Check-In On The Checkoff: Building Markets Beyond Iowa’s Boarders

Mar 11, 2026

By Joe Roberts

I’m sure many of you, like myself, are “patiently” awaiting the arrival of spring to get out in the field for planting season. Though it may seem that winter will drag on forever, this time of year is extremely valuable for building and planning export growth for Iowa grown corn and corn products.

In February, Iowa Corn farmer leaders headed south to the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) annual meeting in Panama. The meeting hosted impactful conversations around new markets, the Panama Canal and discussions of the Council’s upcoming global trade strategy in Latin America and the Asia Pacific.

The theme, “The Time is Now!”, isn’t just a slogan—it’s a call to action. In Iowa, we produce more corn and ethanol than we can use locally. To keep our farms profitable, we must be aggressive in global markets. The Council isn’t just promoting corn, but corn in all forms, like ethanol and DDGS, to open markets around the globe.

This outreach doesn’t happen by chance. It’s fueled by our checkoff dollars. Investing in the USGBC puts experts on the ground in 28 locations worldwide, fighting trade barriers and finding new buyers for corn in all forms while we’re busy in the field.

Continuing to fund these efforts isn’t an expense—it’s an investment in the future of every Iowa grown corn acre. Learn more at www.iowacorn.org/corn-market-development/us-corn-exports.

Thank you,

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Video: Democratizing Gene Editing - Pairwise’s Vision for the Future of Agriculture

Pairwise has built its business around an idea that runs counter to how many companies approach innovation: make transformative technology easier to access.

In this Seed World interview, CEO Tom Adams discusses why broader access to gene editing could speed crop improvement, expand innovation opportunities and help agriculture address emerging challenges. He explains why Pairwise believes no single company can solve all of agriculture's problems alone—and why making advanced breeding technologies available to more organizations could accelerate progress across the industry.

The conversation explores how consumer trust influences technology adoption, why innovations like pitless cherries and seedless blackberries matter beyond convenience, and how future crop improvements could help address labor shortages, automation, harvest efficiency and other production challenges. Adams also shares his perspective on what the industry may be underestimating about the next wave of gene editing innovation.

Watch the full interview to hear why Pairwise believes agriculture is approaching an important inflection point for gene editing, and why the pace of innovation over the next decade could surprise the industry.

Topics Covered:

o Democratizing agricultural innovation

o Consumer trust and technology adoption

o The business case for sharing innovation

o Expanding innovation beyond major crops

o Next-generation breeding technologies