FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Michigan Growers Set the Record Straight

DEWITT, MICH. – A feature documentary, King Corn, will be playing this week on PBS and corn growers are advising viewers to research the misinformation and falsehoods portrayed in this film.

King Corn is about two friends that move to Iowa after graduating from college to grow one acre of corn. The “goal” in making this film was to learn where their food came from. With the help of friendly neighbors in Greene, Iowa they planted, grew and harvested one acre of America’s most-productive grain, corn. These two individuals try to follow their crop into the food system and in doing so, question and make personal judgments on what Americans eat.

“While King Corn may be an interesting idea for a movie and the film could have been an excellent vehicle to educate viewers on the dedication and hard work of U.S. corn growers, it fails to cultivate real knowledge about corn production,” said Ed Breitmeyer, Corn Marketing Program of Michigan (CMPM) board member. “This film does not match current realities in growing corn as it was filmed back in 2005. It negatively capitalizes on overproduction, low prices, surplus corn and producing corn for no value or reason. That is quite a contrast to the situation we are facing in 2008, where both demand and prices are higher.”

The film blames corn-based products for an increase in obesity and diabetes. “It is unfortunate that some of the main factors of diabetes and obesity are overlooked such as genetics, consumption of too many calories and too little exercise. No single thing or food ingredient is the sole cause of these conditions, which viewers may not realize based on the content of this film,” said Jody Pollok-Newsom, CMPM and Michigan Corn Growers Association (MCGA) executive director. “According to the Corn Refiners Association consumption of high fructose corn syrup has been dropping in recent years, yet the rates of obesity and diabetes in the United States continue to rise. Many other parts of the world have rising rates of obesity and diabetes, despite the fact that they have little or no high fructose corn syrup in their diets.”

To find when this film will air in you area, visit www.pbs.org/independentlens/guide.html. “The fact is that corn growers are doing what Americans do best. We work hard and use our ingenuity; always looking for a better way to meet the needs and demands of our consumers and markets,” said Breitmeyer, who is also a corn grower from Buckley. "If you do watch this film, please take the time to research some of the things that the filmmakers are touting as real information. It is important in this day and age to be informed and we encourage viewers to check the facts and sources of the information about corn and agriculture in general.”

Headquartered in DeWitt, the CMPM is a legislatively-established statewide program that utilizes one-cent per bushel of Michigan corn sold. Investments are made in the areas of research, education, market
development, and new uses in an effort to enhance the economic position of Michigan corn farmers. The CMPM works cooperatively with the MCGA, a grassroots-membership association representing the state’s corn grower’s political interests. For more information on the CMPM and the MCGA, visit the web site at www.micorn.org.

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The National Corn Growers Association’s mission is to create and increase opportunities for corn growers. NCGA represents more than 33,000 members and 48 affiliated state organizations and hundreds of thousands of growers who contribute to state checkoff programs. For more information on NCGA, log on to www.ncga.com.