By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

AUBURN, Ill. — “A lot of people will be counting on me,” said Garry Niemeyer, a farmer from Auburn (Sangamon County), reflecting on his recent election by the National Corn Growers Assoc. (NCGA) board of directors as the next officer for the organization. “It is such an honor.”

When the board meets again during the NCGA’s Corn Congress July 12-15, Niemeyer’s election as first vice president will be ratified and he will begin his new duties Oct. 1. One year from that date, Niemeyer will assume the role of NCGA president.

“We obviously have a lot of challenges in front of us,” he said, referring to both the nation’s corn growers and his new responsibilities.

Niemeyer, who farms 2,200 acres with his wife, Cheryl, said issues on the front burner for corn growers and all of agriculture include working on a new farm bill and pro-ethanol energy bill; improving agriculture’s public image; and preparing for possible new government regulations that will affect every farmer, such as pending legislation affecting chemical use and applications.
Another issue Niemeyer plans to pursue aggressively is funding for legislation that would improve the nation’s aging inland waterway infrastructure – specifically, the construction of new, expanded locks on the Illinois and upper Mississippi rivers.

“Getting our locks and dams built to standards that are competitive in a worldwide market is overdue,” Niemeyer said. “These locks are outdated. It’s time to get the process moving forward.”

Furthering the market for corn ethanol is, of course, a huge priority for Niemeyer and the NCGA.

“There is a lot of concern over where we are with ethanol. We want to make sure we have an opportunity to continue to grow the market,” he said.

“One of the things we have to make sure everyone is aware of is that we are growing a larger crop of corn, and we can supply all the needs for livestock (feed) and ethanol. We will have a huge carryover of corn, which could be devastating to the whole of the agriculture industry if we can’t continue to grow markets.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent decision to delay an increase in the ethanol blend wall to 12 or 15 percent does not help to grow those markets, Niemeyer noted.

“I can’t find any good, logical reason (for the EPA’s non-action). It seems like we’re in a stalemate right now. It’s been a long, slow process,” he said.

During Niemeyer’s year as first vice president for the NCGA, he will primarily be in an understudy role to the presidency, though the farmer-leader is planning many trips to Capitol Hill to represent corn growers’ interests in Washington, D.C.

“I’ll be meeting with a lot of Congressmen, trying to move corn growers’ (agenda) forward,” he said.

Advancing growers’ interests will require educating lawmakers and the public about modern agriculture practices and production rates.
“The general public doesn’t understand who we are or what we do,” said Niemeyer. “Technology on the farm is just astounding these days. We have GPS systems in tractors, and automatic shutoffs that eliminate overlapping when spraying and over-planting of soybeans or corn.

“We have increased production. Today’s farmers produce 70 percent more corn per pound of fertilizer than they did 35 years ago, and five times as much corn as they did in the 1930s – on 20 percent less farmland.”

Niemeyer has been an NCGA member since 1995, serving over the years as a member of the Ethanol Committee, the Production Stewardship and Action Team and, most recently, as the Corn Board liaison to NCGA’s Joint Trade Policy A-Team. In 2002, Niemeyer was president of the Illinois Corn Growers Assoc. and chaired its Legislative Team in 2000.

Niemeyer received a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois. He and Cheryl have three grown children: Angela, Stephanie and Timothy.

“Garry will be a great asset to growers and the organization as an NCGA officer,” stated Darrin Ihnen, NCGA president.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity to serve in this leadership position,” Niemeyer said last week, from his farm in Auburn. “Our industry has challenges ahead of it in the coming years, but it will also be a great opportunity to advance the image and impact of modern agriculture.”