Missouri Corn Announces New Leadership

(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.)–With corn harvest in full swing, the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council (MCMC) and the Missouri Corn Growers Association (MCGA) are kicking off a new fiscal year with new leadership and new board members.
 
The election of the 2013-14 MCMC officer team took place during an August board meeting held in Branson, Mo. The following MCMC leaders assumed their new roles Oct. 1:

	Chairman Vice Chairman Secretary Treasurer	Kevin Hurst Gary Porter Greg Schneider Kyle Kirby	Tarkio, Mo. Mercer, Mo. Warrenton, Mo. Liberal, Mo.	District 1 District 2 District 6 District 4
Also elected in august, the 2013-14 MCGA officers are:
	President Vice President Secretary/Treasurer	Jim Stuever Morris Heitman Mike Moreland	Dexter, Mo. Mound City, Mo. Harrisonville, Mo.	District 7 District 1 District 4

                                                                                                                                                                             New MCMC board members Matt Lambert of Brookfield, Mo., and Kurtis Gregory of Marshall, Mo., were recently elected by growers in Districts 2 and 5 respectively and assumed their new roles Oct. 1. Lambert and Gregory will be nominated to the MCGA board at the organization’s annual meeting in January. Lambert replaces retiring board member Rob Korff of Norborne, Mo., while Gregory replaces Billy Thiel of Malta Bend, Mo. Both Korff and Thiel served the maximum nine years on the board and held multiple leadership roles including MCMC chairman and MCGA president.    

Several Missouri Corn leaders have been appointed to serve on National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) action teams and committees. Kevin Hurst has been appointed to the Corn PAC; Jim Stuever was renamed to the Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team; Kyle Kirby was reappointed to the Production and Stewardship Action Team; Morris Heitman will rejoin the Public Policy Action Team; Mark Scott of Wentzville, Mo., will again serve on the Grower Services Action Team; Jay Schutte of Benton City, Mo., was named to the Ethanol Committee; Greg Schneider was appointed to the Bylaws Committee and Bradley Schad, Missouri Corn director of ethanol policy, will serve as a staff member of the Ethanol Committee. Additionally, Mike Geske of Matthews, Mo., is currently a director on the National Corn Board and represents corn farmers on the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance board. Geske also serves as the liaison to the National Pork Producers Council on behalf of NCGA and will continue his work with the Missouri Corn board as an ex-officio member.

MCMC is also a longstanding partner with the U.S. Grains Council in working to enhance commodity values through strong international exports. Representing Missouri corn farmers on U.S. Grains Council committees are: Gary Porter, Western Hemisphere; Morris Heitman, Value-Added; Kevin Hurst, Middle East/Africa; Jay Fischer of Jefferson City, Mo., Membership and Communications; Missouri Corn Deputy Executive Director Gary Wheeler, Asia Programs; and Jim Stuever was reappointed as leader of the Biotechnology Advisory Team.

The MCMC board of directors is comprised of 14 corn growers elected from across the state. This volunteer board was formed in 1984 with the passage of a corn checkoff and is dedicated to market development, research and education. MCGA is a grassroots organization of more than 2,500 members committed to increasing the profitability of corn production through sound policies, continued market development and strong involvement in the political process. To learn more, visit www.mocorn.org.