Game time: Farmers’ focus on winning farm bill, year-round E15 and aid votes

The coming weeks represent the moment we’ve been working toward for months and, in some cases, years.

It’s game time, as they say in the sports world, and we are ready to play our role in that important and exciting process.

Before the end of this Congress in December, three extremely important matters directly impacting agriculture will be debated — the farm bill, year-round E15 and additional financial support for farmers.

These issues are critical for reestablishing a sound financial footing for an industry that has been hit hard by political and weather events outside of its control.

Progress has been made with the U.S. House of Representatives having passed its version of a new farm bill and year-round E-15 legislation earlier this year.

As those bills were being considered, farmer leaders from both the Indiana Corn Growers Association and the Indiana Soybean Alliance’s Membership & Policy Committee traveled to the nation’s capital to speak on your behalf about the need and urgency of passing these important bills.

We spoke not only to our Indiana representatives, but also joined with other farmer leaders from across the Midwest to reach out to representatives from districts that are not traditionally ag-focused districts. My group visited with representatives from California, Hawaii and New Mexico.

This effort was a positive experience, and I think it’s fair to say it resulted in an education going both ways.

Now the action moves to the U.S. Senate, where debate began prior to the August recess, likely culminating in a flurry of voting activity when the Congress returns after the midterm elections in November.

Again, our farmer board leaders visited Washington this summer to make the case for passage of these important bills. This is where the efforts of not just board members, but all our members who attend shop talks, respond to surveys, write letters to elected officials and attend policy events pay off.

To borrow a sports analogy, it’s the work you put in during the offseason that pays off when the game is on the line.

In sports, there are certain strategic moments when a team decides it must get more aggressive in order to win the game. A baseball manager might call for the runner to steal a base, the football coach calls for a long pass or the basketball team throws on a full-court press.

In my view, we have reached that point where it’s time for ICGA to get more aggressive in our efforts to win. But we will need your help.

If you see a call to action asking you to reach out to our senators, please act on it. Better yet, make an effort to visit with our elected officials when they are home over the August break.

ICGA will host Shop Talks with many of these federal lawmakers this month, and all have office hours available to meet with constituents. Together, our efforts can help win the game for farmers.

Alan Dunn is the president of the Indiana Corn Growers Association.