Farmers feed and fuel this country and provide it with vital energy security. They also make significant contributions to their local economies. Yet, these farmers who do so much to provide for America are in the middle of a crisis. Without immediate action from Congress and the president, they will soon struggle to keep their farms.
A Call for Government Action After Record Production Report
A report recently released by the Department of Agriculture speaks to the urgency of the issue. It projects that this year’s corn crop will be the largest on record by far with 1.4 billion bushels above the production record set in 2023 and a 12.6 % increase over the current year’s production. To put it in layman’s terms, it’s a harvest of monumental scale. Since markets don’t exist for corn yields of this size, corn prices, which are already at five-year lows, will only continue to plummet.
Farming has both good and bad years. Farmers can prepare for a bad year by planning and conserving their capital resources in a good year, but the corn industry has had three bad years in a row. Based on USDA’s estimated cost of production to grow an acre of corn, farmers selling their corn for the $3.90 projected price in USDA’s report are facing an average $0.85 per bushel loss. That’s $14.2 billion in production losses for corn growers on the expected record 16.7 billion bushels of corn to be produced this year.
While there are many actions Congress and the administration could take to help corn farmers, we call on them to quickly take two important steps: First, pass legislation that authorizes the sale of higher blends of ethanol, and, second, act quickly to develop deals that will open new, high-volume foreign markets for U.S. exports.
Expanding Access to Ethanol
Ethanol sales are the lifeblood of corn growers. The biofuel also plays an important role in the lives of millions of Americans. Ethanol blends in gasoline can save consumers money at the gas pump, bring down greenhouse gas emissions and prevent an over-dependance on foreign oil.
Yet, corn grower advocates have been fighting for years to remove an outdated regulation that prevents drivers from accessing fuels with a 15% ethanol blend, referred to as E15, during the summer months.
Growers are currently calling on Congress to pass legislation pending in the House and Senate, referred to as the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025, which would eliminate the barrier to accessing higher ethanol blends. If Congress were to pass it and the president were to sign it into law, it would immediately boost corn demand. This solution comes at no cost to consumers, requires no additional infrastructure developments and would generate demand for an additional 457 million bushels of corn.
Opening Foreign Markets for Corn Exports
NCGA is also urging the Trump administration to quickly broker additional trade deals with other countries and finalize details on deals already announced. Exports of U.S. corn and corn products provide critical support across the economy, offering billions in direct and indirect economic benefits to farmers, rural communities and the nation.
Unfortunately, over the last few decades, the U.S. has fallen behind in securing deals that would open foreign markets to U.S. corn. Indeed, while recent successes like the USMCA and China Phase One deal have opened doors, the United States hasn't secured a new trade deal with a major partner in over a decade.
Yet, opening new markets could create huge demand for corn. India, Vietnam and Kenya are just a few potential, high value markets to U.S. corn growers that are ripe for agreements. But we must act fast.
We applaud the president for the deals he has made, and we call on him to quickly broker comprehensive deals with other countries, like India, and finalize details on deals already announced.
Corn growers are heading for a financial cliff. If the actions I have outlined aren’t taken soon, we could face an economic earthquake that will be felt nationwide and possibly around the world.
Caskey is the chief executive officer of the National Corn Growers Association.
