As the Renewable Fuels Standard continues to come under attack, corn growers will strongly defend it at all costs. Those were the words of National Corn Growers Association President Garry Niemeyer Thursday at Commodity Classic. Niemeyer called RFS the roadway to the road map of ethanol’s future.
“We have been very willing to work with Congress such as with the Farm Bill on Direct Payments. We’re willing to take our hits. We took our hits with the lack of VEETC as of January one this year. It’s done. It’s over. We don’t have an import tariff on ethanol anymore. But we are going to defend the RFS.”
He also said all eyes in agriculture are on Washington DC, watching and waiting for Farm Bill progress. Niemeyer said they want a Farm Bill this year even if it is decided the last day of the year, but “the sooner the better. But soon in Washington DC hasn’t necessarily been the case lately.”
Niemeyer said all four groups that make up the Commodity Classic, corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum producers, are interested in a unified message for Washington. A priority for all of them is crop insurance.
“From our organization crop insurance is the highest priority. That’s what our members want, a reasonable, reliable crop insurance policy, but unfortunately there are gaps in the crop insurance policies. Those gaps would be covered by our original policy, ADAP, that currently is ARRM, Agriculture Risk and Revenue Management policy. It’s to cover the gaps that are left in the crop insurance program when we have multiple years of reduced price and/or yield.”
Alan Kemper had told HAT earlier in the week he was cautiously optimistic about Farm Bill passage this year. Indiana Corn Growers Association President Gary Lamie agrees with that assessment.
“I would say cautiously optimistic would be a good term to use. You know we’re farmers so we’re optimists by heart I think.”[audio:https://www.hoosieragtoday.com//wp-content/uploads//2012/03/Corn-priorities-at-Com-Classic.mp3|titles=Corn priorities at Commodity Classic]
Lamie explains how corn congress works at Commodity Classic:[audio:https://www.hoosieragtoday.com//wp-content/uploads//2012/03/Gary-Lamie-on-Corn-Congress.mp3|titles=Gary Lamie on Corn Congress]