NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RFD-TV) — Jed Bower, the incoming president of the National Corn Growers Association (NGCA), joined us on Wednesday’s Market Day Report for his sector’s perspective on the ongoing government shutdown, rising input costs, and trade uncertainty for commodity crop growers.
“I think it’s a lot of worry and a lot of scared,” Bower said in his interview with RFD-TV News. “You know, as we hear this term crisis, I mean, it gets louder and louder every day. As you mentioned, we’re looking at the largest decline in years. We haven’t seen inputs fall off quite like that.”
The NGCA recently formed a task force to address the skyrocketing cost of inputs, such as steel and fertilizer – many of which are rising exponentially due to the Trump Administration’s retaliatory tariff strategy – that are squeezing corn growers.
“We do applaud the administration, and the [ag] secretary, [Brooke Rollins] -- they’re out beating the bush around the world,” Bower said. “We’re seeing truly record exports in the corn sector. But, man, the price farmers are getting – it is just not making any sense for what it’s going to cost us to put next year’s crop out. And we appreciate, you know, some of the comments made by the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary about diving into this more and seeing why there’s such a broad, broad distance between what we’re able to sell our product for and truly what it’s going to cost us to put next year’s crop out.”
According to recent research, corn growers could spend up to 40 percent of their budgets on fertilizers alone.
American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) economist Danny Munch explains how the Emergency Livestock Relief Program application process differs from other USDA aid programs.
September 18, 2025 01:39 PM
·
According to the National Council of Farmers Cooperatives (NCFC), President and CEO Chuck Conner says, there is only one other option besides addressing ag labor shortages.
September 18, 2025 01:10 PM
·
For rural communities, this shift could mean new housing options for farmworkers and young families priced out of metro markets.
September 18, 2025 11:37 AM
·
The modest cut should slightly reduce borrowing costs on operating loans, land notes, and equipment financing for agriculture, giving some relief to producers under heavy debt loads.
September 18, 2025 10:29 AM
·
Sen. Roger Marshall, a founding member and chairman of the Make America Healthy Again caucus, joined us with his thoughts on the commission’s latest report and the key ag-related issues.
September 17, 2025 04:36 PM
·
California rancher and former NCBA President Kevin Kester joined House Republicans on Tuesday to tout provisions in the Big, Beautiful Bill that support family ranches.
September 17, 2025 01:40 PM
·
The EPA proposal laid out two options: fully reallocate all exempted volumes to the 2026–2027 standards, or reallocate half.
September 17, 2025 12:04 PM
·
The Fertilizer Research Act, reintroduced by Sens. Grassley, Ernst, and Baldwin, would direct the USDA to study and publish public reports on competition and pricing trends in the fertilizer market.
September 16, 2025 05:08 PM
·
Allowing year-round sales of E15 nationally could deliver billions in economic gains, according to a new study from the Renewable Fuels Association and National Corn Growers Association.
September 16, 2025 02:29 PM
·
