Hope Springs Eternal: Seizing Opportunities in a Complex Political Environment

By Lesly Weber McNitt

It is my privilege to rejoin NCGA as growers are putting a new corn crop in the ground and Washington is adjusting to a new normal.

So, regardless of whether you’re in a tractor cab or behind a desk in Washington, D.C., we’re all taking in as much information as we can to make the decisions now that will yield the best possible results later in 2025.

Just over two months into President Donald Trump’s term, already there is clear indication that he could be one of the most consequential presidents in modern American history.

True to his word during the 2024 campaign, the president recently placed tariffs on many of America’s imports but then decided to implement a 90-day pause on the duties for imports from most countries. (Tariffs remain on imports from China.)

In the meantime, the House and Senate are working to advance major legislation through a tool called budget reconciliation, which Republican leaders view as the best chance of enacting the president’s legislative priorities. The legislation could impact the nation’s growers by delivering tax policy and possible changes to some longstanding programs.

Some advocates in Washington view the current political environment only in terms of the challenges it presents or with concerns about the speed with which the administration is making changes. But as the new head of the Washington office for the National Corn Growers Association, my team and I will challenge ourselves to look for opportunities instead of handwringing.

My two decades of experience as a leader in Washington’s agricultural advocacy circles have taught me how to springboard off challenges to achieve big wins.

I think the current economic uncertainty that farmers are facing can at least partially be offset by partnering with our elected officials to secure growers with new wins – particularly those that expand markets for corn, ethanol and other byproducts.

So my team and I are working with the administration and Congress to advance growers’ big policy goals. These efforts include:

• Passing Legislation extending year-round access to higher ethanol blends. We are calling on Congress to pass pending legislation that would fix an obscure and dated policy that prevents fuels with 15% ethanol blends, referred to as E15, from being sold during the summer months. Providing consumers with year-round access to E15 enjoys the president’s support and should be achievable this year.  
• Securing tax incentives for corn ethanol’s use in sustainable aviation fuel. There is an opportunity for corn growers to fuel the aviation sector with homegrown corn ethanol. The U.S. government offers tax incentives to help biofuels producers supply the aviation sector. Unfortunately, as presently constructed, our growers do not stand to benefit from the credit. NCGA is working to make these tax credits more workable. That can and should change if a tax package is passed this year.
• Opening and cultivating new export markets for corn. In recent years, the U.S. has fallen behind in expanding global markets for corn growers and other farmers. We are working closely with Congress and the Trump administration to make market development a priority. It’s promising that the Trump administration has shown an interest in correcting trade barriers. We see opportunity to open or expand access to markets in Vietnam, India, Kenya and the United Kingdom.
• Eliminating foreign trade barriers. While we are cautioning against trade wars, there is an opportunity for the president to address tariff and non-tariff barriers that are commonplace and prevent corn, ethanol and other corn products from competing in important foreign markets. For example, Brazil has placed an 18% tariff on imports of American ethanol while we impose a much lower rate of 2.4% on ethanol imported from that country. Those kinds of disparities need to be rectified. We are happy to see the Trump administration is speaking out about these issues.

We are looking at a lot of changes in Washington, and change can be stressful, but I am optimistic that we can capitalize on opportunities that lay ahead if we work together.

Of course, advocacy doesn’t happen in a vacuum. We need your support and engagement. Please make sure you are signed up for our action alerts, so we can reach out to you when we need you to speak up with your members of Congress.

I look forward to standing by your side as we push for policy wins for the nation’s corn growers!

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

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