Colorado Corn Cultivating Opportunities

The 1979 founding board of the Colorado Corn Growers Association was chosen to receive the Jean Sirios President’s award at the organization’s annual banquet.  State Senator Mary Hodge and Representative Jerry Sonnenberg accepted Colorado Corn’s Legislator of the Year awards, while Reagan Waskom of the Colorado Water Institute received the Friend of Agriculture award.

Formed by a handful of farmers 30 years ago, the Colorado Corn Growers Association today is engaged in market development, research and promotion, and educational programs that benefit the state’s corn farmers. Four of the 11 founding board of directors attended the annual banquet of the association to accept the Jean Sirios Award which is given in memory of a past director whose dedication to Colorado Corn was exemplary. The following four members of the original board attended the banquet: Elwin Poe, Holyoke; Kenneth Kauffman, Ft. Morgan; George Idler, Lamar; and Ken Mellin, Kersey.

Colorado Corn presented Legislator of the Year awards to state Senator Mary Hodge (R-Brighton) and Representative Jerry Sonnenberg (R-Sterling). Senator Hodge was chosen for her commitment to agriculture, and for her leadership role on behalf of farmers in South Platte watershed policy. Representative Sonnenberg’s work to secure new weight limit permits and efforts to find solutions to water resource management were among the reasons he was chosen for the recognition.

Reagan Waskom, director of the Colorado State University’s Water Institute, accepted the Friend of Agriculture award from Colorado Corn.  Waskom’s research projects have ranged from optimizing irrigation in limited water environments to finding solutions to ag water transfer. This award is given in memory of another director, Dave Dunivan, who set an example of making a difference in his community and the agricultural industry.

Colorado Corn presented the Company of the Year recognition to the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture, which was founded in 1991 to promote agricultural literacy in the state. In 2003, the foundation partnered with the Corn Growers to distribute a Corn Reader publication to schools across the state.  A newer version of the Corn Reader will be released this spring. Bette Blinde, executive director of the foundation, accepted the award.

Also at the banquet, Colorado Corn presented a resolution to the Colorado Livestock Association for its support of the All American Beef Battalion’s “Steak for Troops” event held at Fort Carson. Both Colorado Corn and CLA provided financial support and volunteers to help serve steaks to troops and their families. The troops had just returned from serving in Iraq. Steve Gabel represented CLA at the banquet.

Representatives from the Colorado Ag Council, Colorado State University, the Colorado Legislature, and the Weld County Commissioners attended the banquet.

The awards banquet closed with nationally-known comedian Damian Mason, whose “humor for the heart of agriculture” included a message to those attending the event to be proud of living in rural America.