BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The Illinois Corn Growers Assoc. (ICGA) has announced its new leadership for 2006-07. Elected president by the ICGA board at their yearly re-organizational meeting, held Nov. 21 in Bloomington, was Sugar Grove farmer Steve Ruh. New officers were also announced.

Ruh had previously served on the ICGA board and most recently had the position of vice president. He has served in numerous ICGA leadership positions and offices as one of three at-large directors representing corn growers across the state.

Ruh told Farm World he was looking forward to the challenge of leading the state’s corn growers through the next year, though “some of the pressure is off me since corn is $3.”

Ruh said his first priority as new ICGA president is to see the organization’s interests represented in the next farm bill.

“I want to take our grassroots efforts through our listening sessions and bring them forward to the House Agriculture Committee in order to take us to the next level in corn production,” he said, “and we’d like the farm bill to comply, at least in the short term, with the higher futures prices that are projected.

“In addition, the revenue assurance program is a new safety net Illinois producers are backing. We hope to apply it to the national level through the legislature and Congress. The old farm bill was good in times of low prices, but in times of higher prices and with input costs going up, we would like to see a safety net in place.”

Art Bunting of Dwight was elected vice president of the ICGA. In addition, Craig Buhrow, West Brooklyn, was named treasurer and Jeff Scates of Shawneetown was elected as secretary.

Others named to the leadership team were Rob Elliot of Cameron, industrial committee chair; Andy Goleman of Divernon, industrial committee vice-chair; Tim Lenz of Strasburg, export committee chair; Jim Reed of Monticello, export committee vice-chair, and Jill Parnell of Champaign, grassroots committee chair.

A new District 12 director, Mark Degler of Mattoon, was also elected to the ICGA state board. He will represent producers in Douglas, Edgar, Coles, Cumberland, Clark, Jasper and Crawford counties. Four district directors were re-elected.

Statewide, at-large directors elected at the meeting were: Ruh, Jim Holstine of Milan and Jim Schielein of Dixon as IAA interlocking director.

Special elections were held to fill vacancies in two more districts. Paul Taylor will fill the unexpired term of Pat Dumoulin in District 1, and Andy Goleman will take the seat of Richard Gilworth in District 10.

The ICGA board coordinates and conducts market development and legislative and public relations programs on behalf of the state’s corn producers. Fifteen farmer-directors represent specific districts across the state, which is also served by three at-large directors.

This farm news was published in the Dec. 6, 2006 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.