WASHINGTON, May 25, 2012 – The Corn Farmers Coalition is sending the nation’s top crop and farm families to the U.S. capital this summer for the fourth year in a row as part of an educational program that debuts June 1 at Union Station.
“Nine of the largest corn crops in U.S. history have been grown in the last decade by family farmers,” said Jay Lynch, a fifth-generation farmer from Humboldt, Iowa. “Corn is incredibly versatile, and our ability to grow it has made huge contributions to our economy and balance of trade. When people hear of this increased productivity in conjunction with the rapid environmental improvements coming from our family farmers, it gives them an important perspective.”
Corn farmers from 14 states and the National Corn Growers Association are supporting the Corn Farmers Coalition program to introduce a foundation of facts seen as essential to decision making. The Corn Farmers Coalition is launching a major advertising campaign at Union Station. The campaign will also feature facts about family farmers in Capitol Hill publications, radio, frequently used websites, and other Metro locations in June and July.
"Direct outreach by farmers like me is putting a face on today's family farmers and raising overall awareness with legislators, leaders or governmental agencies from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Department of State, think tanks, lobbyists and environmental groups,” Lynch said. “Awareness of the innovation, technology, and generations of accumulated knowledge on our farms today should be a part of our national dialogue about agriculture.”
The coalition will meet with media, members of Congress, environmental groups and others to talk about farming’s bright future: how U.S. farmers, using the latest technologies, will continue to meet the demands of a growing population and how this productivity can be a bright spot in an otherwise struggling economy.