn checkoff program. More than 16 years ago, ICGA campaigned diligently for the launch of a corn checkoff program because our leaders knew that this effort would help farmers. ICGA’s leaders understood that states with checkoff programs enjoyed stronger bushel prices.

How have Indiana corn growers benefitted from the checkoff?

Let’s take our state’s ethanol industry as an example. In 2007, the year the ICMC was created, Indiana had six ethanol plants. Today, there are 15 with one plant a short drive from nearly all of the state’s 20,107 corn growers. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, Indiana ranks as the fifth-largest producer of U.S. ethanol – generating more than 1.4 billion gallons per year. The Hoosier State produces nearly 8 percent of the total U.S. ethanol output.

Indiana is a major corn producer with an average annual crop of 975 million bushels valued at more than $6.5 billion. There are 15 ethanol plants in the state. Collectively, these ethanol plants consume about 43 percent of Indiana’s total corn crop – more than 461 million bushels. Furthermore, these ethanol plants produce 3.8 million tons of distiller’s grains, which is a valuable livestock feed.

None of this would be possible without ICMC’s work in growing the ethanol industry.

ICMC actively recruits ethanol producers to bring more plants into the state. The newest plant came online within the past year. Indiana boasts six ethanol plants that produce more than 100 million gallons per year.

ICMC works with fuel retailers to offer higher blends of ethanol. Through programs such as the Higher Blend Infrastructure Incentive Program, the state now has 288 pumps offering E85 (a blend of 85 percent ethanol with 15 percent gasoline), and 90 pumps with E15 (a blend of 15 percent ethanol with 85 percent gasoline).

And finally, ICMC works with consumers to try ethanol. More than 309 million gallons of ethanol is used by Hoosier motorists each year – most at a 10.1 percent blend. Because ethanol-blended fuel is cheaper, motorists are saving an estimated $273 million per year.

Ethanol is not the only example of the benefits Indiana corn growers receive from the checkoff program. In 2021, the U.S. exported more than 2.7 billion bushels of corn, and much of that came from Indiana. ICMC has partnered with organizations like the U.S. Grains Council, the U.S. Meat Export Federation and the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council to move a sizeable pile of Hoosier corn overseas. This, too, increases demand and bushel prices for Indiana growers.

When we pull our efforts together, we can accomplish great things for each other.

As the ICGA president, I’m happy to continue to fight for our checkoff program. ICMC is a great teammate for Indiana farmers.