After nearly a 15-year hiatus, Mark Palmer rejoined the National Corn Growers Association as the new Director of Renewable Fuels. Palmer, who previously worked for NCGA in the Washington, DC office, returns to the St. Louis headquarters where he will be responsible for managing the renewable fuels portfolio and the Ethanol Action Team.
"We are thrilled to have Mark back with us at NCGA. Mark is an extremely talented individual who has worked on ethanol issues from many sides. He is so excited to again be working on behalf of growers and state organizations to further develop a thriving renewable fuels industry," NCGA’s Vice President of Market Development Amie Gianino said.
Palmer hails from Quincy, Ill., but did a 20-year stint in Washington DC and worked most recently at Renewable Fuels Nebraska. Prior to his position with Renewable Fuels Nebraska, he served as the Senior Policy Advisor for the Assistant Democratic Leader, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin.
Palmer also worked at Van Ness Feldman, LLP; in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he served the Farm Service Agency as a senior advisor and as the Director of the Office of External Affairs. Prior to his work at USDA, Palmer was Chief Policy Advisor to the Chair of the House Committee on Small Business, Representative Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-12); a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (Ill.); the Special Projects Liaison to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), and held senior policy positions with NCGA and the American Soybean Association.
Palmer earned his master’s degree in government from The Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in political science, with a history minor, from Western Illinois University. He will reside in the St. Louis metropolitan area with his wife Melissa, and two sons, Eli and Luke.
COVID-19 Resources
NCGA is taking a series of actions to do our part to help contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the economic fallout it is creating for corn farmers and our customers. Short term, this means instituting policies to protect the health and safety of our stakeholders and the broader communities we serve. Long term, we’re focused on creating solutions to help corn farmers and our customers recover from the financial impacts of this crisis.
CommonGround
CommonGround is a group of farmers connecting with consumers through conversations about science and research and personal stories about food and misinformation surrounding farming. Supported by the NCGA and state corn organizations.
SHP
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) is a farmer-led initiative that fosters transformation in agriculture through improved soil health. Administered by NCGA the partnership has more than 220 working farms enrolled in 16 states. SHP’s mission is to utilize science and data to partner with farmers who are adopting conservation agricultural practices that improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the farm.