Fall is a time to assess farm goals and the goals of the corn industry

Fall has always been my favorite time of year as farmers reap the rewards of another season of preparation and hard work. This year has definitely seen its challenges from areas of delayed planting to the historic rainfall in August.

This has been a season with large swings in prices. Within an overall up-trending market, for the first time in years, there is reason for financial optimism as the combines roll.

Fall is also a time to begin looking ahead to what comes next. On our farm, we take stock of the data provided by the current harvest to inform decisions about next year’s seed and fertilizer needs.

As organizations, both the Indiana Corn Growers Association and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council also take stock of current market and policy conditions to inform decisions on how to best chart a path forward in the months ahead for our industry.

For ICGA, this means identifying 2027 legislative policy priorities in both Indianapolis and Washington. For ICMC, it means identifying the most impactful ways to invest our corn checkoff dollars to provide returns to us as corn growers.

In previous columns I have shared some of the successes and challenges that our grower led organizations have faced in this multi-year downturn in the farm economy.

I have challenged you to think of your farm as a part of a large and vibrant bio-manufacturing industry and to look at how our industry invests back into itself in terms of research and development and market promotion.

We learned of R&D investment successes that are providing real returns to farmers, and we learned of policy accomplishments that are putting more dollars into farmers pockets.

Now comes the hard part. The part where we, as an industry, have to take stock and reflect on what we can do better.

The simple fact of the matter is that we, as farmers, by our very nature, tend to keep our head down and work hard on our own farms, while letting “others” worry about the big picture.

That is why both ICGA and ICMC exist as organizations, and why the dedicated group of volunteer farmer leaders serve — to monitor and influence this big picture on your behalf.

But these organizations and these people can only advocate for our industry so much with the resources they are given. In a state with 20,000 corn growers, less than 1,000 chose to pay the nominal membership fee that supports the ICGA budget.

We need Indiana corn growers to step up and become members. More members mean more income for the organization. More income means more ability to advocate on your behalf.

It’s that simple.

And it’s time to seriously consider whether we are investing enough in the research and development and market promotion of our industry.

What that earlier industry comparison found was that we, as corn growers, are lacking in terms of investing resources in ourselves.

We can do better. We must do better.

Alan Dunn is the president of the Indiana Corn Growers Association.