ICGA Welcomes President Biden to Office, Shares Priorities

In line with Inauguration Day festivities, ceremony and traditions, IL Corn Growers Association President Randy DeSutter sent a letter to President Joseph R. Biden welcoming him to The White House and summarizing ICGA priorities. 

The letter included discussion on the opportunity a low-carbon, high-octane fuel standard presents, the need to invest in updated and upgraded inland waterways infrastructure, as well as Illinois farmer contributions to conservation and economic development in Illinois. 

 “Farmers are proactive. We will always seek to be the best we can be, and we are very proud of our contributions to the U.S. economy and the rural economies closest to us. We excel at employing technology to empower positive environmental changes, with many farmers already mapping their fields and prescriptively planting seeds and applying fertilizers and chemicals precisely and only where needed,” said DeSutter in the correspondence. 

Illinois corn farmers do have an important role to play in accomplishing President Biden’s top priorities: addressing climate change and improving the economy. The current climate crisis is the greatest hurdle we face as a globalized society and corn farmers can be a part of the solution. Additionally, the U.S. economy faces the daunting task of rebuilding once COVID-19 is under control and agriculture exports and ethanol production will be a part of the reconstruction. 

Within DeSutter’s comments, he mentions partnerships with conservation groups like The Nature Conservancy that help minimize risk to farmers when implementing conservation practices that sequester carbon and minimize erosion and runoff. 

He also highlights partnerships with consumer packaged-goods companies like PepsiCo when he shares, “In the first two years of working with PepsiCo, participating farmers have reduced CO2 emissions by 8,155 metric tons, equivalent to taking 1,762 cars off the road.” 

Additionally, DeSutter shares points about economic development including the opportunity to put laborers back to work with investment in our locks and dams, as well as the opportunity for our state, which is an ag export powerhouse, to really boost development for our nation.
 
ICGA would like to welcome President Biden to the White House and looks forward to working on legislative priorities in which the administration and our organization share common ground. 

ICGA also signed on to a joint letter from many of the state corn associations and National Corn Growers Association which you can read here.