News

Corn growers take tariff message to D.C.

The vice president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association says numerous Midwestern corn farmers recently took their message to Washington, D.C.

“Trade and tariffs came up continuously.”

Mark Bunselmeyer, who farms in Macon County, says much of the discussion centered on the lower corn demand potentially caused by tariffs.

“I was with a group that did a lot with ethanol and with the fears of these pending tariffs from Canada, which is where we export a third of our ethanol, that’s obviously an issue that keeps coming up,” he says.

He tells Brownfield the trade uncertainty is already having far reaching impacts on farmers.

“And not just our commodity markets, but with other things that do affect farmers.”  He says, “One of our board members sells grain bins and the company she deals with the most has implemented a 25% rate hike on any future bins because of threats of tariffs on steel.”

In addition to trade security, Bunselmeyer says the group also pushed for a new, five-year farm bill, year-round E15, and continued funding of the Inland Waterway System.

He says staff members and farmers from Wisconsin Corn, Michigan Corn, Kentucky Corn, and Missouri Corn also participated in the trip.  

AUDIO: Mark Bunselmeyer – Illinois Corn Growers Association

Photo: Corn growers meet with IL Rep. Darin LaHood. Courtesy of ICGA.