August Brings in the Heat, Congressional Recess While Grower Priorities Remain on Ice

By Brooke S. Appleton

Greetings from Washington, D.C., where our legislative priorities are frozen despite an unending heatwave and where current events make every week seem like ten years.

Events on the national stage may be moving quickly with many twists and turns. But in Washington, legislation is progressing at a snail’s pace with the farm bill hanging in the balance.

In keeping with tradition, the House and Senate are adjourned for the August recess, and policymakers are home in their states and districts meeting with constituents. This leaves us with fewer than 39 legislative days left this year as we work to pass a robust farm bill that includes corn grower priorities.

We have a long way to go and a short time to get there. Plus, we have major events along the way, including an election that could completely shift the partisan makeup of Congress and the White House. And we must navigate an increasingly partisan environment in Washington that reflects the pending national elections.

Despite these challenges, NCGA and our state partners are pressing on, making the case that the farm bill needs to be passed this year.

Our most recent efforts include:

• Leveraging our relationships with the four corners, Corn Belt policymakers and other leading members of Congress to get the bill passed.
  
  
• Taking 200 corn growers to Capitol Hill in July to talk about the importance of passing a farm bill that includes our priorities.
  
  
• Running an aggressive ad campaign in the nation’s capital and in key states that highlights the important role the farm bill plays in the life of farmers and emphasizes the need to reauthorize the legislation. Already, the campaign has reached thousands of people in Washington alone.
  
  
• Attending the national conventions to share the value of farming and highlighting the many contributions of corn growers with the nation’s leaders. We co-sponsored an agricultural event on a farm outside Milwaukee at the Republican National Convention, and we will be co-hosting a similar event at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

We need your help in these endeavors. You can make a difference by participating in campaign Zoom calls, attending events like county fairs, where you can meet with your local representatives and senators to encourage them to act on the farm bill and other corn grower priorities.

You are uniquely positioned to talk personally about the challenges of farming and how the farm bill helps address those challenges. You can remind the policymakers that represent you that the farm bill enjoys bipartisan support, and its passage would represent a significant accomplishment that would be helpful in an election year.

As you speak with policymakers, remind them that, while the farm bill is a pressing issue, we have other legislation that needs their support. This includes advancing initiatives that would expand the ethanol market while lowering greenhouse gas emissions, like advancing the Next Generation Fuels Act and passing legislation allowing for year-round consumer access to higher blends of ethanol. We are also working to secure tax credits that would allow for use of ethanol as a sustainable aviation fuel. And we are addressing trade barriers and challenges.

You can tell the policymakers you meet with that NCGA and our state partners are always available to meet with them to talk more in depth about these issues.

The challenges remain formidable, but the power and persuasion of the nation’s corn growers should never be underestimated. If you haven’t already, please text COB to 52886, so you can receive our action alerts.

This August, stay cool, keep calm and get active!

Appleton is vice president of public policy at the National Corn Growers Association.