(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.)--Members of the Missouri Corn Growers Association (MCGA), Malta Bend FFA and Mid-Missouri Energy (MME), a farmer-owned ethanol plant located near Malta Bend, Mo., harvested 3,366 pounds of sweet corn this morning for Missouri families in need.  The fresh produce was then delivered to Harvesters-The Community Food Network in Kansas City, Mo., to help feed hungry families in the region.

"While sweet corn isn't something we normally plant in these fields, we realize there are people in our community and in the city facing tough times," said Billy Thiel, MCGA board member and corn grower from Marshall, Mo.  "This sweet corn is one way Missouri corn growers can show that we care about our neighbors and that we are committed to feeding and fueling a growing population."
 
The donated fresh produce will be distributed through Harvesters vast network, resulting in nearly 2,600 meals for hungry families.  Serving a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas, Harvesters provides food and related household products to more than 620 not-for-profit agencies including emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, children's homes, homes for the mentally disabled and shelters for battered persons. 
 
"Hunger is a serious problem in Missouri," said Karen Haren, president and CEO of Harvesters and president of the Missouri Food Bank Association.  "One in eight Missouri residents will receive assistance from a Missouri food bank, and almost half of them will be children.  Today's donation is a wonderful example of how the state's food banks and agricultural industry can work together to help those in need."
 
In April, the participating groups planted one acre of sweet corn (approximately the size of a football field) next to MME to help families facing economic hardship.  Today's donation to Harvesters-The Community Food Network is the first of two deliveries.  A second round of sweet corn will be delivered to a food bank in Marshall, Mo. 
 
Despite a popular misconception, the vast majority of corn grown in Missouri and across the nation is not sweet corn.  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), only 1 percent of the corn grown in the U.S. is the sweet vegetable consumers enjoy off the cob, canned or in the frozen food aisle.  The remaining 99 percent is field corn.  Harvested when the kernels are dry and fully mature, field corn is primarily used for livestock feed, ethanol production, exports and other manufactured goods. 
 
During today's harvest, industry representatives highlighted the important economic role field corn plays in our rural communities.  Last year, Missouri corn farmers produced approximately 447 million bushels of grain on 3 million acres, generating $1.6 billion in farm revenue for the state's economy.  Livestock producers and ethanol plants like MME are important consumers of the nation's top crop.    
 
To learn more about Missouri's corn industry and the farmers who produce it, visit www.mocorn.org or call 1-800-827-4181.

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Photo Caption:  Billy Thiel, Missouri Corn Growers Association board member and farmer from Marshall, Mo., helps harvest 3,366 pounds of sweet corn to be donated to the Harvesters food bank in Kansas City, Mo.

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Photo Caption:  Highlighting the importance of community involvement, Mid-Missouri Energy President Ryland Utlaut thanks the Malta Bend FFA Chapter for their help in harvesting the sweet corn plot grown on land provided by the ethanol plant.  Congressman Ike Skelton and State Representative Joe Aull (pictured at left) also applauded Missouri Corn, the Malta Bend FFA and MME for today's generous donation.

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Photo Caption:  Karen Haren, president and CEO of Harvesters (center), accepts the donation of sweet corn from Missouri Corn Growers Association board members Mike Moreland of Harrisonville, Mo., Billy Thiel of Marshall, Mo., and members of the Malta Bend FFA Chapter.  The food bank estimates today's donation will provide nearly 2,600 meals to help combat hunger in the region.

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Photo Caption: Local FFA members and volunteers unload one of two trucks delivering sweet corn to help needy families.  The event was organized by the Missouri Corn Growers Association with help from the Mid-Missouri Energy ethanol plant and the Malta Bend FFA Chapter.

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