Recent Corn Grower Win Shows How to Move the Needle in Washington

By Brooke S. Appleton

It’s January in the nation’s capital, and the city is abuzz as we prepare for the state funeral of a former president and the swearing-in of a new presidential administration. All of this as a winter storm blankets the city, closing government offices.

As my team and I prepare to advance our legislative agenda this year on your behalf, we are contemplating how we make progress on our goals and what has worked in the past.

Our persistent advocacy work led to a recent decision by an international dispute panel that ruled that Mexico violated its obligations under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement by blocking genetically modified corn imports. That outcome is a clear sign that advocacy is effective and will only increase our leverage moving ahead.

The decision – which was a big win for farmers, as Mexico is our largest market – would not have happened if not for the monumental advocacy efforts by state and national corn grower leaders who pushed the Biden administration to act.

Indeed, as I think about it, at least four specific tactics helped us achieve this win:

• Working with our congressional allies as they pushed for action. State and national corn grower leaders worked with members of Congress as they drafted letters to the administration calling for the dispute settlement process to be launched. We also held congressional briefings, which allowed us to educate a broader group of policymakers about the issue.
• Organizing an open letter campaign. We joined state corn grower leaders in releasing an open letter calling on the administration to act.
  
• Activating grassroots support. We issued a call to action encouraging corn farmers to contact their policymakers to encourage them to act on the issue.
  
• Placing news stories in major media outlets. We worked with national reporters to raise the issue far and wide. This included several stories on Fox Business featuring interviews with our leadership and a Nebraska farmer affected by the ban.

As we move into a new year of advocacy, we need the continued support of farmers. If you haven’t already, please sign up for the National Corn Growers Association’s action alerts and make sure you are a member of your state corn grower group. (You can join by visiting your state organization’s website.)

We need you by our side as we fight for growers in Washington, because, if nothing else, this recent win that maintains access to our largest export market teaches us that TOGETHER we can shape policies that allow our farmers to fuel and feed the world.

Here’s to a productive year ahead!

Appleton is vice president of public policy at the National Corn Growers Association.