News

“Another penny for corn farmers won’t cut it”

The National Corn Growers Association has issued a rare call-to-action for its members to contact the White House with the message that “another penny for corn farmers won’t cut it.”

NCGA President Lynn Chrisp tells Brownfield Ag News the Trump administration’s trade mitigation payments last year – to help offset the impact of the U.S./China trade war on farmers – was not enough and likely won’t be enough for corn farmers in a new round of payments.

“If you are looking at lost opportunities whether you’re dealing with pork or ethanol or dried distiller’s grains which all is headed to a market by China that all has a ripple effect back to corn.”

Chrisp says the methodology used by the White House to calculate payments last year for corn farmers was just one-cent per bushel and there’s no talk of changing it this time around.

Add the escalating trade war with China to EPA granting RFS waivers to oil refiners, devastating weather conditions and farm incomes sliding, Chrisp says, “It’s just downright serious and the timing for this just couldn’t have been worse.”

Chrisp says corn farmers were looking forward to some good news on the China front when suddenly increased U.S. tariffs and China’s subsequent trade retaliation were announced.