Iowa Corn Farmers Take Their Priorities Issues to the State Capitol

Corn growers from across Iowa descended on the Iowa State Capitol Wednesday for their first “Day on the Hill” lobbying event this session. The delegation of 40 included Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) members, Board of Directors, county leaders and student FFA members.

“ICGA members’ relationships with their state legislators directly impact our ability to advance priority issues for Iowa’s corn industry,” said Iowa Corn Growers Association President Bob Hemesath, a farmer from Decorah. “The hard work and dedication of our members helps maintain ICGA’s political clout at the State Capitol.”

ICGA's “Day of the Hill” efforts focused on three of the organization’s top state legislative priorities for 2016, including:

Protecting Iowa’s waterways

• A voluntary watershed approach to nutrient management rather than a regulatory approach
• 2016 funding of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy
• Data collection through IDALS to measure water quality improvements as long as the privacy and confidentiality of landowners and operators are protected

ETHANOL: Ensuring consumer choice at the pump

• Extending/renewing income-tax credits for renewable fuel retailers (E15, E85, and increasing levels of biofuels)
• Infrastructure cost-share for retail fuel stations up to E85
• Tax credits for cellulosic ethanol production or other advanced biofuels

LIVESTOCK: Maintaining a sustainable livestock industry

• Full $4 million funding for ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
• Supporting the existing laws regulating livestock operations
• Increased funding for ISU experiment station, livestock related research regarding animal stress and odor management

“If you missed this Day on the Hill event, we encourage you to save the date for our next event on March 30, 2016,” said Iowa Corn Director of Government Relations Mindy Larsen Poldberg. “ICGA members will again be appearing at the Capitol to discuss the important issues affecting Iowa’s corn farmers.” Registration information will be released soon at iowacorn.org/dayonthehill .

To view photos from Day on the Hill visit, flickr.com/photos/iowacorn/.

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The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) is an 8,000-member strong grassroots-driven organization, headquartered in Johnston, Iowa, serving members across the state, and lobbying on agricultural issues on behalf of its farmer members to create opportunities for long-term Iowa corn grower profitability. For more information, visit iowacorn.org.

For More Information:

Shannon Textor
Director of Marketing and Communications
Iowa Corn Growers Association
515-255-9242
stextor@iowacorn.org

Lisa Cassady
Public Relations Manager
Iowa Corn Growers Association
515-225-9242
lcassady@iowacorn.org