(NCGA) This week, farmers and members of the renewable fuels industry came together at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa to welcome and thank Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue for his support of America’s farmers. The rally was held to ask Perdue to keep fighting for ethanol and RVP parity for higher ethanol blends with the administration.
“Farmers are looking for solutions that allow the marketplace to drive demand,” said NCGA President and North Dakota farmer Kevin Skunes. “We ask Secretary Purdue to continue to advocate for solutions that come from demand growth. We know a trade assistance package can’t make farmers whole or substitute for lost export markets. But we also know the Administration could take other meaningful, no-cost actions that enable more demand growth. The time for those actions is now.”
Skunes went on to tell the crowd that “RVP parity for blends greater than 10 percent, such as E15, expands a domestic market for farmers. Action from the Administration enables President Trump to follow through on his commitments to eliminate this outdated regulatory restriction, supporting rural America as well as all consumers.”
Ag Secretary Perdue stopped at the rally and told the group the president called him this morning and told him that it’s time to get the RFS fixed and straightened out and make E15 available for 12 months.
Jim Greif, vice president of the Iowa Corn Growers and Jerry Calease, a farmer and Iowa Renewable Fuels Association board member also gave remarks at the rally. Attendees held up signs that said “Protect RFS No Deals,” Thank you Sonny,” and Farmers need the RFS.”