Meyer takes farmers’ concerns to Washington, D.C. as he takes on leadership duties
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TUSCOLA’S DAN MEYER stands in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Meyer is taking on more leadership roles in grain marketing. Submitted photo.
Tuscola farmer Dan Meyer recently returned from Washington, D.C., where he advocated for grain markets. He attended a leadership training session sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association but also managed to squeeze in lobbying time with both Illinois senators, Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, and Congresswoman Mary Miller.
Meyer is the District 12 representative for the Illinois Corn Marketing Board representing Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Crawford, Douglas, Edgar, and Jasper counties.
“Our number one priority is getting a farm bill passed,” Meyer said. The last one was passed in 2018 and then extended for two years, he said. He said he’s also pressing for year-round E15 ethanol production and sales and other ways to expand the market.
There are a lot of variables that go into the profitability of grains, and much of it cannot be controlled by the farmer including the weather. “We buy our inputs at retail, and we sell our product at wholesale,” Meyer said, “and we don’t set the price.” He added that tariffs are “just another variable” in the supply and demand dichotomy.
To that end, he added that farmers are advocating for river infrastructure improvements. Locks and dams are important in the transportation of grain to the gulf. Much of that infrastructure is 80-90 years old, he said, but was built with a 30- to 50-year life expectancy. There is a tax on diesel fuel for tug boats, which is now “a huge fund,” he said. “We’d like to get Congress to spend some of that money.”
Increasing demand for grain is one of the few ways farmers can earn more. Demand creates greater volume of sales and also drives prices up.
The Illinois Corn Growers Association and Corn Marketing Board have a variety of interests including public outreach and education, conservation, and research. Look for more involvement from Meyer as he is now in the board leadership rotation. Learn more at ilcorn.org.