Special Report

For corn growers it’s RFS and GMO

A couple of hot topics among corn growers these days are the Renewable Fuels Standard and GMO labeling. Tom Thieding is Communications Director for the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, he says while they await the final RFS rule from the Environmental Protection Agency, corn growers need to focus on promotion, education and infrastructure expansion in the mid-level blends like E15. He says independent gasoline retailers are starting to expand into those mid-level blends and that is where the future lies rather than trying to battle the big oil companies. Thieding says big oil likes ethanol as an octane booster but they are reluctant to surrender any more than 10 percent of their market.

The debate over the labeling of food products which contain genetically modified ingredients is another science-versus-emotion issue. Thieding says it is frustrating for corn growers and others who know and trust the science yet find it so difficult to convince some about the safety of that science. In the end, it will probably take some type of national labeling standard to be established to prevent a patchwork of individual state laws. Whatever evolves, Thieding is confident agriculture will adjust.