Cobcast: Inside the Grind with the National Corn Growers Association

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, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So one of the National Corn Growers Association action teams is working with partners across the industry to spread the message that saying something could mean everything. In this episode, two of those partners share their stories and their expertise.

Jeff Ditzenberger is a former grower from southern Wisconsin who uses his past struggles with suicide to help other people today. He travels around the country delivering his outspoken message that, “It’s okay to not be okay.”

And Dr. Josie Rudolphi is an Associate Professor in the University of Illinois School of Agricultural and Biological Engineering with expertise in not only mental health, but its specific impacts in agricultural populations.

If you or someone you know is struggling, please share one of these important resources we discuss in this episode:

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 crisis, or just feeling a little economic speed bump?

For some perspectives on those questions, and what it means for corn growers, we’re joined in this episode by Krista Swanson, the National Corn Growers Association’s lead economist.

She provides some much-needed context, and an informed take on what the farm economy might have in store for us over the next few years. 

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 settlement under the USMCA to hold Mexico accountable to their obligations under that trade agreement.

In order to build awareness of the issue in Congress, on January 31 NCGA held a well-attended briefing for Congressional staffers with an all-star panel of experts:

And the discussion was moderated by NCGA Vice President of Communications Neil Caskey. 

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 represents an evenly-divided constituency that previously elected a Republican to the seat.

And she recognizes that it’s more important than ever to build bridges, find common ground and strive toward bipartisanship in the Capitol.

In this episode, we ask the newly-elected Congresswoman what she sees as the biggest issues that growers face today, how she’s planning to go to bat for America’s farmers, and what it’s like going to a place like Washington as a Congressional freshman. 

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 do we have to keep operating costs from spiraling out-of-control? And how much worse is it going to get before it gets better?

In this episode, we’re talking to Todd Van Hoose, President and CEO of the Farm Credit Council, for the answers. 

Plus, we send our best to Jon Doggett, NCGA CEO and podcast host, as he nears his retirement date.

2022 has been another one of those years that throws a lot of curve balls at you.

But in the world of agriculture, you can’t just hit home runs all the time.

It might not get the headlines, but the real work gets done in the singles and doubles that you hit, and you’ve got to hit those reliably.

And so in this episode, we look back at some of the important wins for the industry that you might not have heard about, with outgoing NCGA President Chris Edgington as he winds down his term in office.

From tariffs on inputs to new regulations, the association has battled back against developments that would have cost farmers dearly. At the same time, new support for ethanol fuel is moving forward in Washington and could be a huge boon to growers.

Make sure to REGISTER YOUR CONCERNS WITH THE EPA about its plans to revise registration for atrazine, which would effectively limit the effectiveness of this critical crop protection tool.

Also, the Next Generation Fuels Act is one of NCGA’s top legislative priorities. CLICK HERE to ask your congressional representatives to cosponsor it.

Over the last several years, tariffs and trade have been a major pain point for growers. 

But this summer, the NCGA has helped bring home a huge win for America’s farmers in a recent International Trade Commission case involving proposed tariffs on imported Urea Ammonium Nitrate fertilizers.

So in this episode, we'll talk to Andy Jobman, a Nebraskan corn farmer, and Jared R. Wessel, an attorney with Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C. These two played major roles in arguing NCGA's case at the ITC hearings.

Andy and Jared will discuss how they argued their case, why this win was so important, and what the industry needs to do next to continue to fight unnecessary trade restrictions.

The Farm Bill is an important piece of legislation that affects everything that is governed by the USDA. With Congress working to pass a new version for 2023, NCGA believed it was a topic worth discussing at this summer's Corn Congress in Washington, D.C.

Led by NCGA's VP of Public Policy, Brooke Appleton, this discussion panel, straight from the floor of Corn Congress, includes several experienced legislators and thought leaders in the field of agriculture:

Daniel Glickman, former Secretary, USDA

Heidi Heitkamp, former Senator and member of the Senate Agriculture Committee

Richard Fordyce, former Administrator of the Farm Service Agency

Together, these four discuss important topics to consider, and the work and relationships necessary to achieve our goals in creating a farm bill that is beneficial to everyone affected by agriculture.

The rising cost of food and fuel are everywhere right now.

From big headlines in the news to your own wallet, Americans are feeling the pinch of rising prices.

And in the corn industry, we're still leveraging a powerful tool to help take the edge off the financial pain we all feel each week: corn ethanol.

In this episode, we’re talking to Geoff Cooper, CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, about how ethanol can help Americans weather this economic storm.

And we’re busting some common ethanol myths that keep on turning up everywhere from policy discussions to social media.

Farmers work in a business where the finances keep getting tighter and the stakes keep getting higher.

That kind of pressure takes a toll. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate in the agriculture industry is nearly 10 points above the national average, and about one in four farmers struggles with mental health issues.

But mental health doesn’t typically get talked about a lot in the ag community.

So in this episode, we meet Lowell Neitzel, a grower from Kansas who’s trying to change that by sharing his personal story about mental health. Lowell also leads the NCGA Member and Consumer Engagement Action Team, which has targeted grower mental health as a priority.

Lowell is joined by Dr. Heather Sedges, an associate professor from the University of Tennessee who’s working to prioritize mental health resources for growers. Dr. Sedges serves as Principal Investigator and Lead of the USDA/NIFA-funded Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network in the Southern Region. 

Together, they discuss how to change the conversation about mental health in rural America, what to do when a friend or loved one is in a mental health crisis, and how to create a one-stop shop for mental health resources that growers can use to protect their own well-being.

Click here to watch Lowell's story on YouTube.

And here is the list of resources that Dr. Sedges references in this episode:

And here is a link to the Productivity Protocol that Dr. Sedges mentions.