The outgoing president of the National Corn Growers Association points to progress on E15 as a defining achievement of his tenure and says he remains hopeful that Congress will pass a new farm bill.

E15 — gasoline blended with 15% ethanol — has been a top policy priority for NCGA, which represents corn growers across the United States. Expanded E15 access directly supports corn demand: ethanol is the largest single domestic use of U.S. corn, so each step toward year-round, nationwide E15 sales strengthens the demand base underpinning corn prices and farm margins.

The outgoing president's assessment of E15 progress comes as grower organizations continue pressing federal agencies and lawmakers to remove remaining regulatory barriers to higher ethanol blends. For corn producers, the policy stakes are straightforward — more ethanol in the fuel supply means more bushels moving through domestic processing channels rather than depending entirely on export markets and feed demand.

His comments also addressed the stalled farm bill process. NCGA has repeatedly argued that growers need updated safety-net provisions, crop insurance improvements and stronger reference prices that reflect current input costs. Fertilizer, chemical, fuel and machinery expenses have run well above the levels embedded in the last farm bill's commodity programs, squeezing working margins even in years with respectable yields.

The incoming leadership transition at NCGA means the farm bill push will fall to a new president and board. The organization's stance, however, remains consistent: a five-year comprehensive bill with strengthened commodity title support, rather than short-term extensions, is what growers need to plan acreage, financing and input purchases.

E15 policy and the farm bill share a common thread for corn growers — both determine how much of a grower's revenue comes from the market versus federal support. Biofuel demand growth can lift basis around ethanol plants and tighten regional corn supplies, while farm bill programs set the floor under revenue when prices fall.

The outgoing president's optimism on both fronts suggests NCGA will keep pressure on federal policymakers through the leadership change, with year-round E15 availability and a completed farm bill remaining the association's benchmark measures of success for the coming year.