Everett takes advantage of opportunity to tout ethanol, ag policy to Trump staff 

By Dave Blower Jr. 

For many years, the leaders and staff of the Indiana Corn Growers Association (ICGA) have preached that farmers should get to know, personally, the lawmakers and regulators that influence agriculture. Tyler Everett, a farmer from Lebanon, Ind., must’ve been paying attention. 

In the matter of a few weeks, Everett hosted USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins on his farm. then in early December visited with Rollins and President Trump in the Oval Office of the White House. That’s getting to know politicians in high places. 

“I am 1 percent of 1 percent of people who have been in the Oval Office, and that will always be a great memory,” he reminisced. 

Everett had little idea that serving as ICGA vice president would allow that much access to government leaders. Honestly, though, he credits most of this to an opportunity created by Courtney Kingery, CEO of ICGA, the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and the Indiana Soybean Alliance. Rollins was looking for a farm in Indiana to announce a trade agreement that re-opened China to U.S. ag exports including corn and soybeans. Kingery recommended Everett’s farm. 

But Everett was a good host, and he saved a field of corn to harvest with Rollins during her visit. 

“Having Secretary Rollins in the combine was really cool,” Everett said. “I took her to the other end of a field, and I shelled the corn down. Then I switched seats with her. I told her button by button what to do, and she was a pro. She got the hang of it and was able to dump the corn in a grain cart that was being driven by my dad and USDA Under Secretary Scott Hutchins.” 

Not to let a good opportunity pass, he got to talk with Rollins for a few minutes, too. 

“Secretary Rollins and I got to talk in there for a few minutes, and I asked her about what it’s like working for the boss (President Trump)?” Everett said. “She said, oh, he’s cool. It’s really neat working with him. He really respects the farmers and likes the farmers. She gave me her personal phone number and said that if I ever need anything or need to tell her anything important, then reach out anytime. So, that’s great.” 

White House and Oval Office 

When President Trump decided to announce the details of the Farmer Bridge Assistance program, Rollins advocated for Everett to be among the farmers in attendance. 

“So, a couple days before the announcement, Secretary Rollins texted me in the middle of the night and said, ‘Hey, I know it’s late, but can you be in D.C. on Monday?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely!” he explained. “She said, ‘I need you to be there on Monday for a meeting with my boss.’ And, right then, I’m like, ‘Holy smokes! I could be in a meeting with the President of the United States!” 

Rollins advised him to keep the invitation a secret because the program’s details were still being finalized. Everett was one of eight farmers invited to the White House for the announcement. He said the Cabinet Room of the White House and the President’s Oval Office were not what he expected, but it was an amazing experience. The White House is not like it’s portrayed in the movies, he added. 

“I remember we walked in through the street entrance of the West Wing,” Everett said. “We walked in and there were 7-foot ceilings. I could just reach up and touch the ceiling. The Cabinet Room is smaller than you might think, but it’s got a big table. It’s wild to think that I’ve sat at the table where some of the world’s most powerful people have sat. I’m just a farmer from central Indiana.” 

He got the opportunity to talk with Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other lawmakers and farmers at the White House. Everett was able to advocate for better ethanol access and better access to global export markets. 

Everett spoke with President Trump and Sen. Fischer to tout year-round access to E15 for consumers. E15 is a blended fuel of 15 percent ethanol with 85 percent gasoline. However, federal law limits sales of E15 to specific months. Opening sales of E15 to consumers year-round would help the incomes of U.S. corn growers. 

For more about Everett’s White House experience, see the story on page 20. 

A fifth-generation farmer 

Growing up on the land he now farms, Everett imagined life as a firefighter and a farmer. He has accomplished both. One of the reasons he sought a position on the ICGA board was to be a voice for all Indiana farmers – no matter the size of their farm. Paying back agriculture is a lesson he learned from his parents, grandparents and area farmers. 

Everett is a fifth-generation farmer, and his family has been on their Boone County land for more than 100 years. 

“We farm about 1,500 acres of corn, soybeans and a little bit of wheat in Boone and northern Henricks County,” Everett said. “Our farm isn’t big enough to make ends meet and provide for three families. So, I had to expand my portfolio.” 

That means he also sells seed for Beck’s Hybrids, hauls grain for local farmers, contracts to haul freight for businesses, and he delivers pool water to homes in the summer months. He enjoys working on the farm, but he doesn’t mind his other work, either. 

Everett’s wife, Brittney, and his daughter, Charlee, have gotten used to his long hours at work. He added he’s grateful to have an understanding wife. 

“Brittany has kind of figured out how it works, and she knows what to expect,” Everett admitted. “If I say, I’ll be in the house in 30 minutes, it’s usually an hour or two hours later. She gets that.” 

His grandmother still owns farmland; his dad owns most of the farm equipment, and Everett and his father share in many of the farm decisions. 

He’s learned to work with those who run farms of all sizes, and that is ICGA’s mission. 

“I want to represent all farmers, whether they’re big farmers or small farmers,” Everett said. “I try to make them all feel important and heard. Whether you operate a large farm or a small farm, you’re all doing the same thing – it’s just different scales of operation.”