• By Carroll Smith,
Editor •
The Transform My Community contest, inspired by Transform WG insecticide and sponsored by Corteva Agriscience and Cotton Farming magazine, is a way for cotton and sorghum farmers and crop consultants to “transform” an aspect of their community with $25,000. As the program celebrates its fifth year, it’s inspiring and satisfying to see how this prize money has affected the lives of so many different people.
In 2019, Transform WG insecticide, PhytoGen and Pioneer have teamed up to open the contest to cotton and sorghum consultants and growers where Section 18 emergency exemptions have been granted for the use of Transform. Over the past four years, the Transform My Community contest has contributed more than $75,000 to local organizations.
The program opened June 1 and runs through July 31. Entering the contest takes just a few minutes of your time. In 500 words or less, tell how your favorite organization or charity is working to help transform your community and how $25,000 would help.
Also tell why, as a farmer or consultant, you need Transform WG insecticide to control pests, and what cotton or sorghum varieties you planted this year.
Recap Of Past Winners
Center in Bogota, Tennessee.
When the Transform My Community contest kicked off in 2015, cotton farmer A.J. Hood entered and won the grand prize on behalf of the Miracle League of Southeast Arkansas. Today, you can visit Seark Miracle League on Facebook to see kids enjoying the camaraderie of being on a team and enjoying “America’s sport” on a beautiful baseball field designed specifically for their special needs.
Tennessee cotton consultant Larry Kimery entered the Transform My Community contest in 2016, hoping to win the grand prize for the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse in Gibson County. His efforts paid off. In a check presentation ceremony, $20,000 was donated on Kimery’s behalf to help improve the lives of local children and their families.
In 2017, Mississippi cotton farmer Gary Dyksterhouse submitted an entry to support Delta Streets Academy in Greenwood. He was named the grand prize winner, and a check for $20,000 was donated on his behalf to help make “dreams come true” for the young men striving to reach their full potential.
Last year, Dyer County, Tennessee, cotton farmer Bettie Woods was selected as the grand prize winner. “I entered the Transform My Community contest with the hope of winning the $20,000 grand prize to help ensure the Bogota Community Center would continue to exist,” she says.
Online Entries Are Open
Moved by the Transform My Community contest’s success in investing in the rural communities where our farmers live, Corteva has increased the grand prize to $25,000.
Casey McGuire, Corteva Agriscience product manager — insecticides and specialty herbicides, says, “We are thrilled to be embarking on our fifth year of Transform My Community. Including PhytoGen and Pioneer allows us to increase our impact and opens the program up to more growers and consultants.
“We are excited to see what meaningful transformations they make in their communities and look forward to the inspiring stories highlighted through this program. Transform My Community is yet another way Corteva Agriscience enriches the lives of those who produce and those who consume, for generations to come.”