The Corn Farmers Coalition will return to Washington this summer with a major educational program aimed at policymakers and opinion leaders who affect the fate of America's family corn farmers.

"The vast majority of farms in America, and 95% of corn farms specifically, continue to be family owned and operated ventures. They aren't some myth, but are a critical economic engine that provides most of the food, feed and fiber produced in this country," says Darrin Ihnen, president of the National Corn Growers Association.  "This awareness is important to our survival."

Corn farmers from 14 states and the National Corn Growers Association are supporting the Corn Farmers Coalition program to introduce a foundation of facts seen as essential to decision making, rather than directly influencing legislation and regulation.

"Our mission is to put a face on today's family farmers, showcase the productivity and environmental advances being made in the industry, provide factual information on how innovative and high tech corn farmers have become," says Ihnen. "This is a corn farmer image effort designed for thought leaders in Washington.  When all the business news out there seems to be negative, corn farmers have a great story to tell."

Today the Corn Farmers Coalition launches a major advertising campaign that will put prominent facts about family farmers in Capital Hill publications, radio, frequently used web sites, the Metro and Reagan National Airport. The program, which puts a focus on family farmers telling their story, will continue until Congress recesses in August.

"Washington needs to know corn farmers are using some of the most advanced technologies on the planet to do more with less — to grow more corn using fewer resources every year," adds Mark K. Lambert, director of the Corn Farmers Coalition. "American corn farmers, the majority of them small family businesses, are among the most productive in the world."

The coalition will meet with media, members of Congress, environmental groups and others to talk about what's ahead: how U.S. farmers, using the latest technologies, will continue to expand yields and how this productivity can be a bright spot in an otherwise struggling economy.

For more information or to view the CFC ads go: www.cornfarmerscoalition.org.