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Today, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) released its final proposed rule for partial amendment of the Act on Sophisticated Methods of Energy Supply Structures that allows the country to further contribute to its climate targets through consumption of lower-carbon ethanol and, for the first time, will allow U.S. ethanol to successfully access 100% of the Japanese biofuel market. The proposed rule would remain in place through 2028. This action follows a September visit from technical experts and a February visit from IL Corn farmer leaders and Senator Tammy Duckworth, both to Japan. The group worked with Japanese Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, formerly a member of the Illinois Congressional Delegation and later Mayor of Chicago, to meet with Japanese officials and to answer questions about U.S. corn-based ethanol.

Today, the Next Generation Fuels Act was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill will provide cleaner fuels through higher blends of ethanol for a new generation of vehicles that will be optimized to run on higher-octane fuel. ICGA President Matt Rush, a farmer from Fairfield, said: “We celebrated the Senate introduction of the bill last week when we were lucky enough to be talking with our Illinois Senators in their offices in Washington, DC. Today, again, we are celebrating the leadership of the members of our Illinois delegation that are showing their support for Illinois farmers, Illinois rural communities, cleaner air, and domestic fuel.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Today, the Next Generation Fuels Act, was introduced in the U.S. Senate. The bill will provide cleaner fuels through higher blends of ethanol for a new generation of vehicles that will be optimized to run on higher-octane fuel. The high-octane standard established in the bill allows corn-based ethanol to contribute to a new clean fuel economy. Ethanol is the highest octane, cleanest burning, and least expensive of all the octane additives in the market today. “Illinois corn farmers celebrate the introduction of the Next Generation Fuels Act because it levels the playing field and allows us to participate in the nation’s renewable energy future. We have long been concerned with policies that choose who wins and who loses in the renewable energy space. Farmers believe that the best policy allows all fuels that can meet the standard to compete – and we believe ethanol is poised to be an important piece of a green fuel future,” said Matt Rush, President of the IL Corn Growers Association and farmer from Fairfield, IL. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) led the bipartisan Senate reintroduction along with original co-sponsors, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois). The bipartisan support for this bill is significant in a divided Congress and signals support for the opportunity biofuels provide for our nation. IL Corn Growers Association is very pleased at the leadership from Senator Duckworth who, seeing the value in this legislation for all Americans, co-sponsored the bill. ICGA looks forward to the entire Illinois delegation considering support for the bill after its introduction in the U.S. House. “This policy benefits everyone with cleaner air, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and cheaper fuel. It is also great for rural economies and automakers. New engines optimized to this new high-octane fuel will get more miles per gallon, and the increased fuel efficiency reduces emissions, makes driving cheaper, and creates an opportunity for automakers to more easily meet efficiency standards and carbon reduction goals,” Rush said. The bill was introduced in the 117 session of Congress but was not brought to the floor of the House or the Senate. Illinois corn farmers are pleased to see the bill reintroduced in the 118 session of Congress and look forward to working with the Illinois delegation on passage of this important measure. ###

My name is Rob Elliott. We live and farm near Monmouth, IL in the West Central part of the state. I’ve been a member of the IL Corn Growers Association for more than 40 years. I’ve also had the privilege of serving as an officer and director of the Illinois board, as well as, the National Corn Growers Association board. Allow me to provide a brief perspective on what being a member in IL has meant to me and many farmers across the state. We in ag probably have been somewhat guilty of taking success for granted in good times and complaining about things when times get challenging. Success in any business or industry from a big picture perspective, doesn’t just happen. It’s the result of a lot of hard work and effort coupled with some pretty significant investment. Prosperity and profitability in an industry don’t come quickly either. Change or market progress happen as the result of long-term efforts focused on strategic continuous improvement coupled with check-off type investments toward the future health of the industry. Illinois Corn Growers has led the charge to this end since its inception 50 some years ago. Key success participation areas for IL Corn over the last several years – Development of the ethanol industry creating new corn demand for 5 billion bushels of corn Investment in new corn uses resulting in increased corn grind New export market development with emerging world economies in conjunction with US Grains Council Significant partnership efforts with the livestock industries and other commodity organizations Longtime advocacy for upgrades and replacement to Locks and Dams on our inland waterway system Numerous and diverse policy efforts including work on many Farm Bills Biotech freedom to operate for corn traits around the world for approval and import Image and advocacy efforts to maintain ag relevancy to a growing urban population When it comes to the policy arena, whether in Washington DC or Springfield, IL, IL Corn has been a very respected voice and always taken a leadership role. The key strength for Corn Growers has always been the value of the organization’s grassroots nature – an entity of farmers led by farmers. That grassroots perspective is a competitive advantage in capturing the attention of legislative representatives. Policy tends to be a complex area that takes watchdog vigilance and continual efforts to keep pace with the issues affecting all of us as growers in so many ways. Often success in policy is not always what you get to happen but often what you keep from happening. We as Illinois farmers and corn growers have been represented well here. So as we think back over the decades passed and long careers for many, we certainly have faced many challenges in our industry and market. In the final tally though, we have experienced significant success, increased profitability, and market growth. Many of these milestone achievements would not have been possible without the diligent efforts of the Illinois Corn Growers Association . I am proud to say being a member of the organization over those many years has been a positive experience and a great investment in each of our collective futures. My hope is that things can continue, new folks will step forward to participate, and future generations can benefit as many of us have experienced.

Practical Farmers of Iowa, Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, and the Illinois Corn Growers Association partner with PepsiCo to drive adoption of regenerative agriculture practices and reduce carbon emissions PURCHASE, N.Y. (March 21, 2023) – Yesterday, PepsiCo announced a $216 million multi-year investment in long-term, strategic partnership agreements with three of the most well-respected farmer-facing organizations – Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI), Soil and Water Outcomes Fund (SWOF), and the IL Corn Growers Association (ICGA) – to drive adoption of regenerative agriculture practices across the United States. The combined impact of these three strategic partnerships is expected to support the accelerated uptake of regenerative practices on more than three million acres and deliver approximately three million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and removals by 2030.

IL Corn and Illinois Soybean Association are teaming up again on another Water Testing Challenge. Through this effort, both corn and soybean checkoff programs hope to give Illinois FFA chapters the opportunity to learn, engage with farmers and win money for their chapter. FFA chapters will develop and test hypotheses about nitrogen movement and potential loss from various production agricultural field settings. Participants will identify a minimum of 3 different locations with differing water sources and management styles at each site. Once all the information has been collected, students will pick one (or more) of the locations tested and create a report explaining process, hypothesis, results and providing some best management practice recommendations moving forward. “IL Corn & Illinois Soybean Association are thrilled to have the opportunity to teach IL FFA students about the IL Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy with this hands-on challenge. Learning how to identify possible problems and think through solutions will be invaluable for their future experiences. We’re excited to be able to offer this for a second year and donate to their chapters. We hope this program continues to grow annually,” said Megan Dwyer, Director of Conservation & Nutrient Stewardship. Chapters or students will need to contact Megan Dwyer to register for the challenge and receive details. The sampling period is from March – October 13th and the submission deadline is 11-17-23.

Precision Conservation Management (PCM) is thrilled to welcome Leyton Brown to the organization as a PCM Specialist. He will be serving farmers in Champaign, Vermillion, and surrounding counties. As a PCM specialist, Leyton is motivated to help farmers bridge the gap between maximizing net profit and implementing sustainable practices. He hopes to help growers identify solutions that will work the best for their operations. “In my opinion, conservation agriculture continues to be one of the most critical topics in the industry,” Leyton says. “I am excited to play a role in finding methods for IL farmers to implement conservation practices in the most economical way possible. PCM is helping farmers make data driven decisions to maximize returns and decrease environmental impact. I look forward to witnessing firsthand the impact that PCM and its partners will have on the industry in the coming years.”