Media Alert – American Corn Growers Association

On Monday December 15, 2009

The American Corn Growers Association (www.acga.org), will announce its platform and calls for support for federal policy reforms to protect American Farmers and Consumers from Radical Market Fluctuations and Resultant Negative Economic Impacts.

According to Keith Bolin, President of the American Corn Growers Association (ACGA), “American Farmers and Consumer deserve protection from sweeping economic downturns triggered by radical market fluctuations. The recent VeraSun bankruptcy filing underscores a need for Federal market stabilization policies that will prevent further setbacks to the American Farmer-driven renewable energy industry by enforcing contract commitments and providing food and fuel reserves.”

Should court rulings in the VeraSun filing be used to establish economic and business precedence, food and fuel feed producers will have no assurance that when they deliver grain to an ethanol facility (or granary supplying biofuel plants), that their signed contracts will be honored and payment will be made on a timely basis.

In an effort to stabilize the economy and protect US Farmers as well as consumers from a significant negative turn in the nation’s renewable energy supply, ACGA is strongly urging its members, American Farmers, local, state and Federal legislators to support the following policy recommendations:

• Forward contracts held by buyers of farm commodities to be treated no differently than delivered goods or services in a court of law
• Federal credit guarantees to be given to struggling ethanol companies
• Transparency be increased on speculative positions in futures trading
• Minimum prices be set on ethanol through a price support mechanism and a strategic ethanol reserve
• Realistic price supports be enacted for grains and oilseeds
• Strategic grain reserves be enacted to ensure adequate feed stocks and allow for supply buffers

Bolin (a corn and hog farmer from Bureau County, Ill.) adds, “Congress has the power and the new administration has the authority to rapidly adopt these recommendations. The policies are necessary to protect and reward the investment America’s Farmer are making in developing sustainable solutions for food, fuel and renewable energy production. This should be viewed as the very core of homeland security. Increasing job opportunities, improving yields and guaranteeing fare market values will invigorate and sustain our rural economy making it possible for Farmers to continue providing for the needs of our great nation.”

For more information or to set up an interview with Keith Bolin, please contact:

Tom Harvey

ACGA – Publicist

530-257-3533

thcommunications@gmail.com

About the American Corn Growers Association:

ACGA represents 14,000 members in 35 states. ACGA has standing bylaws that prohibits the organization from accepting funding from corporate agriculture. That means that ACGA represents farmers— not seed, chemical, food processing, grain trading or crop insurance companies. ACGA will host its Twenty-Second annual convention in Coralville, Iowa on Jan. 15 and 16, 2009. For more information or to join ACGA please go to www.acga.org or contact Pam Horwitz at 815.646.4040.