10 Ways Iowa Corn Changed My Life

Every day graduation is one step closer. As my last semester races by, I think of all the people that have changed my life over these four years. That list is long, but the men and women at Iowa Corn are certainly near the top. Here are some of the best memories we've made together.

There's just something about that Hilton Magic! All Iowa State
students should experience the thrill of a CyHawk game!

1. CyHawk Series - You're not getting the full Iowa State student experience if you skip the CyHawk games. Whether it's standing in the deafening student section at Hilton or handing out 8,000 t-shirts at Jack Trice, Iowa Corn has touched every corner of my student experience. The Iowa v. Iowa State rivalry is fun in itself, but seeing my favorite farmers and reminders of all their hard work at the games is the cherry on top. Plus, who's day isn't a little better after a high five from Captain Corn?

Meeting Marco Andretti was one of the biggest highlights of the
Ethanol Powered Weekend, but there were so many cool parts!

2. Ethanol Powered Weekend - I never have been much of a racing fan, so if you told high school me that one of my college highlights would be a whole weekend at the Iowa Speedway I would have laughed in your face. Well, college senior me is here to say it's true! Being that close to such fast cars, fueled by ethanol from corn produced on farms of the fans that surrounded me was really neat. Between meeting farmers and munching on sweet corn I learned all kinds of cool facts. Did you know, today over 95% of all fuel sold in the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol?! To top it off I got to ride in the pace car, meet Marco Andretti and tour the pits! (We’ll save the story where I spill a whole cooler of butter patties in the middle of an intersection for another blog post.)

I've had such a good time serving as an officer of ISU Corn Growers with
these ladies.

3. Network - Iowa Corn has given me an incredible network that I'll keep in touch with for years to come. Because of them, I know people who are passionate about agriculture, just like me, across the country. I've had the opportunity to work next to some of the most passionate agvocates (like Carrie and Janelle) while at Iowa Corn. Everyone in the organization inspires me with their work ethic and dedication to Iowa's farmers.

Meeting these Iowa bloggers at #AgChat Conference was truly
life changing! I can't wait to see where this blog takes me after all
 their advice.

4. ISU Corn Growers - For the last four years, when I wasn't in class, chances are I was at a club activity. Iowa State University Corn Growers Association (ISUCGA) has given me a chance to grow my friendships and leadership skills. With my fellow members, I've put on large events, cleaned up the local highway and traveled around the state. Serving as this group's secretary challenged me to grow creatively and as a teammate. Together, we made many memories that will last a lifetime.

Pump promotions with Iowa Corn were such a fun way to travel the state
and talk to people about ethanol.

5. Ag Chat Conference - If you follow my social media, you know I traveled to Nashville in November for an AgEI trip and #AgChat conference. The conference inspired me and was the last push of motivation I needed to tackle re-branding this blog. In just two days, my photography and writing improved. So many ladies generously shared their advice with me. It was also awesome to meet bloggers I've admired for years in real life. None of this would have been possible without Iowa Corn's generous sponsorship. Extra shout out to my new friend Alicia at Pork Diaries for driving me all the way back to Iowa!

During my internship I went on some really neat farm tours with foreign
teams. It was awesome to see them learn about American agriculture.

6. Internship - For many college students, internships are the highlight of their college career. I'm no exception. The summer after my sophomore year I had the privilege of spending three months as the Market Development intern in Iowa Corn's office. In that short time I experienced so much! More importantly than mastering Excel or learning how to ship thousands of t-shirts, I began to understand the global impact Iowa corn farmers make. By attending the Governor's Livestock Charity Steer Show, Ethanol Powered Weekend and hosting foreign teams I learned how important corn is to the livestock, fuel and export industries. There's no way I could remember all the facts and figures I heard that summer, but I will admit www.iowacorn.org has been cited as a source for more than one of my course papers. 

Last year our ISUCGA group went on an industry tour to Pioneer in
Johnston, Iowa. I learned so much!

7. Twitter Takeover - Anyone who knows me, even just a little, knows I'm passionate about sharing the stories of agriculture, especially on social media. That's why I was so giddy when Iowa Corn asked me to take over their Twitter account for a day last semester. It was so much fun to share how the organization and ag community have impacted my life with all their followers.

8. Wardrobe - This is one of those unintended benefits of involvement with Iowa Corn. I lost track of how many Iowa Corn shirts I've collected a long time ago, but I'm confident I could get through a week or two without repeating a one.

9. Farmland - Last spring, ISUCGA pulled off a wonderful Farmland Screening and Panel event. That night, guests watched the documentary Farmland, and had the opportunity to ask questions of six local Iowa farmers. Organizing this event is one of my biggest accomplishments of the last four years, but it wouldn't have been possible without the support of Iowa Corn. They lent us Captain Corn and the 8 foot farmers, plus donated cups (made from corn) so everyone could enjoy popcorn and drinks with the movie. The experience just wouldn't have been complete without popcorn!! 

10. Industry Visits - The Market Development internship and ISUCGA opened doors to visit many ag businesses. I've learned more about livestock and seed corn production thanks to Iowa Corn related trips. You can read more of what I learned at a cattle feedlot, dairy days, egg facility and Pioneer in their individual blog posts.

It's safe to say college wouldn't have been the same without Iowa Corn. I'm so thankful they've been part of my agricultural journey so far, and I can't wait to see where the future leads. To learn more about their organization and how it can change your life go to www.iowacorn.org. To keep up with all they're doing with farmers and college students like me around the state follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Thanks for reading!

Ag Jobs A to Z: District Field Manager

Janelle Kracht (top) and 
Carrie Dodds
Photo Credit: Iowa Corn

D is for District Field Manager! I'm excited to introduce you to not one, but two of the fantastic District Field Managers at Iowa Corn. I had the privilege of working with these ladies at pump promotions and the Iowa Corn Indy 300 during my market development internship two summers ago. I still run in to them from time to time and Carrie works closely with the ISU Corn Growers I'm involved with on campus.

Janelle and Carrie have a similar role, but serve in different regions of the state of Iowa. They each bring a unique perspective to the organization and are wonderful ambassadors for Iowa agriculture. 

1. Where did you go to school?

Janelle: I graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture with an emphasis in Turf Management.

Carrie: I graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a Bachelor or Science in Animal Science and Ag Business and a minor in Marketing.

2. What inspired you to be a District Field Manager?

Janelle: I knew that I wanted a career that would present the opportunity to make a difference in the world every day.  It was very important to me to end a work day knowing that what I did was helping someone and bettering our society and industry. 

A friend from college, who had worked for Iowa Corn, reached out and encouraged me to apply for the DFM position.  The rest is history.

Carrie: My love for working with farmers is what lead me to pursue this position.  I feel it is imperative for farmers and the agricultural industry to tell their story. 

3. How long have you been working as a District Field Manager?

Janelle: I will be celebrating my 8th Anniversary as a District Field Manager with Iowa Corn in November, 2015.

Carrie: 3 years.

4. What skills are necessary for a career as a District Field Manager?

Janelle: I believe a successful District Field Manager is passionate about the industry, organized, is a good communicator, has a strong work ethic, is a good listener, is driven and is not afraid to have constructive conversation.  

Carrie: You must be a motivated self-starter and flexible.  No day is ever the same and your schedule can change with the weather, literally.  If it is raining and one of your county groups can meet sometimes you have to shuffle something around to get a meeting in.  I feel you need to be comfortable working with people of all ages and demographics.  One day you could be meeting with a group of farmers or doing elevator visits and the next day you could be presenting for a group of 100 Second graders. 

5. How does your job fit into the agricultural industry? (Who do you work with? Who do you help? Who helps you?)

Janelle: I primarily work with corn farmers who are active within their local county corn grower board.  We are engaged within the community educating consumers about the Ag industry, i.e.; where their food comes from, the benefits of ethanol, biotechnology, sustainability, conservation, water quality, etc.  We understand the need to work with the youth in agriculture and educate them about the importance of getting involved.  Local county boards also recognize the importance of being engaged in the political aspect of industry. 

Carrie: As a DFM you are tasked to tell the story or help others tell the story of Iowa Corn and the agricultural industry every day. We help farmers tell their story and work with audiences to understand the importance of where their food comes from and the vast uses of corn in their everyday lives. 

6. What career/internship opportunities are there with Iowa Corn?

Janelle & Carrie: We have a marketing internship for the summer and we are looking to hire a social media manager full time. Here are the descriptions for each:

2016 Summer Marketing Intern: Iowa Corn is seeking a smart, organized, energetic person to assist with activities in our current Marketing & Communications department. This internship offers an excellent opportunity for a talented student committed to help implementing programs that increase demand for corn and creating profitably for Iowa’s corn farmers. The Marketing Intern will work closely with Iowa Corn’s Marketing & Communications team to provide support for state and local programs.

Social Media Manager: This position is responsible for the management of an effective and efficient communications program for the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and Iowa Corn Growers Association.  It initiates and manages communications projects, specific to website management and social media platforms, with other internal departments in the areas of research, marketing, public policy and grower services, ensuring that the organizations’ image is consistently and appropriately communicated in the various target segments. 

7. Is there anything else you would like a student audience to know?

Janelle: It’s important to be involved and engaged in the Ag industry.  There are so many different outlets that will allow you to become involved and many organizations that you can belong to to help keep you engaged with what is happening within the industry.  These organizations are working for you and working for the best interest of the farmer. Organizations strive to find students, farmers and agribusiness’ to be engaged in their respective organizations.  Your input is vital to success of an organization like the Iowa Corn Growers Association. 

I can't thank Janelle and Carrie enough for sharing their experiences and advice today. I certainly look up to them as exemplary women in agriculture. Be sure to stop by and say hello if you see them at the Iowa Corn Career Fair booth next Tuesday! Thanks for reading!

Iowa Ag Leaders Dinner Reflection

Yesterday evening, I had the honor of attending the Iowa Ag Leaders dinner hosted by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Bill Northey. Agricultural business leaders, commodity group members, legislators, FFA members, and Iowa State University representatives gathered for a night of networking and inspiration. I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with friends and mentors during the reception. 

Photo Credit: Katie Klaes

As we savored a delicious dinner served by The Machine Shed, I was encouraged by talks from Abrah Meyer, FFA President for the state of Iowa, Bill Northey and the keynote address from former President and CEO of Heifer International, Jo Luck. There were so many good things mentioned about the enthusiasm of young agriculturalists, and the leadership of Iowa in the industry, but I wanted to share a couple things from Ms. Luck's speech in particular. 

In order to have achievement, you must possess VISION. This is how she described VISION:

V- Values. Know what you value and write it down. Everyone should value caring and sharing.
I- Important. Know what is important to you. (and probably many of the people around you) Family, love, health, faith, justice, community, education, etc.
S- Senses. We learn about 5 senses from the time we are young-- sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing and it's great to use and appreciate all of those, but there are 5 more sense that are also essential-- sense of direction, sense of pride, common sense, sensitivity, and sometimes the hardest to remember, sense of humor.
I- Interdependence. Teamwork, harmony and balance are all key components of achievement. No matter how independent you may be, we still impact each other. There is a Kenyan saying that means "Together we can do it."
O- Ownership. There must be a local (or personal) belief, want, need, and value for the goal. Luck shared the example of Dr. Tererai Trent, which is a story that will have to wait for another blog post.
N- NamJai. A Kenyan word translated "living waters of the heart." Compassion is so important in everything you do, from a smile and thank you to a hosting family, to taking time to walk in someone else's shoes. 

Simply put, never compromise your core values, remember what is important, use all your senses, be sure the right people own it with you, and don't forget your NamJai... ever.

Finally, I want to leave you with one last quote I found particularly inspiring. It went something like this, "You never know when you are influencing someone who will change the world."

As you pursue your goals I challenge you to keep your VISION in mind. Thanks for reading!

Wordless Wednesday: Kinda Cheating

This week I kinda cheated on Wordless Wednesday. None of these pictures are actually wordless, but I've been collecting all these infographics for quite a while and finally decided today was the day to share them with you. I'm sure you've noticed I'm kind of a nerd for these little fun facts.

Check out #NationalPorkMonth, Iowa Corn, or Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board for more facts and figures. The Iowa Corn Facebook has had a lot of these great pictures lately so be sure to go "Like" their page for more. As always, thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear your feedback!

Northwest Iowa Livestock Tour: Bar-K Cattle

Bar-K Cattle was the second stop on the Iowa Corn Northwest Iowa Livestock Tour. If you missed the details of our visit to Center Fresh, be sure to check that out here. 

The Iowa Corn AAE Committee enjoyed learning from Chad and Brent of Bar-K Cattle.

When our group first arrived, Chad and Brent gave us an overview of the operation. The location we visited holds 10,000 plus head of cattle. We discussed where their cattle come from, the careful care each animal gets, and their rations of corn and other agricultural products. I learned the heifers and steers are bed on corn stalks. What a great way to recycle!

After we looked at the loading facility and sheltered area where the cattle live, the guys showed us their manure handling practices. Many farmers use manure rather than chemical fertilizer for various reasons. In this particular part of Iowa, with all of the livestock, manure is easily sourced. This isn't necessarily great news for Bar-K because it means the market is saturated, and they have a lot of waste to get rid of. They must find some way to differentiate their product. 

Bar-K uses an innovative system to compost their manure. It's piled and turned regularly to ensure the highest quality. Their agronomist samples and analyzes it often to help his farmer customers know exactly what they are getting in their fertilizer.

It was thought provoking to see so many people who raise our food in one place learning about each other's production practices. Not that I ever doubted their intentions, but it definitely makes me feel good to know these farmers care enough about the people who consume what they harvest to take a day away from their operation to learn how to do their job better.

Monday Night Movie Night!

It's Monday night movie night! Okay, so I may have just made that up, but really, check out some of these video clips I've run across while working on different projects for Iowa Corn. They're pretty neat and hopefully you'll pick up some interesting facts. You may need a kleenex box for the last few! Enjoy!

I've always thought time lapse videos are cool and the hog buildings that dot the Iowa landscape intrigue me. Check this clip out to see the process of building one and learn more about the Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers. Give their website a peek if you have a chance!

Farmland is a movie that recently came out documenting 6 farmers and their day to day lives. Before you let the word documentary scare you away, watch the trailer below. Thanks to the ISU Corn Club, I got to see the full length movie in theaters last spring. If you get the chance to take it in, I highly recommend it!

This is one of my favorite video clips because it features my boss, Shannon Textor, and a farmer from my hometown, Wayne Humphreys. This one is sure to make you smile!

The other day, our office received a call from someone wanting to learn more about high fructose corn syrup. A member of our team was able to answer all their questions and clear up a lot of misconception, and it made me interested to learn more about a product that is in so much of our food. You're sure to learn something new here:

(Click on the photo. I couldn't get a video linked up like the others)

I saved my personal favorites for last. Since Beck's Hybrids came and spoke to the Ag Business Club last year, I have been obsessed with their "Why I Farm" campaign. It was so hard to chose which videos to put on the blog, so be sure to check out all the others on their YouTube channel. Make sure to have some tissues handy! These videos give me goosebumps no matter how many times I watch them!

I hope you've enjoyed these clips as much as I did and they've inspired you to learn more. Thanks for reading!

Northwest Iowa Dairy Days

One of the reasons I finally decided to begin my blogging journey has been my internship with Iowa Corn. I'm so blessed to be able to work in the Market Development department and surround myself with so many experts in agriculture. Later this summer, you'll hear more about my big projects like pump promotions, foreign teams, and the Iowa Corn Indy 300. 

Every once in a while, to help out other departments in the office, I get to go on their trips. Several weeks ago I traveled with our Communications intern to Northwest Iowa for a Dairy Days event. Because it wasn't my project I didn't know what our night would entail, but as soon as we arrived realized I was in for a treat!

The educational event was hosted by Plymouth Dairy Farms near LeMars, Iowa. The 2,700 head dairy farm invited families of all ages to join them for an open house that included tours of the dairy, kids activity tent, and a free meal. I was so disappointed we ran out of time before I got the chance to hop on the tour, but was really impressed with the neat and clean facilities on the farm. Western Iowa Dairy Alliance and Midwest Dairy Association were excellent sponsors. Many passionate volunteers directed visitors, passed out literature, and offered a helping hand to those of us setting up booths.


The Iowa Corn display was inside the children's tent along with tables from Iowa State Extension, a petting zoo, the corn pools and other commodity group's information. I loved watching little ones squeal with excitement as they pet young calves, bunnies and kittens. A large crowd of children enjoyed burying themselves in the corn pools. 

 

 



At our table families lined up to make corn necklaces for a solid two hours. Despite heavy rain the line was steady. It was so exciting to see eager young faces curious about corn. As the children filled their small baggies with soil, selected a corn seed, watered it and clipped it on a lanyard we asked them questions. "Is the corn hard or soft? Do you eat this kind of corn? Why are you putting water in there?" As they moved down the line Sarah, the other intern, and I explained, "This corn is hard, not soft and juicy like sweet corn. You eat sweet corn at your house, but these cows eat hard corn. The corn helps the cows produce the milk you drink. If you tasted their corn you'd think it was yucky. Corn plants need water just like you to grow big and strong." By the time the kids proudly held their finished project they were repeating all they'd just learned to their parents.

At the end of the night, over 200 corn necklaces had been made. According to an article in the local newspaper, more than 2,000 visitors completed the tour. Several employees of the nearby ice cream plant, Wells Blue Bunny, brought their families to see where the products they make start out. After our display was torn down and the Escape was packed up we enjoyed burgers and ice cream bars.

I truly enjoyed my visit to Northwest Iowa and agvocating with so many others in the ice cream capital of the world! Thanks for reading!

For more photos check out the Western Iowa Dairy Alliance Facebook album here.

Ethanol Powered Weekend

It's hard to believe the biggest project of my internship with Iowa Corn is over and the summer is half gone! This past weekend I was blessed to work with an amazing group of people from our office, Iowa Speedway, and several other organizations to pull off an exciting weekend showcasing the power of ethanol. There was a lot of behind the scenes preparation and promotion before the event and it was great to learn from so many experts as we got ready. I will never think of a sporting event the same!

As soon as my internship started, I spent a lot of time organizing spreadsheets and making phone calls to make sure we got all 3,000 of our VIP guests the right tickets and t-shirts. There were afternoons where the rows and columns seemed like a tangled yarn ball, but I had some great conversations with our patient grower members as I worked to sort out the mess. During the whole process I learned tons about customer service, order fulfillment, and office efficiency. Last weekend, it was rewarding to look at the sea of blue shirts across the speedway and know I was involved in each person's experience at least once.

This year we sent out over 3,000 t-shirts. I loved the design and will wear mine proudly.

Before the big weekend, we partnered with Kum & Go and held four pump promotions. I had fun creating radio scripts and working with stations to get the word out. At each promotion, E85 was $0.85/gallon for 2 hours! For this round of promotions I was lucky enough to attend two of the events and talk to several first time E85 customers. It was so fun telling people about the difference they can make in the environment, Iowa's economy, and their own pocketbook by filling up with higher blends of ethanol. For more information about E85 check out Iowa Corn's Ethanol page. On top of getting a great deal, customers got the opportunity to win tickets to the race weekend and take a lap around the block in a street legal Indy car!

I had a great time working with several members of the Iowa Corn staff in a more relaxed setting.

The two-seater Indy car was a blast!

I was so excited when I found out our final promotion of the week was with Casey's General Store. Unfortunately, at Iowa Corn we don't work with them very often because they don't sell higher blends of ethanol. This makes me so sad because growing up in Columbus Junction, Casey's was the only chain store we had for 20 miles most of my life. I have so many fond memories of running with dad to pick up a Friday night pizza after a busy week, coming home to a special treat of Casey's doughnuts, or stopping for a sprinkle sugar cookie just about every day of open campus my senior year. Anyway, there will always be a special place in my small-town-loving-heart for Casey's and it was so fun to get to work with them for once. For our promotion, we handed out $5 off ethanol coupons and visited with customers about the upcoming race. Marco Andretti made an appearance and there were lots of fans that came out to get his autograph. It was a perfect sunny summer afternoon and I enjoyed conversation with folks from NASCAR, Iowa Speedway, and Dekalb. To top off a perfect afternoon, the manager treated us to pizza! Mmmm!

Marco Andretti and I at the Pleasant Hills Casey's pump promotion!!

Thursday night, all our promotions were over and signcades, napkins, t-shirts, first aid-kits, zip ties, banners, sharpies, cups, ponchos and anything else you could imagine we might need to host 3,000 people in our VIP tent were stacked neatly waiting for their ride to the speedway. I was so nervous/excited/anxious/afraid I would snooze through my alarm, I could barely sleep! 

Sure enough, Friday rolled around and it was game time. By 8am the DFMs and and I had all their Jeeps packed, last minute errands had been run, and I was on my way to pick up 9,000 pats of butter (a blog post for another day!). Eventually, I arrived in Newton and joined my team hanging banners and hauling totes to set up in the tent. Meanwhile, we all had a close eye on the radar as the clouds grew and humidity thickened. By afternoon, it was time to relax and enjoy the American Ethanol 200. Since we weren't the sponsors of this race we watched from the suite and devoured a delicious meal. Special guests Bill Northey and Rusty Wallace joined us. I enjoyed their perspective on the race and comments about Iowa Corn's sponsorship.

 Bill Northey and Rusty Wallace

Even though I'm not a huge race fan I had a great time meeting up with friends and family. The chance to get familiar with the grounds made me feel much better about the next day. Since I had credentials, I could go about anywhere and got to see the action from a variety of angles. We were blessed the rain held off and the clouds broke for a beautiful night of racing under the lights.

I got to sit and watch about 10 laps of the race in the grandstands. It was amazing to be so close!

With all that was going on, Friday flew! By the end of the night, it felt so good to crash in our hotel! Saturday morning I woke up before my alarm eager to get to the track. (Anyone who knows me well could tell you this is quite a feat!) The morning was pretty relaxed and I was itching to get to work. I was the first staff to make it to the tent and rushed off to get my golf cart so I could begin checking things off my to do list. 

Before too long, it was time to set up the mechanics forum. I'm not mechanically inclined at all, and most of what the speaker said was over my head, but it was really interesting to hear about all the adjustments the teams make to the cars. It still amazes me all those engines run on fuel grown right here in Iowa! An engineer from Indy Car came and spoke to the group about all the precautions they take to control the g-forces the drivers experience. I learned that a few mistakes in adjustments and a driver can actually go so fast on such a short track they lose their orientation!

Later, with various groups, I got to see the whole infield. The media center had all kinds of drivers, crew members, and new casters buzzing around. The tech pad, where each car is inspected to make sure it meets regulations, was impressive too. Weaving my golf cart around elaborate haulers and RVs to get to the garages was neat. There was so much going on!

Mid afternoon it was time to set up our sweet corn display. We had 7,000 ears of corn, 15,000 napkins, and 9,000 servings of butter, salt and pepper to give away to race fans. Man! It was a lot! Several farmers and ag students were there distributing the corn and talking to visitors about the difference between sweet corn and field corn.

This was part of the message our farmers shared with our guests. Source: Iowa Corn Food & Fuel Infographic

Lots of guests, and our staff enjoyed the sweet corn feed!

I didn't get to stick around the sweet corn long! Off to the infield for pre-race! During pre-race I stayed with the presidents of ICGA and ICPB to make sure they got to the right place and held their belongings for pictures. We walked out on the track, which is steeper than you would think, and met track president Jimmy Small, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, and others. After lots of introductions and a few short welcome speeches it was time to tell the drivers to "start your ethanol powered engines" and wave the green flag. Bob and Roger, our presidents, had those responsibilities. After their jobs were complete, Bob and I hopped in the pace car for a few laps around the track. That just might have been the highlight of my night!

 Pace car selfie!

Once the race was started, I could finally relax for a few laps. I grabbed some left over sweet corn and made my way to the tent to catch up with friends. It was great to sit down for a bit, but not for long! With 50 laps to go, we made our way to victory lane to prepare for all the pictures, interviews, and trophy presentations. Being in the infield as the cars whirred past was exhilarating! As the race drew to a close and things got intense, you could hear the shouting and cheering coming from the pits. I couldn't see much of the actual race, but it was an exciting finish with some last minute passes made for the lead.  

Congratulations to Ryan-Hunter Ray!

All in all, it was a great weekend and I learned more than I ever could have imagined! I'm so grateful for my internship and all the people who patiently worked with me to contribute to such a huge event. Thanks to all my friends and family that came out to the track to support us! I can't wait to see what the 9th Iowa Corn Indy 300 will be like! Thanks for reading!

Fields of Corn Photo Contest

Today at work, while snooping around the Iowa Corn sTalk blog for some details on an upcoming event I ran across an exciting post. The National Corn Growers Association is hosting a "Fields of Corn" Photo Contest! It's a good thing it was close to my lunch hour when I made this discovery because I couldn't stop thinking of all the photos gathering cyber dust on my hard drive sitting at home. My pictures could be put to use telling the world about agriculture!! As soon as I took my break I began jotting down photos that came to mind and photographer friends to encourage to enter.

All this excitement brings me to a couple basic requests. If you are a farmer, love country life, live in the rural Midwest, are passionate about agriculture, or any and all of the above take a few minutes to submit a few photos. Who knows, your images may be used to explain to millions of consumers the industry and lifestyle we love! If you don't have any pictures to share, take some time look through the submissions and vote for your favorites. (I've submitted several and would appreciate your vote!)  :) Below are some of the pictures I plan to enter.

"Country Curves"

"Homestead Sunset"

"Harvest Me"