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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is requesting nominations by May 29, 2026, to fill positions that will become vacant on the United Soybean Board in December 2026.

As the conflict in the Middle East rages on, and the Strait of Hormuz remains all but closed, growers are feeling the pinch as diesel fuel and fertilizer prices climb higher and become harder to attain. But if nothing else, the conflict is also exposing structural problems in the highly concentrated fertilizer industry that plagued growers well before the strait was closed.

Today, the American Soybean Association expressed gratitude to President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Rollins as they announced a plan to provide much needed assistance to U.S. soybean farmers.

By Lesly McNitt, vice president of public policy at the National Corn Growers Association. This month, Ohio farmer Jed Bower began his term as board president for the National Corn Growers Association. Like all presidents, Jed will serve a one-year term as leader of the organization. I have enjoyed getting to know Jed over the years, and I have seen his commitment to this organization and its members firsthand. I recently asked Jed five questions to help EiW readers learn mor

By Lesly McNitt One of the many lessons I have learned during my two-plus decades in Washington is that shaping policy recommendations takes hard work and persistence because most policy change is incremental. So, when you see a window of opportunity to make an impact you take it and give it everything you’ve got. You may recall that in June I provided an update on NCGA’s concerns that some of the work being conducted by the Make America Healthy Again Commission would comprom

by Leslie McNitt, Vice President of public policy at the NCGA We may be faced with extreme heat in Washington as a heat dome hovers above the city during these first weeks of July, but the weather is not slowing the work of Congress or our corn grower leaders. Already this month, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill as part of the budget reconciliation process championed by President Trump. The bill was signed into law on Independence Day. Though it was not the traditio

June 25, 2025 Ears in Washington, June Edition By Leslie McNitt, vice president of public policy at the National Corn Growers Association. As a mom, my number one priority is keeping my daughter safe. I want her to be protected on every front, from diseases to environmental hazards. As a professional who advocates on behalf of the nation’s corn growers, I want a sensible regulatory system that is efficient and science based. And just like I have a choice about what food I buy

March 10, 2025 The South Carolina Corn and Soybean Association joined more than 300 organizations in sending a letter to health, agriculture and environmental leaders in D.C. calling for sound science and data to be used by the Make America Healthy Again Commission in upcoming evaluations for products essential to food and agriculture. The letter specifically focuses on the importance of pesticides, biotechnology, and food and feed ingredients for farmers and consumers, and i

September 9, 2024 Citing worsening economic conditions impacting the nation’s farmers, over 300 national and state groups, including the South Carolina Corn and Soybean Association, sent a letter to congressional leaders today calling on them to pass the farm bill before year’s end. Signatories included groups representing farmers, livestock and specialty crop producers, lenders and other essential stakeholders in agricultural communities across the U.S. Commodity and lending

July 10, 2024 By Brooke S. Appleton, National Corn Growers Association As I recently sat in my car in 90-plus degree weather, blocked by traffic caused by the NATO meeting in Washington, my mind kept moving from song to song. One minute, I was hearing the 1981 hit “Under Pressure” and the next I was thinking about Diamond Rio’s 1991 country tune “Meet in the Middle.” One could argue that these songs were buzzing in my head because of the pressure of being stuck in traffic for

May 8, 2024 By Brooke S. Appleton It’s an evening we all remember in the Washington office of the National Corn Growers Association and is now a familiar war story that is brought up often at our gatherings. On a cold February night in 2023 as staff settled into their homes after a day at the office, our communications director sent an email around: “Please be advised, Mexico plans to ban all genetically modified white corn imports beginning tomorrow.” The news came after a

December 7, 2023 The South Carolina Corn and Soybean Association, along with the National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, and 55 other agriculture organizations, urged the U.S. International Trade Commission today to consider the impacts that tariffs on Moroccan shipments of fertilizers are having on family farms. The concerns were expressed in a letter that comes after the ITC was ordered by the U.S. Court of International Trade to reconsider its det

November 8, 2023 By. Brooke S. Appleton The House of Representatives has a new speaker, a development with potentially large implications for growers and advocates who have been eager for Congress to reauthorize the farm bill, particularly after the law expired in late September. Thankfully, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has some history of being supportive of the agricultural community. His home district, in fact, has nearly 45,000 acres of corn. Indeed, Speaker Johnson has

November 3, 2023 Advocacy Efforts Pay Off as Phosphate Fertilizer Duties Slashed The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced it was lowering duties placed on phosphate fertilizers imported from Morocco from 19.97% to 2.12%. The decision comes after the agency conducted an administrative review of the duties, which is performed annually by retroactively examining the price of shipments and other factors. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), which has been a voca

By Brooke S. Appleton This month, Minnesota farmer Harold Wolle assumed the role of president of the National Corn Growers Association. Harold brings years of leadership and advocacy experience to the role, having served as the president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and as a member of the NCGA Corn Board for the last six years. NCGA board presidents are elected by their fellow board members each year to serve a one-year term. Because I wanted readers to know more

September 26, 2023 The South Carolina Corn and Soybean Association joins the American Soybean Association, which represents half a million U.S. soy farmers, in vehement opposition to Rep. Victoria Spartz’s (R-IN) amendment to the House agriculture appropriations bill that unduly attacks commodity checkoff programs. Checkoffs are industry-led organizations that exist to promote agricultural products and support America’s hardworking farmers and ranchers, including U.S. soy pro