While celebrating announcements about E-15, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) 1st Vice President Kevin Ross had the opportunity to share a pointed message with President Trump last spring regarding small refinery exemptions. But recent news out of Washington, D.C. about Renewable Fuels Standard waivers has Ross declaring there is still work to do.
“There’s time for them to do things and get them fixed, but there’s not a lot of time,” said Ross, who farms in southeastern Iowa. “We’ve got a lot of plants that have shuttered. We’ve got a lot of plants that are closing down at a time when we’re coming into harvest and guys need places to go with their products.”
Ross said the administration needs to understand how important the ethanol market is and how hurtful these exemptions are to the renewable fuels industry as a whole, noting that some plants have been operating on a negative margin for nearly a year.
He also acknowledged the difficult trade situation farmers face right now. While encouraged by recent announcements involving Japan, Ross said the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) needs to come before Congress. He also applauded the administration for taking on intellectual property issues within China, but said that country’s retaliation hurts farmers and hurts agriculture.
Listen to Cindy’s interview with Kevin here: Interview with Kevin Ross, NCGA