Editorials

Oct 2, 2023

Author: Brooke S. Appleton

This month, Minnesota farmer Harold Wolle assumed the role of president of the National Corn Growers Association. Harold brings years of leadership and advocacy experience to the role, having served as the president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and as a member of the NCGA Corn Board for the last six years. NCGA board presidents are elected by their fellow board members each year to serve a one-year term.   Because I wanted readers to know more about the person who is taking the reins as the leader of one of the nation’s major commodity organizations, I decided to dedicate this month’s column to an interview with Harold.   Questions for NCGA President Harold Wolle   Q: Tell us about your farm operation. Harold: I am from a 140-year-old family corn and soybean farm in south central Minnesota that was started by my forefathers who were German immigrants. As a fifth-generation farmer, I am pleased to say I am in the process of passing the operations of the farm to...

Sep 15, 2023

Author: Brooke S. Appleton

Fall is quickly arriving in the nation’s capital and with it comes the sense that Congress has much to accomplish in a very short period with potential roadblocks along the way. Perhaps the most serious potential impediment is a looming government shutdown as Congress approaches the September 30 deadline to fund the federal government.   Over the last decade, we’ve gotten all too familiar with the ramifications far and wide that a government shutdown brings. Almost the entire federal government, including the legislative branch, comes to a complete stop. There will be politicians on both sides of the aisle trying to deflect blame, and there will be voters across the country trying to assign blame. In the event of a government shutdown, staff who might be deemed “essential” and able to continue to do their jobs are technically prohibited from working on any legislation unrelated to funding the government. It goes without saying that such a scenario could hamper progress on key...

Jan 5, 2023

Key Issues: Trade

Author: Brooke S. Appleton

As we enter 2023, we are reminded that we are now one year out from the effective date of the decree banning most corn imports from the U.S. into Mexico.   The National Corn Growers Association, along with state corn partners, ended 2022 sounding the alarm about this issue and we’re seeing results, though there is still work to do. The current predicament emerged last year when President Andrés Manuel López Obrador promised to enact a decree that would ban all imports of biotech corn into Mexico, effective January 31, 2024.   Since 90% of U.S. corn is biotech corn and because Mexico is one of our top trading partners, the president’s promise threatened to upend a major economic partnership for our nation’s farmers. A study by World Perspectives showed that it also would adversely affect the Mexican economy and lead to issues of food insecurity.   NCGA and state corn partners began an aggressive campaign to bring attention to the issue. We continue to call for the U.S. Trade...

Dec 6, 2022

Key Issues: Farm Policy

Author: Brooke S. Appleton

It has been an incredibly busy year with many interesting twists and turns along the way. As 2022 draws to a close and the mid-term elections are all but wrapped up, we are beginning to gain clarity on what will be in and out as we enter the new year. So, with no further ado, here are my annual ins and outs as we end one year and head into another.   Ins:    The Farm Bill – The legislation, which governs many of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s programs, is up for reauthorization in 2023. My staff and I, along with our state partners, are working to educate members of Congress about the importance of the farm bill for agriculture. We are already working with our congressional allies to protect and improve programs important to corn growers. Speak up on your priorities, and stay tuned for more updates as the legislative process proceeds.   Coalitions – As discussions about the farm bill intensify, we will work with the broad political partnerships that have been built over...

Nov 14, 2022

Author: Brooke S. Appleton

This year’s election results are still trickling in as of this writing, but there is one thing that is certain: while there will be some changes in Washington, for the most part, we’re going to see more of the same in the new Congress.   Republicans will most likely take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, but, like the current Democratically controlled House, it will be by slim margins. With victories in Nevada and Arizona, Democrats will continue to control the Senate. A run-off scheduled in the Georgia Senate race will determine whether the vice president’s vote will be needed to determine party control.   Everyone in Washington is still sifting through the data to determine what drove voting patterns this year. The results run counter to political wisdom and historical patterns, all of which show that the president’s party typically loses seats by large margins. This is particularly true during economic downturns and when basic staples, like groceries and gas...

Sep 30, 2022

Author: Brooke S. Appleton

There is just something about Washington that comes across swampy.   During particularly brutal heatwaves, Washingtonians like to remind themselves that of course it’s hot; after all, the capital city was built on a swamp. In recent years, voters, who have grown disenchanted with Washington, have been increasingly referring to the capital as the swamp and to its political inhabitants as creatures of the swamp.   But as we look at the facts, Washington the swamp, both metaphorically and as a geographical feature, appears to exist less in reality and more as part of the popular imagination. It’s important that voters understand the circumstances as attacks on Washington can elicit the kind of cynicism that is harmful to the democratic process, as it tempts voters to vote against something they dislike rather than vote for what is in their own best interest. Don’t get me wrong. As someone who grew up on a farm in the Midwest, I understand the frustrations that can arise from...

Sep 1, 2022

Key Issues: Farm Policy

Author: Brooke S. Appleton

If there is anything unforgettable about Washington, it’s that the nation’s capital gets hot and humid during the summer months. Perhaps that’s why historically activity in the city has come to a screeching halt in August as members of Congress head home to meet with constituents.   Yet, this summer leaders in Washington continued to crank out results, some of which will impact corn growers. My team and I hope to build on some of this activity as we move into fall and the next Congress.   The summer was bookended by the president’s decision in April to direct the Environmental Protection Agency to use its authority to allow for continued, year-round market access for higher blends of ethanol and with the enactment in August of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.   While the president’s decision on ethanol enjoyed bipartisan praise, passage of his signature piece of legislation was completed along party lines.   While we always like to see Congress act in a bipartisan...

Aug 1, 2022

Key Issues: TradeFarm Policy

Author: Brooke S. Appleton

After Abraham Lincoln became president in 1861, he appointed to his cabinet the very opponents he had vanquished in the bitter and hard-fought battle for the Republican nomination the year before. The team of rivals, representing very different ideological positions within the GOP of the time, helped the president go on to win the Civil War, abolish slavery and keep the country intact.   I thought of Lincoln’s team of rivals as I moderated a recent discussion in Washington on the upcoming farm bill reauthorization.   The panel, composed of Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and Richard Fordyce, who served as Farm Service Agency administrator during the Trump administration, echoed the team of rivals' approach by challenging corn growers to take the lead in broadening the coalition engaged in the farm bill and fostering relationships with stakeholders outside of commodity and livestock organizations.   Heitkamp used food security as an example,...

Jul 7, 2022

Author: Brooke S. Appleton

As news events such as Roe v. Wade and gun legislation have been dominating much of the debate in Washington this summer, we at the National Corn Growers Association have been working to attract the attention of policymakers so that we can elevate the agricultural policies that are important to our membership.   That’s one of the many reasons I am so excited about the upcoming Corn Congress, which will be held in the nation’s capital July 11-14. It provides us an opportunity to take passionate and deeply knowledgeable corn grower leaders to Capitol Hill in mass and get them in front of some of Washington’s key decision-makers.   This year is particularly special, as it is the first time in two years that we have been able to meet in person in the nation’s capital. There is something special that an in-person connection offers that Zoom just can’t. And we have a lot to talk about with our members of Congress.   We will discuss biofuels issues, such as asking lawmakers to...

Jun 1, 2022

Key Issues: Farm Policy

Author: Brooke S. Appleton

I have spent close to 20 years living and working in our nation’s Capital, and I have never seen the number of unprecedented events here that we’ve seen over the last year. From the war in Ukraine to the Roe v. Wade leak to inflation, leaders in this city are moving from one unprecedented event to another, and other important issues are being drowned out as a result. Luckily, NCGA has still been able to secure important wins for farmers, though we face many challenges ahead. Indeed, thanks to the hard work of farmer leaders, we have seen the following results in recent months:   Extension of Access to Higher Ethanol Blends. The president’s recent announcement that his administration is allowing for the continuation of consumer access to higher blends of ethanol through the coming summer months was a major victory for consumers and corn growers alike. Having the president, who has the weight of the world on his shoulders, take time to visit an Iowa ethanol plant and...