FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dave Blower Jr. at 317-644-0980; dblower@indianasoybean.com
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Oct. 12, 2020) — Huntington County farmer Jerry Osterholt and Knox County farmer Susan Brocksmith have joined three incumbent Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC) directors on the checkoff’s board following the recent election.
The board members elected in August include:
•District 3 – Jerry Osterholt, Roanoke, Ind.
•District 6 – Adam Howell, Middletown, Ind.
•District 9 – John Adam Jr., Sellersburg, Ind.
•At-large – Susan Brocksmith, Vincennes, Ind.
•At-large – Tim Gauck, Greensburg, Ind.
There are 17 voting directors on the ICMC board. The state is divided into nine districts with one director representing each of the districts, plus six at-large seats representing all of Indiana. Two voting directors are appointed by the dean of agriculture. The newly elected directors will serve three-year terms that started Oct. 1. ICMC directors can serve three consecutive full terms or a total of nine consecutive years.
Osterholt has been a farmer since 1974, and he grows both corn and soybeans. He will represent District 3, which includes the counties of LaGrange, Steuben, Noble, DeKalb, Whitley, Allen, Huntington, Wells and Adams. In the past, he was a director on the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) board for 12 years. While with ISA, Osterholt served on the National Biodiesel Board, Soy Transportation Coalition and the U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council.
“I hope to use the knowledge I learned during my years with ISA to help Indiana’s corn farmers,” Osterholt said. “Our state continues to produce more corn every year. I want to help the checkoff to develop new products from that crop, educate consumers and participate in new environmental programs.”
Being a good environmental steward is a priority for Brocksmith, too. She and her husband, Mike, have a no-till, non-GMO corn and soybean operation. Earlier this year, the Brocksmiths were one of four regional winners of the American Soybean Association’s Conservation Legacy Award during the Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas.
“I want to tell the corn story to all who will listen that farmers are good environmental stewards of the land,” explained Brocksmith, who is also a professor at Vincennes University. “I also want to enhance the utilization of corn both domestically and internationally.”
Howell started farming in 1998, and he produces corn, soybeans and processing tomatoes on his farm that touches parts of Delaware, Henry, Madison, Randolph and Wayne counties. First elected to the ICMC board in 2017, he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Princeton University. He will continue to represent District 6, which includes the counties of Blackford, Delaware, Henry, Randolph, Wayne, Fayette, Jay and Union.
Adam Jr. produces corn, soybeans, alfalfa and grass forages with his wife, Sheryl, on J&S Farm in Clark County, Ind. Adam Jr., who has farmed since 1975, was elected as an ICMC director in 2017. In the past, he has served as a Farm Service Agency committee chair and as vice president of the Clark County Farm Bureau. Adam Jr. will continue representing District 9, which includes Franklin, Jennings, Jefferson, Ripley, Dearborn, Ohio, Clark, Switzerland and Scott counties.
Gauck, who began farming in 1972, grows corn, soybeans and wheat in rural Decatur, Rush and Ripley counties. Gauck participated in the Decatur County Corn Growers Association, and he was president of the Decatur County Beef Cattle Association from 1975-78. Gauck was the chair of the Decatur County REMC for 15 years. He was first elected to the ICMC board in 2017. As an at-large board member, Gauck will continue to represent all Indiana corn farmers.
The ICMC board manages state corn checkoff investments and invests in market expansion, research, educational activities that can strengthen Indiana’s corn industry. Voting was open to Indiana corn producers, defined as: any person engaged in the business of producing and marketing corn in Indiana under the producer’s own name or the name of an entity in which the producer has ownership. For details about the election process, visit www.incorn.org/elections
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The Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC) was established by the Indiana General Assembly to promote the interests of Hoosier corn growers and manage corn checkoff funds. ICMC is managed by a board of 17 voting farmer directors and seven appointed industry and government representatives who direct the corn checkoff funds on behalf of more than 28,000 Indiana corn farmers. ICMC’s strategic focus includes developing new markets for Indiana corn; ensuring the environmental, social and economic sustainability of corn production; creating new value for the crop; and engaging farmers in telling the checkoff story. To learn more, visit www.incorn.org
This communication was funded with Indiana corn checkoff dollars.