By Harold Wolle
NCGA President
I love this time of year, as it’s filled with family gatherings, enjoying the time-honored Minnesota pastime of ice fishing and planning for the planting season ahead.
As president of the National Corn Growers Association, I am also thinking about the advocacy work that is needed to better enable you to plant, grow, harvest and sell your crops. With major agricultural legislation pending in Congress, we have a real opportunity this year to Shape the Future.
Here is just a sampling of what we plan to tackle over the next 12 months:
Advocating for reauthorization of the Farm Bill. We will work closely with policymakers to ensure that a Farm Bill that includes all the priorities of corn growers is passed this year.
Ensuring future ethanol demand. We are working to increase demand for ethanol by securing congressional support for the Next Generation Fuels Act and advocating for the use of ethanol in sustainable aviation fuel.
Promoting free, fair and open trade. We will continue to work to eliminate trade barriers, including with Mexico over biotech corn, while encouraging Congress and the Biden administration to work with us to open and cultivate new markets that would benefit growers.
While I am optimistic that we will accomplish these goals, I fully realize that this year presents unique challenges. We will be working with a divided Congress during a heated presidential election year, and narrow margins in the U.S. House of Representatives promise to make the passage of legislation more difficult than years past.
That’s why we need you by our side every step of the way. If you haven’t already, please sign up for our advocacy alerts, which will give you an opportunity to stay informed about these issues and weigh in with your congressional representatives on pending legislation or regulatory issues.
It is indeed a year with great promise and many challenges. I am confident that, with your help, we can turn any obstacles into opportunities and advance legislation that is important to the nation’s corn growers.
Here’s to you and your family. Here’s to a new year. Here’s to corn grower advocacy.
