Iowa Corn Roots September 2023

Roots IOWA CORN

A LOOK INSIDE: MARKET DEVELOPMENT Get Biofuel

RESEARCH

To Cornfields and Beyond: NASA & Iowa Farmers Bringing Satellite Data Down to Earth

EDUCATION

Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series: The True Champion

FARMER FEATURE Faces of Farming

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MARKET DEVELOPMENT

GET BIOFUEL

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cross the United States, more than 3,000 stations in 31 states are offering Unleaded (UNL) 88 at the pump. With a lower price point, UNL 88 catches consumers’ attention, but that’s not the only advantage. UNL 88 is also cleaner burning, serving as a planet-friendly, homegrown fuel that also supports local corn farmers.

The Iowa Corn Promotion Board has invested with our partners at Growth Energy to share with consumers the many benefits of UNL 88 through the Get Biofuel campaign. Get Biofuel is a national consumer initiative that works to educate and empower consumers to fuel up with higher blends of ethanol at the pump, primarily UNL 88.

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK The Get Biofuel campaign was launched in three major markets: Raleigh, North Carolina; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; and Des Moines, Iowa. Within these markets, the campaign utilized pump promotion, such as Gas Station T.V., to engage audiences through educational content highlighting biofuels. Digital media was also utilized to engage a larger consumer audience and build positive perceptions about biofuels.

This campaign worked to find the best message that resonated with their target audience of moms and millennials. They found that consumers are searching for planet-friendly fuel options and how to drive greener miles.

BUILDING CONSUMER ADOPTION This year, Get Biofuel continued its effort to engage consumers through more social messaging and at-the-pump promotions.

Recently, the Get Biofuel campaign partnered with former Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson and her husband, Andrew East, on the Green American Road Trip -- with the latest trip taking the family from Nashville to Des Moines. On their social platforms, the East family highlighted not only the stops of their trip but fueling up with UNL 88 along the way. During their stop in Des Moines the East family met with Will Cannon, a farmer from Prairie City, Iowa and Iowa Corn Grower Association Director for District 5.

Other social media influencers were also utilized throughout the campaign, and many hit the road on National Road Trip Day fueling up with UNL 88. This helped to increase national consumer reach outside of the targeted markets and spark online conversations on the benefits of fueling up with higher ethanol blends.

At 350 retail locations across the target markets Get Biofuel signage was displayed as another engagement point for drivers.

This campaign has been effective in engaging drivers and seeing increased usage of UNL 88. Through data tracked by the retailers utilizing this campaign, they have seen 1 out of 100 customers converting to UNL 88. On the Get Biofuel website, they also encourage consumers to utilize Growth Energy’s Fuel Finder to find the closest stations to them offering UNL 88.

In the next phase of the Get Biofuel campaign, there will be a continued effort to build awareness of UNL 88 at the pumps and an emphasis on drivers taking action to fuel up with UNL 88. The Iowa Corn Promotion Board will continue to invest to support further educational programs encouraging drivers of all ages to fuel up with UNL 88 and higher blends of ethanol.

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TO CORNFIELDS AND BEYOND

NASA & IOWA FARMERS BRINGING SATELLITE DATA DOWN TO EARTH RESEARCH

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id you think that NASA only looks out into space? In actuality, they spend a lot of effort looking down at Earth, the most important planet. At NASA an entire Earth Science Division is studying the earth with an array of satellites and other observational equipment.

For more than 50 years, LANDSAT satellites have been taking images of the Earth. Of the many things they study, the most relevant to farmers are the global food production and agricultural measurements, such as ground and surface soil moisture, evapotranspiration, soil erosion, crop acreages and yields.

NASA has two agricultural program areas, NASA Harvest and NASA Acres. NASA Harvest’s mission is to enable and advance the adoption of satellite Earth observations by public and private organizations to benefit food security, agriculture and human and environmental resiliency in the U.S. and worldwide. NASA Acres focuses on applying Earth observation information to the most pressing U.S. challenges focused on sustainable, productive and resilient agriculture.

To make better use of their satellite images, NASA also needs to know what’s going on at the ground level. During the last two years, NASA has been engaging with the Iowa Corn Growers Association to learn more about our farming practices. This culminated in a two-day tour with fourteen NASA Applied swciences and NASA

Acres scientists in eastern Iowa this July. The tour included meetings with farmers, equipment providers and grain processors.

One purpose was to demonstrate the vast amounts of data that farmers are capturing that may be useful to ground truth NASA’s crop and soil modeling capabilities. A second purpose was to demonstrate the many sustainability measures taking place in Iowa agriculture.

To quote NASA: “At a glance, you may be asking yourself a question that we heard quite a few times during our visit: ‘What is a group of NASA scientists doing on a corn field in Iowa?’ Behind the success of Iowa’s thriving agriculture industry, are farmers and industry experts, many of which are leveraging cutting-edge technology in precision agriculture and supply chain applications – this week we got to speak to a few of them to learn what kind of Earth data and tools NASA could provide to Iowa farmers that could help inform short and long-term agronomic management practices for this vital industry.”

“I believe what’s being proposed by this partnership between NASA and Iowa Corn could be the beginning of the next big thing in agriculture,” shared Lance Lillibridge, Iowa Corn Growers Association Chair, who has been working with NASA the past two years. “I’m really excited to be involved as a farmer on the ground floor of this venture.”

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EDUCATION

THE IOWA CORN CY-HAWK SERIES: THE TRUE CHAMPION

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the state and nation where they are, to share about corn and Iowa’s corn farmers. It’s a platform to showcase our farmers and their stories.

Iowa’s corn farmers are proud to sponsor the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk SeriesTM to celebrate our great state and the Series that unites us all.

Every September, Iowans across the state gear up to support their favorite college team in the kickoff of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series.

Through the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series fans are met with a number of radio, tv and digital ads sharing the message and passion of Iowa corn farmers. The use of the multi-media platforms also gives the ability to highlight farmers’ contributions to sustainability, renewable fuels, water quality and the 4,000+ everyday products made from corn.

lack and yellow or cardinal and gold. Cy or Herky. Ames or Iowa City. No matter the team, we are all rooting for Iowa’s corn farmers! It’s time for the greatest rivalry in the state of Iowa.

Here in our state, we don’t have a professional football or basketball team to cheer on, and yet we have one of the most passionate competitions, Iowa versus Iowa State.

The 2023/24 season marks the eighteenth year of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. The Series is more than just the September football game most people think of. It kicks off a season of matchups coming to a close in the spring with softball.

The Series tracks head-to-head matchups between the Cyclones and Hawkeyes with each victory earning points toward the overall Series championship. Two points are awarded for each win in women’s soccer, volleyball, football (worth three points), women’s and men’s cross country, wrestling, women’s and men’s basketball, women’s swimming and diving, tennis, gymnastics and softball.

Iowa Corn is proud to sponsor the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series because it’s more than a game. It’s a tribute to the hard-working student-athletes.

It’s meeting consumers from across

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The Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk football game continues to be a highly viewed game by a majority of the state. In order to have that same message reach, all 7,000 Iowa Corn Growers Association members would each have to talk to nearly 300 Iowans.

The connection between corn and college sports might not make sense to everyone. But to us, it has been an unmatchable opportunity to connect and engage with consumers of all ages and demographics. One of the main purposes of the Iowa corn checkoff is education, and the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series provides a great way to educate and share with a large audience about corn and the farmers that grow it.

As Iowans, we look forward to our team winning bragging rights and bringing home the trophy. But no matter who wins, no matter the score, at the end of the day Iowa’s corn farmers are the true champions.

To learn more and keep up with the 2023-2024 events and score visit www.iowacorn.org/cyhawkseries.

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FACES OF FARMING FARMER FEATURE

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n old guy in overalls, wheat hanging out of his mouth. This is the picture many consumers imagine when they think of a farmer. But those of us in the agricultural industry imagine farmers slightly different. We think of farmers as those utilizing cutting-edge technologies. The men and women caring for their fields, family and livestock. Those that implement practices that bring both profitability and sustainability to mind. Farming, like the rest of the world, has evolved. But the mindset among consumers around farming and farmers has not.

In a society where information is at our fingertips, consumers have an ever-growing need to know where their food comes from, how it is raised and the safety of what they are consuming. Those in the agricultural community can use the growing questions of consumers as an opportunity to engage and empower them to trust their food and the farmers who grow it.

That’s why the Iowa Corn Promotion Board created the Faces of Farming campaign, a way to give farmers a platform to share their stories while humanizing them with consumers. Farmers featured in this campaign are from across the state with each having a unique farming operation and story to tell.

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Arthur Wisecup in Missouri Valley focuses on implementing conservation practices including non-GMO genetics and cover crops in his operation. While Joan Maxwell of Donahue, focuses on advocating for our industry through tours of her dairy cattle, row crops and feeder calf operation. Farmers featured are working together to bridge the gap between consumers and farmers and help them realize who farmers are and what they do on their farms.

For many of the farmers, it isn’t just about talking about the facts and figures of their operation, but the family history, community they support and value they know their farm brings to others.

For Laura Foell, it‘s an everyday task. “I always work to advocate for farmers, especially to educate consumers. It’s part of my everyday tasks,” shared Foell from Sac County. “Some farmers have to drive a combine, spray the fields or work livestock but educating others is a role just as important.”

The Faces of Farming series brings you the unique stories of corn farmers here in Iowa. The Iowa corn checkoff works to share not only their stories but the stories of all Iowa farmers. Follow us on all social media platforms to see the new stories coming to you this fall.

Learn more about Faces of Farming here:

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Some farmers have to drive a combine, spray the fields or work livestock but educating others is a role just as important.

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At Iowa Corn, we do many things. We develop and defend markets for corn across the globe. We fund research that unearths new uses for corn.

And we spearhead education and promotional efforts to communicate the many benefits and uses of corn and corn products. Why do we do what we do? Because we believe in the corn growers of Iowa. What corn farmers do impacts people worldwide, and it’s our mission to support corn farmers’ interests. We’re here to work for the corn farmer.

And we’re proud to do it.

TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF CORN TO SUSTAINABLY MEET THE NEEDS OF A GROWING WORLD

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Roots • 2022 | 8 Iowa Corn | 5505 Northwest 88th Street | Johnston, Iowa 50131 | 515-225-9242 | corninfo@iowacorn.org