Iowa Corn honored Curt Jones with the 2024 Iowa Corn Walter Goeppinger Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of leadership to the organization and impact to Iowa Corn Promotion Board’s research efforts.
The beginning of Iowa Corn can be traced back to 1957, when founder Walter Goeppinger of Boone, Iowa, had a vision for a grassroots-driven group to support corn farming and rallied his friends and neighbors together to create the National Corn Growers Association.
In 1967, Goeppinger helped create the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the first state corn group in the country. Then in 1977, he was instrumental in establishing the nation’s first corn checkoff program, the Iowa Corn Promotion Board.
Jones’ involvement with Iowa Corn started in the 1990s at the local level in Clay County. With the support of his wife, Mary Ellen, Curt quickly began rising through the ranks and became engaged in NCGA. He served as chair of the ICPB. He found his real passion for industry and farming coexisted through the research committee. His passion for research made him pivotal in identifying new opportunities to improve corn production and utilization.
PHOTO: Iowa Corn honored Curt Jones with the 2024 Iowa Corn Walter Goeppinger Lifetime Achievement Award. Pictured are Jolene Riessen, Curt Jones and Stan Nelson (Photo: Iowa Corn)
