Reflecting on 2025 Policy Wins as We Prepare for 2026

By Lesly McNitt

I don’t know about you, but as I get older time seems to fly by faster and faster. Days and years seem to meld together, and sometimes we’re so focused on what’s next that it’s hard to remember what we’ve done. As we slow down to celebrate the holidays with friends and family, this is a good time of year to take stock of important developments in our personal and professional lives.

As 2025 draws to a close, my staff and I are assessing the accomplishments that NCGA has achieved on behalf of corn growers this year and planning for the issues that will require us to redouble our efforts in 2026.

Corn Grower Wins

Let’s start with what we’ve accomplished this year. There is no denying that this has been a challenging year for those of us who work to effect policy change in Washington. The partisan divide continues to make compromise almost impossible, as evidenced by the recent government shutdown, which was the longest in history.
     
Yet, despite these monumental challenges, corn grower advocates have been able to move the needle with Congress, the administration, and regulators. As a result, we have achieved numerous wins, including:

• Ending the ban on genetically modified corn imports into Mexico. After a hard-fought campaign in 2023 and 2024 by the National Corn Growers Association and state corn advocates that resulted in the U.S. winning a dispute settlement under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, this year Mexico officially rescinded its decree that banned GM corn imports from the U.S. Given that over 90% of U.S. corn is genetically modified, this was a significant win for our growers.
  
  
• Expanding foreign markets abroad. NCGA has encouraged the Trump administration as it has brokered new bilateral trade agreements. We have welcomed the administration’s efforts to make corn and corn byproducts a centerpiece of these agreements. Though there is more to be done on the trade front, we have been able to secure new deals with the UK, Japan and other countries that will help increase corn demand in the U.S. during a very difficult economic time for growers.
  
  
• Shaping tax and farm policy to benefit farmers. As Congress and the White House worked on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, NCGA and state-based advocates worked hard to ensure key tax provisions, like the estate tax exemption and bonus depreciation, were permanently extended. The budget reconciliation bill also became an avenue to update several major farm bill priorities important to corn growers, which were included in the legislation. From strengthened commodity crop insurance and trade programs, we worked to ensure there was increased funding for domestic programs and for the U.S. to promote agricultural goods abroad. Thanks to the efforts of corn growers and alliedadvocates, the law also extended a tax credit that will be important if corn growers are to eventually sell ethanol in the aviation sector.
  
  
• Blocking efforts to ban crop protection products. Earlier this year, the Make America Healthy Again Commission signaled policy positions that would compromise farmer access to key crop protection tools. These concerns became more acute after the Commission released a draft assessment that specifically questioned the safety ofatrazine and glyphosate. NCGA spearheaded advocacy efforts to ensure the final MAHA report was science-based. We made our voices heard and worked closely with the administration, and, as a result, the commission’s final recommendations in September reflected a major shift in tone and substance related to pesticide use and crop production, removing any specific claims about pesticides.

2026 Goals

We have a lot of work ahead of us in the year ahead. One of our top goals: Securing passage of legislation that will allow for the uninterrupted sale of fuel with a 15% blend of ethanol, or E15, year-round. The Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025, which is pending in Congress, would eliminate dated language in the Clean Air Act that prevents the sale of E15 during the summer months.

If we are successful in passing the legislation, we will be able to increase demand for corn growers while saving consumers money at the pump. We came close to enacting the law in 2024 but fell short. We are working hard to push this legislation over the finish line late this year or early next year, and we are working with Congressional champions to explore various pathways in Washington to enhance biofuel markets for farmers.

We will also continue to encourage the administration to help increase corn demand by expanding trade with other countries. The president can achieve this by renewing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, continuing to broker new trade deals with other countries and enforcing agreements already on the books.

2026 is a huge year for transportation policy with several key reauthorizations and a potential rail merger. NCGA continues to advocate for a reliable, modernized and safe transportation systems to meet the growing demand and move American corn throughout the U.S. supply chain.

In addition to focusing on increasing demand for corn, NCGA will also continue to work to protect farmer profitability in midst of low crop prices and skyrocketing operating costs. And while we appreciate the commodity, crop insurance and trade program funding and improvements from the OBBBA, we will continue to encourage Congress to pass the Farm Bill 2.0 to address other significant concerns in agriculture. 

Of course, this is all just a sampling of our work. There will be many other issues we will tackle in 2026 – some we know about and others that will no doubt appear out of nowhere. But the achievements and goals outlined here are good reason for corn growers to celebrate their hard-fought progress, as we all suit up and prepare for the battles ahead!

Here’s to 2026… May your new year be bright!

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