January Stand Up with Stan

By: Stan Nelson

Stan Nelson is a farmer from Middletown, Iowa, and currently serves as the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) President.

Sometimes it’s hard to put into words the abundant number of projects the Iowa Corn Promotion Board invests in, but at the top of the list comes showcasing the products we produce to buyers across the world. ICPB develops farmers into leaders ready to advocate and share their experiences to foster relationships and further market development excellence.

An example of this would be the corn checkoff investment in trade teams to the U.S. and trade missions to meet buyers where they are. After the Great Grain Robbery of 1972, there was a monumental turn in how grain markets are monitored today. Due to the Cold War, policy issues and poor weather conditions, the Soviet Union turned to foreign commodity markets to make up the difference in their failed crop season. This resulted in a buyout that was catastrophic for many countries due to the lack of transparency within ag markets.

Today, through international market development programs including hosting trade teams and participating in trade missions, farmers can share their first-hand experiences with stakeholders purchasing corn in all forms to help promote transparency. In 2023, Iowa Corn Promotion Board hosted corn, DDGS, and ethanol buyers from over 20 countries.  We met with farmers, cooperatives, ethanol plants, feed mills, and fuel retailers sharing the Iowa Corn farmer story with buyers and government officials.  We also participated in several missions overseas to meet directly with buyers on their home turf to better understand challenges and opportunities for Iowa’s corn farmers.

This week, I will be attending a buyers conference in Mexico to share my first-hand experience of the 2023 harvest with procurement managers and representatives of buying groups from all over Latin America with our partners the U.S. Grains Council. By participating in trade missions like this, we can ground truth the information being shared about carryout numbers, yields and much more – growing our great working relationship between Iowa and our key international customers.

To learn more about the investment of your corn checkoff dollars with the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and how you can stand up for your farm, visit iowacorn.org and tune in to WHOWMT every Thursday at 11:54 am to hear from farmers, ICPB partners and more.

Thank you,

Stan Nelson