INDIANAPOLIS – Vincennes, Ind., farmer Susan Brocksmith has been elected the 2026 president of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC), the state’s corn checkoff program.

Elected as vice president was Noblesville, Ind., farmer Adam Sheller. Daleville, Ind., farmer Ron Hensley is the new board secretary, and Roanoke, Ind., farmer Jerry Osterholt was elected as the board’s treasurer. Leading ICMC’s Sustainability and Value Creation Committee is Matthew Lucas, a farmer from Brownstown, Ind.; and Windfall, Ind., farmer Scott Smith is the new chair of ICMC’s Market Development Committee.

Brocksmith grows corn and soybeans on her farm in Knox County along with her husband, Mike. All their crops are non-GMO, and they practice no-till with cover crops. Brocksmith is also dean of the College of Business and Public Service at Vincennes University. She was the ICMC board secretary in 2025. Brocksmith follows Greensburg, Ind., farmer Tim Gauck who completed two years as board president.

“I am deeply humbled to serve as president of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council,” Brocksmith said. “This role is ultimately about serving the hardworking corn farmers across our state. We are preparing to tackle a robust agenda focused on finding new destinations for Indiana corn and expanding our customer base worldwide. I look forward to working to create new value for every Indiana farmer.”

Sheller grows corn and soybeans and also raises goats on his Hamilton County farm. A farmer since 2016, he has a degree in agricultural education from Purdue University. Sheller has an off-farm job in insurance sales. He is an at-large representative on the ICMC board.

 

Other executive officers

Hensley represents District 6, which includes Blackford, Jay, Delaware, Henry, Randolph, Wayne, Fayette and Union counties. A full-time farmer since 1975, Hensley and his wife, Teresa, grows corn and soybeans on his farm in Delaware and Madison counties. 

Osterholt grows corn and soybeans along with his wife, Deb, at Osterholt Farms in Huntington and Allen counties. Osterholt represents District 3, which includes the counties of LaGrange, Steuben, Noble, DeKalb, Whitley, Allen, Huntington, Wells and Adams. A first-generation farmer, Osterholt started farming in 1974. 

Lucas will lead the Sustainability and Value Creation Committee, which studies various production techniques that improve the environmental, social and economic sustainability of Indiana farms. Lucas farms in a partnership with his father, James, and he represents District 8 on the ICMC board. District 8 includes the counties of Brown, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Lawrence, Monroe, Orange, Perry and Washington. A full-time farmer since 2018, Lucas grows corn and soybeans on his farm in Jackson County. His farm also finishes 24,000 hogs per year. He has a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness from Purdue University.

Smith was selected as chair of the Market Development Committee. This committee works to expand export opportunities and increase the value of Indiana’s corn crop. Smith represents District 5, which includes the counties of Bartholomew, Boone, Clinton, Decatur, Grant, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Howard, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Rush, Shelby and Tipton. Along with his wife, Terri, Smith owns Triple S Smith Farms and Sharp-View Farms in Tipton, Grant, Madison and Howard counties. He has a diversified, third-generation farm that produces corn, soybeans and process tomatoes. A full-time farmer, Smith began farming in 1974. He is a past president of the Indiana Corn Growers Association.

 

Five join ICMC board

ICMC welcomed five new directors – four elected and one appointed – to the board. Elected were Fowler, Ind., farmer Heather Nally; Brazil, Ind., farmer Kevin Cox, Huntingburg, Ind., farmer Alex Hohl and Mishawaka, Ind., farmer Kurt Laidig. Appointed to finish a vacant position in District 9 is Scottsburg, Ind., farmer Ethan McNeely.

Nally and her husband, Patrick, grow corn, soybeans and elderberries on their Benton County farm.

Cox and his wife, Brenda, grow corn and soybeans on their farm in Clay, Parke, Putnam and Vigo counties. He represents District 4, which includes Warren, Tippecanoe, Montgomery, Putnam, Owen, Clay, Vigo, Parke, Vermillion and Fountain counties. 

Hohl is a corn grower from Dubois County, and he is the seventh generation to work his family’s farm. He also has a cattle herd and finishes steers.

 Laidig was elected as an at-large candidate to the board. At-large members represent farmers from all of Indiana. Laidig grows corn and soybeans and operates a wean-to-finish hog operation on his farm in St. Joseph County. 

McNeely grows corn, soybeans and hay on a farm in Scott County. A part-time farmer, he also works as a credit officer for Farm Credit MidAmerica. He represents District 9.