Over the past few rears, row crop farmers have been faced with economic challenges with input cost remaining high and market prices dropping. Tim Thompson, newly elected Chair of the Corn Marketing Board, shares that as ag income tightens, farmers are looking for answers in trade.
“Illinois is a high-production state. We have some unique opportunities with logistics, with both the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, as well as the Ohio and Wabash in the southern parts of the state, that allow us to really move a lot of grain very quickly,” says Thompson. “Forty percent of the state’s grain is going for export today. So, looking for trade partners, over and above the ones we have with Mexico, Canada, and Japan. But looking for new ones; India, Africa, and other places to continue to sell and export our corn that we’re producing here in the state of Illinois.”
Thompson adds that a top goal for the Illinois Corn Marketing Board is to look at new ways to grind corn.
“There’s thirty percent of the US crop is going into feed, and thirty percent is going into fuel. So areas like Renewable Fuels act as well as E15 full year use around the country,” says Thompson. “Currently, there are eight states that use E15. We’d sure like to see that moved across the US, all 50 states using E15 and then sustainable aviation fuel.“
By expanding markets at home and abroad, the Corn Marketing Board hopes to keep Illinois farmers competitive in a challenging economy.
