USDA leadership and trade concerns take center stage at Commodity Classic

By Dave Blower Jr.

National political issues dominated discussion during the Commodity Classic in Denver, Colo., Feb. 28 to March 4. On the second day of the event, newly approved USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins addressed a standing-room-only crowd on Sunday, March 2, but news of a trade war with Canada, Mexico and China lingered through the end of Classic.

Established in 1996, the Commodity Classic is presented annually by the American Soybean Association (ASA) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) along with the National Association of Wheat Growers, the National Sorghum Producers and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. NCGA and ASA use this event to focus in on key farm policy issues while checkoff-related groups such as the United Soybean Board (USB), the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) present trade show visitors with project updates.

Rollins was the featured speaker on the opening day of the trade show. She attempted to assure the farmers in attendance that the Trump Administration will pay attention to the concerns of agriculture.

“As my boss, President Donald Trump, is working to ‘Make America Great Again,’ my job is to make agriculture great again. I also have a special message from our president, Donald Trump, who I speak with very regularly. He wants all of you to know that he hears you. He knows that times have been tough over the last four years. He will not forget you and he will never stop fighting for you and neither will I as your newly confirmed secretary of agriculture,” Rollins said. “I will be your greatest champion in Washington, second only to the president. I will make sure that your voice is heard and my team will be available to answer your calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and if our team is not, you get me their name because you may have heard we’re doing a little bit of reduction in force across the federal government.”

Concerns about tariffs

Following Rollins message, though, news of the Trump Administration’s plans to place tariffs on products from Canada, Mexico and China – top importers of U.S. farm products – drew quick reaction from ag groups from across the country.

The Indiana Corn Growers Association (ICGA) and the Indiana Soybean Alliance’s Membership and Policy Committee (M&P) added their views on the issue. As the policy organizations for Indiana’s corn and soybean farmers, ICGA and M&P are asking the state’s congressional delegation to help bring a swift resolution to this issue.

“As Indiana’s soybean and corn farmers begin to prepare for the spring planting season, they are closely watching lower bushel prices and higher input costs,” said M&P Chair Brian Warpup, a farmer from Warren, Ind. “This year’s crop was already shaping up to be a challenge, but with the added complication of increased tariffs, farmers fear that fewer exports will lead to higher stocks and even lower bushel prices.”

ICGA President Chris Cherry, a farmer from New Palestine, Ind., added, “We urge Indiana’s congressional
delegation to work with the Trump Administration to resolve these trade issues so that Indiana farmers can
continue to export corn and soybeans to critical markets such as China, Mexico and Canada.”

Since the Commodity Classic ended, the Trump Administration announced a 30-day pause on tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico.

Commodity Classic events

National farm organizations such as NCGA and ASA hosted fundraising events, handed out national awards and set ag policy priorities with its members during the Denver meeting.

NCGA presented awards to its 2024 National Corn Yield Contest winners. Hoosiers earning honors in this contest include Shawn Kalb, Kogen Kalb and Kevin Kalb, all of Dubois, Ind.; and Dallas Cardinal of Oaktown, Ind.

On the policy side, NCGA turned its focus on getting legislation adopted that would allow for year-round sale of E15, a blend of 15 percent ethanol with 85 percent gasoline. Many pro-ethanol groups also refer to this fuel at Unleaded 88.

ASA’s policy focus was on getting a new farm bill passed this year that updated many programs and included new crop insurance details. Soybean growers were also available to attend many leadership and educational events.

AG Leader Source provides soybean farmers an opportunity to continue to grow and develop their board leadership skills through an online Soybean Board Leadership Development Program. AG Leader Source is supported by the state soybean organizations and USB and is funded solely with soybean checkoff dollars. Hoosier farmers who participated in the program this year include Chris Eck, David Harden, Mike Koehne, Andrew McDaniel, Philip Springstun, Larry Rusch, Brian Warpup and Mark Wenning.

More than 11,300 attendees including farmers, exhibitors, industry stakeholders and media gathered in Denver for the Commodity Classic. The event broke records this year with 5,221 farmer attendees and 168 registered media. Additionally, 433 companies exhibited at the Colorado Convention Center. The 2026 Commodity Classic will be Feb. 25-27 in San Antonio, Texas.