Vice President of Research and Sustainability Rod Williamson, Celebrating 40 Years at Iowa Corn

Iowa Corn is proud to hire individuals who have a clear passion for the Iowa agriculture industry and can be a true asset to Iowa corn farmers. To say the least, we are honored to work for you! Get to know the Iowa Corn staff who work hard on the corn farmer’s behalf every day.

Rod Williamson serves as the Vice President of Research and Sustainability where he focuses on the coordination of research programs related to profitable corn production, new uses and sustainability. He also recently celebrated his forty-year anniversary at Iowa Corn.

Rod was always helping his father on the farm and when he graduated from college knew he wanted a job that was going to help farmers like his dad and brother be successful in the future.  That is where he found the perfect fit at Iowa Corn.

“I enjoy helping farmers become more successful.  Each day I work to help create new opportunities for farmers through research and development,” Rod shared when asked what has kept him excited the last forty years. “I work to create new products made from corn and new technologies to improve the sustainability of growing corn.”

When Rod started working for Iowa Corn in 1984, he shared that the national average yield at that time was 106 bushels per acre and the U.S. corn production totaled 7.6 billion bushels.  In 2023, the national average yield was 173 bushels per acre and the U.S. corn production totaled 15 billion bushels.  He shared that each day we continue to invest checkoff money to create new technology that will benefit farmers. 

“At Iowa Corn, it’s a new challenge each day to solve problems and create opportunities. I enjoy the challenge of developing new innovations for farmers,” shared Rod. “I also enjoy the people. The people who work on staff and the farmers who are involved with Iowa Corn are great people to work with.”

Rod and his wife, Sharon live in Urbandale. Sharon is a retired school teacher and has been a life-long supporter of Rod and their three children.  Outside of work, Rod enjoys golf, woodworking and traveling.  Rod shared that he is very humbled to have worked for farmers and the Iowa Corn Growers Association and Iowa Corn Promotion Board over the past 40 years. 

Rod we congratulate you on your achievement of 40 years at Iowa Corn and thank you for all the work you have done for Iowa corn farmers during that time. Congratulations!

For More Information:

Rachel Zumbach, Public Relations Manager, rzumbach@iowacorn.org, 515-225-9242