Corn hybrids containing Herculex I, Roundup Ready, YieldGard Rootworm and stacked YieldGard Corn Borer-Liberty Link transgenic traits have been designated as Market Choices hybrids. When growers buy these products, they agree to feed the corn to their own livestock, sell it to other producers for livestock use, sell to a feed mill or deliver the corn to appropriate grain handling facilities.

To help remind growers of this effort, the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative (IGQI) organized 37 companies and associations to produce 30,000 copies of a poster that are being distributed the week of August 18 to seed dealers, grain handlers and extension offices in nine Midwest states. The poster reminds Market Choices growers of their marketing responsibility and provides a Web site, www.marketchoices.info. This site offers links to the seed technology companies and other supporting organizations including the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) grain handler database. The ASTA database lists locations around the country accepting Market Choices corn.

Roger Ginder, professor, ag economics, Iowa State University, said that as more transgenic corn products become available and are grown, the more important it is that growers think differently than they have in the past. “The old commodity corn system didn’t require much communication between growers and grain handlers. These new corn products require greater coordination with grain handlers ahead of harvest to make sure you know which grain handlers will take Market Choices grain. It’s also important for growers to be aware of any special requirements those handlers may have for delivery of this corn. For example, some handlers may designate specific facilities where the corn will be accepted.”

He suggests that since harvest time is busy, it is best to have a delivery plan prepared well in advance and communicate that plan to your grain handler and to anyone who will be delivering grain for you.

Dow AgroSciences LLC, Monsanto Company and Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. provided the funding to produce the posters. The American Seed Trade Association, National Corn Growers Association, Iowa Grain Quality Initiative, co-op associations, grain and feed associations, corn grower associations and extension programs in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin are also supporting this year’s program.