There was no shortage of farmers, businesses and others who helped make 2017 an outstanding year for the Colorado Corn Administrative Committee and Colorado Corn Growers Association. And during an annual banquet in Burlington this month, both organizations honored those that went above and beyond for the agriculture industry.

CCAC & CCGA Amicus Friend of Agriculture Award: Aaron Frank

During his years serving on the CCGA board, Frank found a number of ways to serve in the CCGA’s efforts to make the industry better for his fellow farmers. Frank has been a key voice in recent years on the CCGA’s Public Policy Committee as it’s taken positions on the upcoming farm bill and other vital legislation that impacts family farms and their bottom lines.

Frank has gone above and beyond in his role, which has been exemplified by his eagerness to take part in leadership programs with the National Corn Growers Association, and other efforts, such as opening up his farm to Colorado State University’s Kurt Fausch, a professor in fish, wildlife and conservation biology, who for more than a decade has taken his classes to tour Frank’s Kirk, Colo., operation and educate the students on how crops are grown and how water is used and conserved in the Arikaree Basin.

While Frank will be stepping down from the CCGA Board this year, the group will certainly make it a priority to move forward with his hard-working and forward-thinking spirit as they address the policy challenges facing agriculture.

CCGA Amicus Friend of Agriculture Award: Silveus Financial Group

Silveus Financial is a leading crop risk management company that, with its “Matrix” system and other unique and sophisticated approaches to the business side of farming, has assisted many of Colorado’s corn producers with unique and powerful tools to analyze and manage multiple complicated variables. Such tools have been especially critical in recent times as the industry has faced an era of particularly challenging commodity prices.

In addition to being community supporters in many aspects for Colorado’s rural communities, Silveus and its array of tools, which also includes their nCompass and HedgeTRAK programs, allow farmers to develop personalized strategies that consider farm size, personal risk profiles and market bias, and then create a cohesive marketing strategy that gives them a comprehensive methodology to managing risk.

As one Colorado corn grower put it, “with Silveus Financial as a partner, we have maintained a consistent focus on marketing … and they have helped us implement more sophisticated marketing strategies that have increased our bottom line.”

CCAC Company of the Year: Media Logic Radio

Media Logic Radio has been a key partner to the CCGA and Colorado Corn Administrative Committee in helping them reach the farmers and businesses that support the organizations, as well as other audiences.

One of the biggest priorities of the CCGA and the CCAC is making sure their supporters know how they’re putting to use their investments, and also telling the general public the truth about farming, food production and ethanol, among other aspects of our industry. Using both advertising and news interviews on their seven stations that reach thousands of listeners across northeast Colorado, Media Logic Radio has served as one of our most effective tools in achieving those objectives.

In addition to Media Logic’s support of our two organizations, the Fort Morgan-based company is also well-known for being a major supporter of various events, organizations and causes in the rural communities where the vast majority of our corn producers work and live.