News

NE grain indeminity fund idea has little support

In Nebraska, the legislature’s agriculture committee is holding hearings to discuss whether the state should establish a grain indemnity fund.  But there appears to be little support for the idea from the state’s farm and commodity groups. 

One of the proposals for funding a grain indemnity program is to establish a new checkoff assessment on grain and soybean farmers.  But Nebraska Corn Grower Association president Brandon Hunnicutt of Giltner says they are strongly opposed to that idea.

“We already have one checkoff—the ethanol checkoff—that’s going to sunset in 2012.  And in 2013, it’s going to be taken and used for water, which is not its intended purpose,” Hunnicutt says, “and so any time you have a checkoff that is not used for research, market development and education, we’re not going to support it.”

The agriculture committee will hold another hearing on the need for a grain indemnity fund on Friday, October 2^nd at the state capitol in Lincoln.  At this point, no legislative bill has been introduced. The hearings are simply for discussion purposes.

AUDIO: Brandon Hunnicutt (3 min MP3)