Ag Policy Blog

I rushed Wednesday to make it to Kissimmee, Fla., on Wednesday for Commodity Classic, but the fickle nature of airlines and an expensive cab fare still conspired to keep me from a few of the early meetings in the resort isolation of the Gaylord biosphere.

So I missed an issues forum by the National Corn Growers Association. But I heard about it repeatedly afterward. One observer cited that the bluster that surrounded the commodity producers over the past few years seems gone, partially due to repeated weather disasters that have cut off the trendline yield. Pride is a little hurt for the corn producers as they will lose their long-standing ranking this year as the world's largest corn exporter. Brazil will capture that mantle, at least briefly, this year.

There was also some reflection at the forum about the possibility of lost relevance in the political world. Jon Doggett, NCGA's top lobbyist, told farmers that 90% of the group's membership comes from 12 states. Collectively, those states have 97 congressmen, which isn’t enough to get much of anything done in your favor. The biggest thing farmers could do to help the DC office would be to grow a really large crop.

Doggett's analysis is being borne out in Washington now as there is a growing list of proposals to eliminate E15 sales or reduce the Renewable Fuels Standard.

Another big topic early on at Commodity Classic is conservation compliance. A resolution that will be debated at the Corn Congress would remove the group's opposition to tying compliance to eligibility for the crop-insurance premium subsidy. I was told a committee at the National Association of Wheat Growers also talked about the compliance provisions on Wednesday but seemed more to stick to NAWG's opposition to making the link to crop-insurance assistance.

Another debate at Classic involves all the state initiatives to label foods with ingredients from biotech crops. I heard there are efforts to label in as many as 27 states now, though most continue to be rejected by state legislators. The Corn Congress could take up a resolution that would ensure all labeling requirements for food go through the FDA. Given the growing influence of the food movement, this could become an increasingly contentious issue, particularly as rural representation wanes in Congress.

I can be found on Twitter @ChrisClaytonDTN

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