Kenneth Hartman, of Waterloo, Illinois., serves as first vice president of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, a farmer-led trade association with offices in St. Louis and Washington.
Hartman is a fifth-generation farmer who operates a grain farm along with his wife, Anita, mother, Joann, and daughter, Amanda. Together, they have also raised specialty crops such as tofu soybeans and white corn, while acting as early adopters of precision farming technologies. He has two daughters working off the farm: Alexis, a financial analyst with Waste Management, and Ashley, a marketing development program representative for John Deere.
As NCGA first vice president, he serves as the first vice president of the National Corn Growers Association Foundation and on the Finance Committee. Hartman also serves as the Corn Board liaison to the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Advisory Board and the Congressional Sportsman’s Caucus. He was co-chair of the 2023 Commodity Classic Committee.
Hartman was honored by Prairie Farmer magazine with the Master Farmer award in 2021 for his exceptional agricultural production skills as well as his commitment to family and service.
Previously, he chaired the Finance Committee, served as the board liaison to the Ethanol, Member and Consumer Engagement, Corn Productivity and Quality, and Stewardship Action Teams, and served on its Governance Team. He has served as the association’s representative on the Waterways Council, Inc. and on the National Agricultural Genotyping Center Board of Directors and as the alternate delegate representing NCGA to 25 x ’25.
Prior to joining the Corn Board, he served as chairman of the Market Access Action Team, vice chairman of the Public Policy Action Team and as a member of the Biotechnology Working Group and Research and Business Development Action Team. He is also a past member of the U.S. Grains Council Executive Committee.
At the state level, Hartman is a past president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association and past chairman of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. He is a member of the Illinois Leadership Council for Ag Education. He also previously served as a member of the Corn Vision 2020 Steering Committee and chairman of Corn Vision 2020’s Production and Environment Committee.
Founded in 1957, the National Corn Growers Association represents approximately 40,000 dues-paying corn growers and the interests of more than 300,000 farmers who contribute through corn checkoff programs in their states. NCGA and its 50 affiliated state associations and checkoff organizations work together to help protect and advance corn growers’ interests.
10/02/2023
