As the winter cold dissipates and we look forward to the spring days ahead, we are wrapping up a busy meeting season in the office of the Michigan Corn Growers Assoc. (MCGA) and the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan (CMPM).

As growers hit the fields to plant a new crop for the upcoming year, there will also be an opportunity for a new leader in the office. Read the update below to learn more about the change and to review the exciting events MCGA and CMPM leadership have been attending to ensure the interests of Michigan’s corn growers are well represented.

I write this article to you, the state’s corn farmers, as a “thank you” for your leadership, support, innovation, acceptance of new ideas and, most importantly, friendship. I began with the corn office 13 years ago, as a young person getting her career in full swing.

Over the years, I have had the great pleasure to represent you and the corn industry in the state, across the United States and internationally.

As I leave the corn office, it seems appropriate to look back over the past 13 years.  I began on Jan. 1, 2000. A couple of weeks later we received the results of a feasibility study for the development of an ethanol plant in the state.

Those meetings sharing the results of the study have led to a strong in-state ethanol industry. We now have five plants across Michigan, producing more than 200 million gallons of ethanol annually. We had two E85 pumps in Michigan 13 years ago and our work in alternative fuels began with an explanation of what ethanol was and why we should be included.

Today, we are a member of many work groups and committees and have educated the masses about the importance of ethanol and corn. We also now have 100 E85 pumps in the state, and have focused on blender pumps, so consumers can adjust their ethanol blend.

The MCGA membership has been another success story. We had a membership base of 300 grower and associate members. Today, we have added student and lifetime membership and have a base of more than 1,000 members. In order to focus on the policy work, the addition of a policy director was necessary.

The MCGA now weighs in on policy on a daily basis in both Washington, D.C., and Lansing. We are a player and have a seat at the table for important issues, such as the farm bill and ethanol legislation. We have built strong connections with our legislators, and those relationships have led to some great legislative work and many accomplishments.

The policy issues we faced have been many. I remember when corn prices hit $1.80 per bushel as the border to Canada was closed to Michigan corn due to a trade dispute.

One of my favorite policy memories was our successful work to ban the additive MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) in gasoline in Michigan. The MCGA worked with state Rep. Larry Julian and Val Vail-Shirey to move legislation to which the petroleum industry was opposed. We were successful and I believe were one of the first states to get MTBE banned.

One area we heard that farmers wanted more involvement with was research. The research budget has grown and additional projects have been funded that focus on production issues, pharmaceuticals, plastics, fuels, fuel co-products, livestock and other new and innovative uses for corn.

Each of the research projects entails agreements to ensure the research is done in a thorough manner and that corn growers have a seat at the table for commercialization discussions.

When we look at technology regarding the need for those additional markets and uses, the numbers are clear. Thirteen years ago our national crop was at nine billion bushels and the industry was abuzz, as we were going to be hitting that 10 billion-bushel number; now we are looking at a national crop of 14 billion bushels.

As our crop has grown, so has our involvement. Nationally we have several Michigan growers on action teams, involved in livestock organizations and on the National Corn Growers Assoc. board of directors.

As I thank you for the past 13 years and bring this chapter to a close, I want you to know how truly proud I am of what we have been able to accomplish. I have appreciated the innovation supported by the board and you, the growers. The corn industry of yesterday ceases to exist and you are now experiencing new market opportunities thanks to the explosion of the industry.

As I say goodbye from the corn perspective, I also say hello from the wheat industry. I am very excited, as I will still be working with many of you through the new wheat checkoff, the Michigan Wheat Program. I have begun as the executive director of that organization, and I look forward to seeing you at events and trade shows.

No matter what hat I am wearing, I am still looking out for and promoting Michigan agriculture and you, its farmers.

The future of agricultural exports and success for the corn industry looks promising, but adjustments must be made to better compete in the global economy, according to two CMPM board members who attended the recent U.S. Grains Council’s meeting in Panama.

Ed Breitmeyer and Richard Dobbins participated in the fact-finding trip to the Central American country currently going through a multibillion-dollar expansion of the Panama Canal, a pivotal waterway for the transport of agricultural goods throughout the world.

Breitmeyer, a corn farmer from Buckley, said providing high-quality grain and high-value export products, such as dried distillers grains and corn gluten, are two vital components for future success. That’s because many countries that import grain from the United States are improving their ports and building facilities to accommodate their increasing needs.

While Panama is increasing the size of the canal to accommodate the larger post-Panamax ships, Breitmeyer and Dobbins are both concerned the U.S. may soon lose its advantage because of infrastructure needs that aren’t being addressed here. They said our nation’s infrastructure is becoming obsolete, causing shipping costs to increase because we can’t load ships as heavily as we use to due to the low draft in many U.S. ports.

Anytime we don’t export, it lowers the grain price across the entire country. They emphasized the need to upgrade and expand our ports, dams and lock systems to handle these new realities. If we don’t have the infrastructure advantage we have always had, then we can’t compete on price.

If we can’t move our products down the Mississippi River to our ports, or rely on quality roads and bridges for transport, then we will continue to lose market share.