Greetings,

My name is Troy Schneider, and I am asking for your vote at the NCGA Board of Director elections on July 20th.

My family and I are located in eastern Colorado. I am extremely proud of the farming operation that my wife, Kristen, and I started over 25 years ago. Kristen began her cow herd in high school, and I started by renting 80 acres of dryland farm ground. Today, our operation consists of 4,000 acres of irrigated corn, alfalfa and grass; dryland wheat, corn, hay millet, and a cow-calf operation. Yet, through all the years the greatest thing we’ve grown on our farm has not been any crop or livestock, it has been our three sons: Allen, Tyler and Tyson. We both received valuable help from our parents to get our business off the ground. Today, we have come full circle as we help my parents transition out of their farming operation and into retirement, and work to bring our boys into the operation.

I have been involved in the state-check off, the Colorado Corn Administrative Committee (now known as the Colorado Corn Promotion Council (CCPC)) since 2015.  While serving as a board member of the CCPC, I served in all officer positions, including two years as president. Some of our greatest accomplishments during that time were reducing our refund rate to an all-time record low, successfully hiring and transitioning to our current executive director, restructuring our organizational leadership   taking the board from twenty members to seven nimble decision makers, and adopting a strategic plan that will continue the CCPC’s success into the future.

I hope to use this experience to continue NCGA’s progress. NCGA has a unique opportunity to move our industry forward as it represents both dues-paying members and checkoff growers enabling NCGA to speak with one voice on a national level. NCGA’s voice helps influence policy that comes from Washington D.C., while at the same time fostering our industry through research, market development and impacting public sentiment regarding our industry. While good public policy and sentiment help move us forward, NCGA must be diligent in solving tomorrow’s challenges be it enhancing our current markets to finding new uses and markets for our corn.

NCGA and its affiliated state organizations showcase the American farmer’s creativity, ingenuity and most importantly our commitment to feeding and fueling the world. To quote an NGCA statement, “to work together is to sustainably feed and fuel a growing world by creating and increasing opportunities for corn growers.” This will always be my top priority.

I’ve been asked by many “why do you want to run for the NCGA Board of Directors?” and it comes down to one key word: service. I aspire to be a servant-leader to my fellow members and producers. It is my desire to continue my service to our industry and this association with my voice, time and dedication. It is my hope to be a servant-leader to this association, drawing upon my experience and knowledge, to continue moving our industry forward for the betterment of all our corn farmers.

I will always be grateful for the numerous opportunities this association and its’ members have afforded me. It is with this debt of gratitude that I ask for your vote to be in service to you, the farmers, on the NCGA Board of Directors. Thank you for your consideration of my candidacy and I would appreciate your support for the NCGA Corn Board. In closing, I would like to leave you with a quote from President Abraham Lincoln: “Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed.”

Best regards,

Troy Schneider