JOHNSTON – The Iowa Corn Promotion Board and Iowa Corn Growers Association are joining with the National Corn Growers Association and nine other states in an effort to educate lawmakers in Washington, D.C. about corn ethanol through a new group called the Corn Farmers Coalition.

“The coalition hopes to educate those who drive the thought processes in Washington D.C.,” said Mark Lambert, lead for the Corn Farmers Coalition. “Much of the national data and information is collected and based in offices in Washington, D.C. So although the work is being done on the farms across the country, the facts lawmakers need are “right in their own backyard” in agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”

The coalition is heading for a three-prong advertising campaign including print, web, and radio with the overriding theme being corn growers produce more from less. The campaign will use educational ads on environmental footprints and innovative technology. The ads also capitalize on the fact that more than 90 percent of U.S. corn farms are family owned and operated.

In addition to the advertising campaign, the Corn Farmers Coalition plans to host a briefing for congressmen, senators and their staff members along with a think tank meeting in D.C.

“The goal is to supply accurate, factual information about corn production,” said Shannon Textor, Iowa Corn Market Development director and staff lead from Iowa. “The assumptions about how things on the farm are done today are alarming and this is a concentrated effort to educate decision makers.”

A Web site: www.cornfarmerscoalition.com, will further spread the group’s information.

The Corn Farmers Coalition includes the Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Illinois Corn Marketing Board, Indiana Corn Marketing Council, Kansas Corn Commission, Kentucky Corn Growers Association, Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, Nebraska Corn Board, Ohio Corn Growers Association, Virginia Grain Producers Association, Wisconsin Corn Growers Association and the National Corn Growers Association.