Hoosier Ag Today 

Indiana Corn Checkoff Elections Happening in August

Kevin

The Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC), the state’s corn checkoff program, will host elections for Board of Director positions in Districts 1, 4 and 7 and also for two, statewide, at-large seats.

ICMC was established by the Indiana General Assembly in 2007 to promote the interests of corn growers in the state and to manage corn checkoff funds. Led by a board of 17 voting directors who guide corn checkoff funds on behalf of more than 20,000 Indiana corn farmers, ICMC aids corn farmers through its strategic initiatives of market development; environmental, social and economic sustainability; value creation and producer engagement.

Absentee voting is open now through Aug. 8. Absentee ballots can be downloaded from the ICMC website at incornandsoy.org/ICMCvoting or by calling the ICMC office at 317-644-2791.

Farmers may vote in person at Purdue Cooperative Extension Service county offices from Aug. 11-15. All eligible Hoosier 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, may vote in the election.

The state is divided into nine districts with one director representing each of the state’s Congressional districts and six at-large seats representing all of Indiana. The following candidates will appear on the ballots:

  • In District 1, the candidates include Brent Cox of Fowler, Ind.; Heather Nally of Fowler, Ind.; and Andrew Winger of Oxford, Ind. District 1 includes the counties of Benton, Jasper, LaPorte, Lake, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, Starke and White.
  • Kevin Cox of Brazil, Ind., is the District 4 candidate. The district features Clay, Fountain, Montgomery, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Tippecanoe, Vermillion, Vigo and Warren counties.
  • In District 7, the candidates include Alex Hohl of Huntingburg, Ind., and Hans Schmitz of Wadesville, Ind. District 7 includes the counties of Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Sullivan, Vanderburgh and Warrick.
  • The four candidates for the two statewide, at-large positions include Mat Berger of Fountain City, Ind.; Jay Berry of Marion, Ind.; Kurt Laidig of Mishawaka, Ind.; and incumbent Adam Sheller of Noblesville, Ind. All voters across the state will vote on two of these candidates.

The ICMC board manages state corn checkoff investments and determines promotional, educational and research activities that can strengthen Indiana’s corn industry. The elected directors will serve three-year terms beginning Oct. 1, 2025. ICMC directors can serve three consecutive full terms or a total of nine consecutive years.

For more information, visit www.incornandsoy.org/ICMCvoting or call ICMC Governance staff at 317-644-2791. For details about Indiana’s corn checkoff program, visit www.incornandsoy.org.