Over the last week, Ted Cruz has been relentlessly trolled by the juvenile King Corn lobby that has literally followed his campaign bus around Iowa and harassed him at every campaign stop. The Washington Post’s Dave Weigel has chronicled some of their antics during the course of a day on the trail in an entertaining and interesting article here.

Never one to let someone get the better of him from a political optics standpoint, Cruz is now campaigning with the chief executive of an ethanol plant design firm that operates in Iowa:

POCAHONTAS, Ia. — The chief executive of an ethanol plant design firm stood side-by-side Thursday with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who has stated his opposition to a federal mandate that sets the minimum amount of ethanol blended into the nation’s fuel supply.

Dave Vander Griend, the CEO of ICM Inc., joined Cruz and his presidential campaign on the fourth day of the Texas Republican’s Iowa bus tour.

Vander Griend said he started talking with the campaign about a month ago after they sought clarity on ethanol and the Renewable Fuel Standard.

“We have spent the last month or so just educating, giving him information, giving him background, and helping him to understand that the RFS is not a long-term solution. We are already producing more ethanol than the RFS calls for,” Vander Griend told the Register.

Vander Griend seems to understand that the key issue here is that the government intervention in the market is stunting the long-term growth of his product as well as harming regular farmers (and American gasoline consumers):

Speaking to the Register, Vander Griend said the RFS “has been a great bridge, but no one has finished it.” He said more regulatory changes would be needed to truly open the market for ethanol production and consumption.

“If these regulations get out of the way, we can stand on our own,” Vander Griend said.

Gloria Gunderson from Rolfe, said she was more supportive of Cruz after hearing him speak here. Still, Gunderson said she is undecided on who to support come caucus night Feb. 1 and is deciding between Cruz, Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and possibly former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Love him or hate him, Cruz continues to push all the right buttons on his way to the Iowa Caucuses.