Governor Kim Reynolds and Rod Swoboda Receive Respected ICGA Awards

The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) held its Annual Grassroots Summit earlier this week with part of the program being to honor recipients of two respected Iowa Corn Awards, the 2021 Friend of Iowa Corn Award and the Walter Goeppinger Lifetime Achievement Award.

ICGA named Governor Kim Reynolds the recipient of the 2021 Friend of Iowa Corn Award. The annual award recognizes state and federal legislators, their staff, and others that show exemplary effort on behalf of ICGA policy issues. Governor Reynolds has worked tirelessly over this last year as she introduced the Iowa Biofuels Standard and made it a top priority for the legislative session.  By simply reducing E0 sales, an additional 45.7 million bushels of corn could enter the market over the next five years creating more profitability for corn farmers. She worked diligently to gain the support of many colleagues in the house and senate, continued to advocate for the legislation when it hit roadblocks, and still showed unrelenting support for renewable fuels even though the bill didn’t make it across the finish line. She addressed the farmer members attending the Summit with a powerful message on the importance of Iowa agriculture.

“Governor Reynolds has been a strong champion for the corn and biofuel industries making her the best recipient of the 2021 Friend of Iowa Corn Award,” said ICGA president and farmer from Vinton, Iowa, Lance Lillibridge. “We look forward to our continued partnership with Governor Reynolds and her team to advocate for Iowa’s corn farmers. It was special to recognize and personally hand her this award on behalf of Iowa’s corn growers.”

Additionally, ICGA awarded the Walter Goeppinger Lifetime Achievement Award to retired Wallaces Farmer editor, Rod Swoboda. This annual award is given to a person with outstanding service and commitment to advancing the corn industry. Rod served as a member of the Wallaces Farmer editorial staff for 44 years. He got his start as a field editor in 1976 writing about crops and conservation. He worked his way up to managing editor and was named editor in 2003. He continued the magazine's focus on providing helpful information for Iowa farmers. Wallaces Farmer has roots going back nearly 170 years as a farm publication. 

“Over the course of Rod’s 44-year career at Wallaces Farmer, he reported on the development of ethanol, the establishment of the Iowa Corn checkoff program, water quality issues, adoption of no-till practices, and many, many more farm management topics,” said Iowa Corn CEO Craig Floss. “The agricultural industry is better because of Rod’s service. We can look to him as an example of what it means to go beyond the call of service for the greater good. ICGA thanks him for strengthening the corn industry.”

For More Information:

Brandi Strautman, Public Relations Manager, bstrautman@iowacorn.org, 515-225-9242