From the Michigan Corn Growers Assoc.
The Michigan Corn Growers Assoc. (MCGA) would like to remind its members that time is running out to register for the 2012 Ethanol Night at the Races at Dixie Motor Speedway in Birch Run, on Sept. 8. You won’t want to miss this action-packed event, so be sure to sign up today.
Members should have received their invitations by mail and can choose any of our easy registration methods to obtain tickets. Attendees can reserve their seat at this year’s event by faxing their registration forms to the MCGA office at 517-668-2670; mailing them to the MCGA office at: 13750 S. Sedona Parkway, Suite 5; Lansing, MI 48906; or by visiting www.micorn.org to register online. Registration for MCGA members is free and guests are welcome to attend the event for a fee. The first four adult guests of an MCGA member will receive a discounted price of $15 per person, with additional adult guests at $20 per person. Children ages 6-12 will be admitted at the cost of $5 per child. Children under 6 are free. Guests at Ethanol Night at the Races will be treated to a steak dinner, which runs from 4:30-7 p.m. Dinner will be followed by a full night of racing, including a Modified Invitational, chain-gang races, Dixie crash cars, school bus figure-8s, figure-8 trailer races, flagpole races and spectator drags.
Attendees will also receive a free commemorative T-shirt and will have the opportunity to examine ethanol-powered projects from Kettering University and the Eastern Michigan Tractor Pulling Assoc. In case of inclement weather, contact Dixie Motor Speedway at 989-624-9778 to confirm Ethanol Night at the Races is still on. If the event gets postponed because of weather, the rain date will be Sept. 15.
Michigan corn growers visit Capitol Hill Nine Michigan corn growers joined corn farmers from across the nation in Washington, D.C., recently to help shape the future of their national commodity association and the U.S. corn industry at the 2012 Corn Congress.
Delegates representing the MCGA at the Congress were Corn Marketing Program of Michigan (CMPM) board member Tom Durand of Croswell, CMPM President and NCGA Production and Stewardship Action Team member Pat Feldpausch of Fowler, NCGA Corn Board member Clark Gerstacker of Midland, MCGA board member Phil Gordon of Saline, MCGA Treasurer Loren Koeman of Grand Rapids, MCGA board member Brian Kreps of LaSalle, MCGA Vice President Scott Lonier of Lansing, MCGA board member and NCGA Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team member Scott Miller of Elsie and MCGA President and NCGA Ethanol Committee member Jeff Sandborn of Portland.
Jim Zook, executive director, and Val Vail-Shirey, policy director and Public Policy Action Team member, also attended and met with Michigan elected officials.
Corn Congress is hosted by the National Corn Growers Assoc. (NCGA), representing 37,000 dues-paying corn farmers nationwide, as well as the interests of more than 300,000 growers throughout the country. Along with its 48 affiliated state associations, the NCGA works to create and increase opportunities for its members and the industry.
Each year, two sessions of Corn Congress are held to set the direction of the NCGA and the U.S. corn industry. During the session in Washington, state delegates met to update the association’s policy book and elect new members to the NCGA Corn Board. During their visit, the Michigan Corn delegation visited the offices of all 16 Michigan legislators as they canvassed Capitol Hill. The growers discussed pressing issues facing today’s corn industry, including the Renewable Fuels Standard and the farm bill.
MCGA annual golf outings
More than 200 corn growers and industry supporters enjoyed a round of golf, games and door prizes at the MCGA annual summer golf outings. The Thumb Area Golf Outing was Aug. 14 at Verona Hills in Bad Axe and the Central Michigan Golf Outing was at Centennial Acres in Sunfield on Aug. 16.
We would like to thank all of our members who attended the outings and helped make them such wonderful events. The MCGA would also like to thank this year’s sponsors of the summer golf outings, for their ongoing support of both the MCGA and the corn industry.
These sponsors include: Advanced Trading; AG Chemicals-R-US and Spartan Crop Insurance Agency; Bay Port State Bank; Carbon Green BioEnergy, LLC; CMPM; Cooperative Elevator; Crop Production Services – Keith Paige; DuPont Pioneer; Exchange State Bank; Farm Bureau Insurance – Casey Jahn; Farmer’s Co-Op Grain Co.; Great Lakes Crop Insurance Agency, LLC – Doug Elbers; Great Lakes Hybrids; Greenstone Farm Credit; Michael Sahr Crop Insurance Agency, LLC; Michigan Farm Radio Network; Mycogen Seeds & Dow AgroSciences – Mark Kies; Northstar Bank; Nachurs Alpine Solutions; P&C Ag Solutions; Pioneer Hi-Bred; Poet Biorefining; Specialty Hybrids; Star of the West Milling Co.; The Andersons, Inc.; Thumb Crop Insurance; Thumb National Bank; TNT Equipment; Tri-County Equipment; and White, Schneider, Young and Chiodini, PC.
Please remember to visit these sponsors throughout the year to thank them for their investment in the MCGA and to show your support for those who support you.
As always, if you have any questions about upcoming events, would like to join the MCGA, or if you have any questions or suggestions for the CMPM or the MCGA, please call us at 888-323-6601 or visit us online at www.micorn.org |
