The year 2020 has been challenging for the state?s farmers, and the Iowa Corn Growers Association has several priorities for the rest of this year and into 2021.
Fremont County farmer Carl Jardon serves as ICGA president this fiscal year. While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought along challenges for growers, Jardon says the Ag sector has had a few wins so far this year.
?We?ve had some successes this year,? Jardon said. ?Obviously, the big one was USMCA got done and we are thankful for that. Now, we are still fighting big oil on the Renewable Fuel Standard and the RVO?s, the renewable volume obligations. We?re thankful for E15 year around now. That was one of our big issues for quite a while.?
Earlier this month, the US Department of Agriculture announced the first round of grants under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) which represented a major milestone in efforts to offer Americans access to cleaner, more affordable fuel choices.
Jardon outlines a few priorities for the days and weeks to come.
?We?re always working on a few basic issues,? he said. ?The big ones are ethanol and water quality, and then the meat too. We work with the US Meat Export Federation. We?ll be working on exporting our beef, pork, and lamb. We?re thankful that is getting done and things are moving, especially on the pork side as things are moving along very well.?
Other developments of late, Iowa Corn announced on October 8th its contributions to the Beef Up Iowa program which was launched in July to connect Iowa beef producers with food insecure Iowans. Iowa Corn?s Animal Agriculture and the Environment Committee donated funds directly to the Beef Up Iowa program, while Iowa Corn?s District 2 Committee donated funds to purchase a family-owned steer that was processed at Iowa State University. The beef was distributed through the Iowa Food Bank Association.
To stay up to date on the latest news from the Iowa Corn Growers Association, visit iowacorn.org.
