NCGA
Promotes Corn Grower Issues During Illinois Congressional Staff
Tour (8-16-04)
National Corn Growers
Association (NCGA) Director of Public Policy Samantha Slater joined
several Illinois congressional staffers on a state tour last week
that highlighted the importance of modernization of the nation’s
waterways system and updated staffers on other issues important
to corn growers.
The congressional staff
tour was coordinated by Chuck Spencer, of the Illinois Farm Bureau;
Rod Weinzierl, CEO of the Illinois Corn Growers Association; and
Rebecca Richardson, of the Illinois Soybean Association. Congressional
staff from the offices of Reps. Jerry Weller (R-11th), Jerry Costello
(D-12th), Dennis Hastert (R-14th), Timothy Johnson (R-15th), Lane
Evans (D-17th), Ray LaHood (R-18th), and John Shimkus (R-19th) attended
the four-day tour.
In addition to speaking
with growers one-on-one, the staffers gained a better understanding
of why waterway modernization is essential to corn growers, Slater
said. The group visited Kaskaskia Lock on the Kaskaskia River and
Melvin Price Locks and Dam on the Mississippi. Slater said the Melvin
Price locks serve as an excellent example of what would be built
on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers under pending legislation
to modernize waterways infrastructure.
Slater noted that opportunities
such as the tour are an important part of showing the need for a
newer, more updated lock system and to educate staffers on corn
grower issues that NCGA advocates every day on Capitol Hill. “Seeing
these two different locks gave staffers the ability to visually
see the importance of modernizing the river infrastructure and to
show the reliance growers have on the river to ship their products
and open up new markets,” said Slater.
A tour of the Baldwin
Steel Co., a metals processor and service center, gave visitors
a chance to observe how steel producers use the river. Slater said
the amount of steel that can be transported on a barge as opposed
to a truck clearly shows that utilizing the river system for bulk
commodities is the most efficient method of transportation.
Also included on the
agenda was a visit to the Southern Illinois University (SIU) Edwardsville
National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center. SIU researchers briefed
congressional staff on how ethanol is made, its net energy gain,
the future of biodiesel and ethanol and the differences between
the wet- and dry-mill processes. SIU staff also discussed how the
pilot plant is the only plant of its kind, and about the risks involved
in taking research from the lab to a full-scale operating plant.
The group also toured
local farms and discussed urban encroachment, rural development,
special crop production and regular crop production. Taking the
opportunity to have their voices heard, farmers met with the congressional
staff to talk about legislative items stalled in Congress such as
the energy bill, biofuels tax credits, and lock modernization.
The tour ended with a
visit to a tree nursery and greenhouse where U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) rural development programs have funded farm labor
housing, water and sewer systems and a daycare facility. Doug Wilson,
Illinois State Director for USDA Rural Development, talked about
the USDA’s investments in southern Illinois, focusing on agriculture-related
projects.