BREAKING NEWS: WHITE HOUSE MEETING ON RFS POSTPONED

Lindsay Mitchell

Mar 12, 2018  |  Today's News |  ICGA |  Legislation & Regulation |  Farm Policy

Over the weekend, IL Corn joined with the Illinois Soybean Association, asking you to call the president.  You called, and your voices were heard! 

 

Still, the threat is not over.  The President remains on the verge of changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard that would devastate American family farmers and nearly 360,000 industry jobs.  Please, if you haven’t already, make your voice heard NOW.

 

The President, USDA and the EPA need to understand the economic challenges that farmers are facing today.

 

Corn farmers have fought hard the past ten years, within Congress, with the last Administration, and in the Courts to protect the opportunity for renewable fuels to continue to grow as an option for consumers. For farmers, ethanol blending equates to corn demand.  Blending more homegrown biofuels like ethanol into gasoline lowers the cost of clean-burning fuel and benefits everyone. The proposal from the oil industry, being considered by the President, could cut farm income almost $4 billion dollars per year for the next two years.  It is a deal that American farmers cannot afford. 

 

“Farmers care deeply about the future of ethanol because of its immediate impact on corn prices so we are asking the President not to cap future growth and opportunity in rural America and add to the list of 12,000 farmers who went out of business last year,” National Corn Growers Association president Kevin Skunes said.

 

The proposed changes would reduce ethanol demand by more than 750 million gallons and cost corn farmers as much as 25-cents/bushel.  There is ample evidence from recent analysis from Iowa State, University of Illinois and Purdue University that back up corn farmer concerns.

 

“We understand the President is committed to protecting jobs—so are we.  We need the President to understand that this commitment needs to extend to rural America—to our farms, biofuels plants, and the manufacturing and processing jobs that depend upon American agriculture,” Skunes said.