March 28, 2024

ICGA members talk ag issues during trip Washington, D.C.

Iowa Corn members as well as directors of the Iowa Corn Growers Association convened in a particularly quiet Washington, D.C. this week as part of the National Corn Congress. This was due to Congress being on recess and the Republican National Convention — many of the Iowa delegation were not available for meetings. Members of ICGA still had the opportunity to speak on behalf of all Iowa corn farmers to non-Iowa, non-corn states.

They spent July 13 afternoon and part of July 14 morning meeting with Hill staffers from Vermont to Florida who cover vital topics such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the re-registration of atrazine by the EPA, and support of a strong Renewable Fuel Standar..

“Corn is a widely universal topic; it touches almost every area of everyone’s life,” said Iowa Corn Growers Association President Bob Hemesath. “This year, we had the opportunity to talk with non-Iowa, non-corn states on the Hill and we had a lot of great conversations. I appreciate all of the offices and staffers that took the time to meet with us. It’s important that we have conversations with offices that may not support our issues or understand what it is that we really do. Iowa Corn and NCGA work hard to keep a strong voice on the Hill and while this wasn’t the traditional Corn Congress — it is still an essential part of that process.”

Action team meetings concluded on July 19 afternoon, which led to the beginning of the 2016 Corn Congress. Wednesday morning saw two farmer-members elected to the National Corn Board.