In comments to the EPA today, the Illinois Corn Growers Association supported the registration of neonicotinoids, a commonly used class of pesticides. Over the past decade, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has conducted an extensive registration review for neonicotinoids. ICGA supported the use of the products then as did many others, submitting thousands of pages of materials supporting the efficacy and safety of neonicotinoids when used according to label. Now, the Natural Resources Defense Council has submitted a petition, asking the EPA to revoke all tolerances for the neonicotinoid class of pesticides, ignoring the work and submissions over the last decade. In addition, AgInfomatics published a 2015 study where they found that the costs to farmers would increase $848 million annually while yields declined.
Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) members received an ICGA Political Action Committee (PAC) letter this week, asking for their continued support of the ICGA PAC. The good news is that your association is creative and resilient. We have worked through the challenges COVID-19 presented, making the best of the situation and continuing to reach elected officials with corn farmer priorities and messages. New legislation, like the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), and opportunities to help livestock farmers, quickly became priorities as the pandemic continued. ICGA advocated for farmers and brought farmer voices to the state capitol.
Last week, the Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) submitted comments on behalf of Illinois farmers to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opposing a proposed rule that could negatively impact low carbon fuels such as higher ethanol blends. The proposed rule on Vehicle Test Procedure Adjustments for Tier 3 Certification Test Fuel would change vehicle emission test procedures following the update in test fuel from E0 to E10 fuels. ICGA’s comments, submitted in conjunction with Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Texas corn associations begin by saying:
Illinois farmers that plant cover crops may qualify for a $5 per acre discount on their 2021 crop insurance invoice when accepted into the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) program and purchasing from a participating Approved Insurance Provider (AIP). IDOA is supporting 50,000 acres of cover crops with the $5 per acre discount in 2020. Acceptance into the program is available on a first-come, first-served basis. ICGA made this crop insurance discount opportunity an advocacy priority in 2020. We understand the financial risks involved in trying new farm management tools and we hoped to maximize cover crop acres in Illinois by offsetting some of that risk.
Farmers in Illinois with crop insurance claims following this week’s derecho need to contact their approved insurance provider (AIP) to file a notice of loss (NOL) as soon as possible if they believe they have sustained any damage to the 2020 crop. The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) estimates roughly 14.4 million acres affected with 57,463 policy holders in affected counties in Illinois. If you are farming any of those affected acres, you may not completely understand the extent of the loss until harvest, but you must file your NOL soon to be considered for a yield loss claim in the future. Of course, there are many nuisances to the claim procedures and the damages on your farm that can be considered for a crop insurance claim. Reference this list of key information to learn more.
A new study from the National Corn to Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) confirms distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) use as a safe, efficient feed for aquaculture promising new market opportunities for U.S. corn. The U.S. Grains Council, with work funded by the Illinois Corn Marketing Board, will use this data to promote additional DDGS to the Southeast Asia aquaculture industry. Cary Sifferath, Senior Director of Global Programs, said, “I know our Southeast Asia staff were very happy to see the executive summary of both the tilapia trial and antibiotic survey. They see a three to five percent inclusion rate of DDGS in most tilapia diets in the Southeast Asia region and with this data hope to bump those numbers up to a 10 percent inclusion rate.”
COVID-19 has had a lot of impacts on farmers in Illinois, but it has not stopped conversations between Illinois corn farmers and their legislators. Farmers and legislators have creativity connected over the past month, discussing top Illinois corn farmer priorities. In the last four weeks, The Illinois Corn Growers Association has facilitated twenty-two meetings between corn farmers and elected officials representing Illinois or candidates running for office in Illinois. July and August are traditional months to catch up with members of the Illinois delegation, but with typical opportunities, like our July DC Fly-in and Illinois State Fair being cancelled, ICGA has worked to connect farmers and lawmakers via virtual meetings and a select few socially-distanced in person meetings.
Katie Smith, Communication Intern at IL Corn, sat down with Collin Watters, Director of Exports and Logistics, and asked him a couple questions about trade. Find out more about Collin and why he thinks trade is so important. Katie: How did you get to the position you are in today? Collin: In college I participated in an exchange program in Brazil. It was really powerful to see life in another part of the world and better understand the similarities and differences between countries. I went on to work for a trade organization right out of college and subsequent jobs led me here. But it all started with that exchange trip.
