Editorials

May 2024

May 17, 2024

Corn Farmers Feed and Fuel America

Key Issues: Ethanol

Author: Harold Wolle, NCGA President

Up before the sun rises and into bed long after it sets, farmers are the lifeblood of America. Their commitment to nurturing, cultivating and reaping their harvests sustains the way of life for millions of individuals they will never meet.   Where our nation is today and where we are headed is deeply rooted in the agricultural industry. Specifically, corn farmers are feeding and fueling America through their economic contributions and sustainability efforts.   Strengthening the Economy   As one of the largest sectors in American agriculture, and the world’s largest producer and exporter of corn, our nation’s farmers bolster the economy and help build strong communities. Driving job creation and paying $2.6 trillion in wages, farmers plant and maintain more than 250 million acres of farmland across the country.   The U.S. Department of Agriculture supports these farmers, rural America, and consumers, through programs and policies set in the farm bill. Through the upcoming...

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May 8, 2024

Corn Growers Focus on Opening Markets, Enforcing Trade Agreements

Key Issues: Trade

Author: Brooke S. Appleton

It’s an evening we all remember in the Washington office of the National Corn Growers Association and is now a familiar war story that is brought up often at our gatherings.   On a cold February night in 2023 as staff settled into their homes after a day at the office, our communications director sent an email around: “Please be advised, Mexico plans to ban all genetically modified white corn imports beginning tomorrow.”   The news came after a months-long campaign by NCGA to stop Mexico’s president from banning imports of genetically modified corn into his country. That evening, Pres. Andrés Manuel López Obrador decided to push back, and the Reuters Mexico City Bureau had received word from the National Palace that the ban on white corn, often used for food-grade products, was imminent.   The ban on these products from a country that is our number one customer was an ominous development, particularly for states, like Nebraska, that export large quantities of white...

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