Cobcast: Inside the Grind with the National Corn Growers Association

Cobcast: Inside the Grind with the National Corn Growers Association

Big picture conversations about the future of agriculture with the National Corn Growers Association and its network of industry leaders. Join us every month as we explore new topics and advocate for America’s corn farmers. From the fields of the Corn Belt to the DC Beltway, we’ll make sure that the growers who feed and fuel America have a say in issues that are important to them. Founded in 1957, the National Corn Growers Association represents nearly 40,000 dues-paying corn farmers nationwide and the interests of more than 300,000 growers who contribute through corn checkoff programs in their states. NCGA and its affiliated state organizations work together to create and increase opportunities for corn growers, with a vision of sustainably feeding and fueling a growing world.

Episodes

58. Connecting Regulators and Growers on Issues Like the ESA, with Becky Langer

November 19, 2025 • 24 mins
For more than 50 years, the Environmental Species Act has regulated the way that farmers can use certain crop tools, like pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. But American farmers are experiencing the most significant change in ESA policy yet, as the judicial system compels the Environmental Protection Agency to adapt its policies and comply more precisely with the law as it’s written. So in this episode, we’re learning about ...
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57. NCGA’s New President, Jed Bower, Is Up for the Challenge

October 28, 2025 • 29 mins
American farmers face generational challenges in today’s market. And the new president of the National Corn Growers Association, Jed Bower, isn’t shying away from the big tasks ahead of him. Bower took the reins as NCGA’s top grower-leader effective October 1, on the same day that the U.S. federal government shut down over a funding negotiations standstill. And in this episode, he’ll explain why Congress needs to get back to w...
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56. Consider Corn Challenge Winners: Promoting Innovative New Uses for Our Crop

October 8, 2025 • 24 mins
Our ability to produce American corn is outgrowing demand for the crop.   And if growers are going to get some relief from sagging corn prices, our nation’s innovators are going to have to find new uses for the commodity. Fortunately, corn is a versatile crop that can be processed into all manner of plastics, fibers and distillations. And with this year’s Consider Corn Challenge, the NCGA shined a spotlight on some of these in...
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55. Standing Up for Pesticides Targeted by the “Make America Healthy Again” Movement

August 11, 2025 • 23 mins
“Make America Healthy Again” might sound like something we can all get on board with. But the MAHA Commission convened by President Trump and headed by HHHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has set its sights on some odd targets… …including two mission-critical pesticides for corn farmers, Glyphosate and Atrazine. Without citing scientific evidence, a report from the MAHA Commission seems to blame these safe and effective tool...
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54. Opening New Markets for Corn in India, Vietnam and Beyond

May 15, 2025 • 21 mins
Growers are hoping the recent rollout of a new U.S. trade deal with the United Kingdom is a sign of things to come. The agreement is the first trade pact with a new trading partner since 2012. And amid tariff uncertainty and unsettled markets, the presidential administration is signaling its desire to make trade deals with new countries a top priority. In particular, discussions are ongoing to open up new markets for corn in ...
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53. Tax Policy Updates Corn Farmers Need to Know About in 2025

April 15, 2025 • 30 mins
It’s tax day, but some of the important policies that are helping your farm maintain profitability are in jeopardy if the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 is allowed to expire this year. Provisions like the Qualified Business Income Deduction, 100% Bonus Depreciation, and the increased Estate Tax Exemption are critically important to producers across the country. So in this episode, we’re talking with two of NCGA’s foremost expert...
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52. Sen. Deb Fischer: Revving the Engine on Year-Round E15

March 7, 2025 • 22 mins
Corn growers may have their best opportunity yet to advance legislation that would allow the year-round sale of 15% ethanol fuel blends, also known as E15 or Unleaded 88. Such a move would stoke demand for corn and support growers who are battling stagnant corn prices and spiking input costs. Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer and her co-sponsors have reintroduced an E15 bill, which has broad bipartisan support. Nearly 9,000 corn growers...
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51. A Holiday USMCA & Ag Policy Update from NCGA President Ken Hartman

December 23, 2024 • 7 mins
2024 has been a year of ups and downs for US corn growers. But through it all, the one thing you can count on is that members of the NCGA pull together to protect the industry for everyone. And in the past several days, those efforts have paid off to deliver some early Christmas presents for NCGA members. Foremost on that list, the dispute settlement panel convened under the USMCA has ruled that Mexico's proposed GMO corn import ba...
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50. 2024 Election Aftermath: Key Takeaways for Corn Growers, with Brooke Appleton and Sadie Knight

November 15, 2024 • 29 mins
After an unprecedented election cycle, we finally know what the American political landscape will look like in the Congressional term ahead. The election results include victories for more than 90 percent of the candidates backed by CornPAC, and have big implications for farmers across the country. So in this episode of the Cobcast, we're going to analyze the takeaways of the Republican sweep of D.C. leadership, the effectiveness o...
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49. Going All-Out to Grow Corn Demand, with NCGA President Ken Hartman and Chairman Harold Wolle

October 31, 2024 • 27 mins
Caught between rising costs and stagnant corn prices, growers are feeling the pinch. So, as the National Corn Growers Association transitions from the leadership of one member-President to another, its leadership and staff are focused on growing demand for corn in both the short- and long-term horizons. In this episode, we meet newly-minted President Ken Hartman, Jr., a grower from southern Illinois who is taking the reins as NCGA'...
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48. EPA's New Approach to Pesticide Registrations: Farmers Should Get Informed and Get Ready

September 26, 2024 • 37 mins
Herbicides, insecticides and fungicides make up some of the most important tools in a farmer’s tool box. And it’s up to each one of us to take seriously the responsibilities of being a good steward for those tools, and the environment around us. But recently, the process by which the Environmental Protection Agency regulates pesticides has been challenged in court, on the grounds that it didn’t comply with parts of the Endangered S...
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47. Meeting Your Lawmakers Where They Are: Advocating for Agriculture During the Congressional Recess

August 21, 2024 • 37 mins
Corn growers need to act now in order to support some important pieces of legislation that are moving through Congress in Washington, D.C. The Farm Bill. The Next Generation Fuels Act. Opening up global trade opportunities to lower the cost of inputs. Your lawmakers need to hear from constituents like you who support these issues. And now is the perfect time to let them know. With lawmakers returning to their home districts for the...
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46. Defending Biotech Corn on the International Stage: An Update On the USMCA Dispute Over Mexico’s Ban

July 24, 2024 • 36 mins
Ever since Mexico issued a decree that banned genetically modified corn, there's been confusion and concerns from growers and policymakers alike here in the United States. Mexico is the number one market for U.S. corn growers by a wide margin, and over 90% of the corn that's planted in the United States is biotech. Accordingly, Mexico's decree threatens market access and adds a great deal of legal uncertainty for our corn growers. ...
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45. Meet the Newly-Crowned King of the Corn Yield Contest Nitrogen Management Class, with Nick Preissler and Jim Isermann

March 27, 2024 • 22 mins
Now entering its 60th year, the NCGA Corn Yield Contest is an institution in the agriculture world. Growers from all across the country can compete against one another to see who can coax the most bushels per acre out of their ground, blending tried-and-true techniques with new and emerging practices to maximize their production. Last year, NCGA launched a new pilot class for the contest, the first in its history to limit an input ...
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44. Ethanol’s Past, Present and Future as a Benefit for Corn, with Scott Irwin, Bradley Schad and Julie Busse

January 17, 2024 • 31 mins
Since its adoption in 2005, no other piece of policy has changed the corn industry more than the Renewable Fuel Standard. Ethanol has become one of the most important markets for corn in that time. But over the last couple of years, there are new developments that could be major boon for this crucial sector. So in this episode, we're going to talk with a few ethanol experts to get their perspectives on how that market has developed...
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43. The First Step is Giving a Darn: Mental Health on the Farm, with Jeff Ditzenberger and Dr. Josie Rudolphi

May 22, 2023 • 34 mins
The suicide rate among among farmers is three and a half times higher than the general population. It’s a shocking statistic. We’re losing good people, but we don’t have to. From weather, to markets, to prices, to the issues that come with a family business, farmers face a number of stressors that are unique to their occupation. And in rural America, suicide rates increased 46% from 2000-2020, compared to 27.3% in metro areas, acco...
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42. Bank Failures and the Rural Economy, with NCGA Lead Economist Krista Swanson

March 28, 2023 • 29 mins
The Silicon Valley Bank collapse, and the sudden perception that there’s instability in the banking system, has a lot of us thinking back to 2008 and the financial crisis that spurred the Great Recession. And, whether it’s the war in Ukraine, lingering supply-side issues from Covid-19 or high interest rates, we are all feeling the effects of the world economy a little more acutely this year. So are we staring down another financial...
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41. Holding the Line Against Mexico’s GMO Corn Decree: NCGA’s Capitol Hill Briefing

February 6, 2023 • 27 mins
A major disruption to the market for U.S. corn is set to take effect in one year, as a decree by Mexico’s President would ban the import of GMO corn effective January 31, 2024. Historically, Mexico is the number one market for U.S. corn, and so the NCGA has been active in pushing back, with strong support from the Biden administration in Washington. The NCGA is urging the administration to hold the line and file a dispute settlemen...
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40. Newly-Elected Rep from Illinois Angles for Farm Issues & Bipartisanship, with Rep-Elect Nikki Budzinski

December 15, 2022 • 30 mins
When she is sworn in on January 3, 2023, Congresswoman-Elect Nikki Budzinski will be tasked with representing the interests of farmers in a vast swath of her home state of Illinois, all the way from Champaign to Springfield to just north of St. Louis. It’s the heart of corn country, and she knows that agriculture will factor heavily in many of the issues she will have to address in Washington. But Budzinski, a Democrat, also repres...
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39. Inflation, Interest Rates & the Farm Economy, with Todd Van Hoose from the Farm Credit Council

November 16, 2022 • 39 mins
Inflationary costs—and rising interest rates—are hitting growers where it hurts worldwide. Add to these worries the impact of the North American drought, transportation and logistics headaches, and other market uncertainties, and growers may feel like the high price of corn is the only good news they've heard in more than a year. But what do you need to know to maintain your operation in this changing economic situation? What tools...
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