EP. 57 - NCGA’s New President, Jed Bower, Is Up for the Challenge

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Bringing profitability back to the American farmer is his top priority.

American farmers face generational challenges in today's market.

And the new president of the National Corn Growers Association, Jed Bower, isn't shying away from the big tasks ahead of him.

Bower took the reins as NCGA's top grower-leader effective October 1, on the same day that the U.S. federal government shut down over a funding negotiations standstill.

And in this episode, he'll explain why Congress needs to get back to work, reopen the government, and make progress on priorities that could help producers find their way back to profitability.

Jed is joined by Lesly McNitt, NCGA's vice president of public policy.

Together they'll discuss how to make progress on E15 ethanol blends, deals with new international trading partners, and federal financial assistance for farmers.

Direct Share Link: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/ncga?selected=PDM5094803853

Dusty Weis

Hello, and welcome to the CobCast: Inside the Grind with the National Corn Growers Association. This is where leaders, growers, and stakeholders in the corn industry can turn for big-picture conversations about the state of the industry and its future.

From the fields of the Corn Belt to the DC Beltway, we're making sure that the growers who feed America have a say in the issues that are important to them, with key leaders who are shaping the future of agriculture.

So, make sure you're following this show in your favorite podcast app, and sign up for the National Corn Growers Association newsletter at NCGA.com.

I'm Dusty Weis, and today we're going to be speaking with NCGA's new president, Jed Bower, as well as our vice president of public policy, Lesly McNitt, about the policy priorities in Washington, DC that are important to farmers and how things are looking to shape up for next year.

Jed and Lesly, welcome.

Jed Bower

Thank you for having us, Dusty.

Lesly McNitt

Morning, Dusty. Great to see you again.

Dusty Weis

Happy to see you both again. It's been a minute, but wanted to start with you, Jed, because you recently became NCGA's president. The official start of the term was October 1st, congratulations. Would you kick us off by introducing yourself to our listeners?

Jed Bower

Of course. So, Jed Bower, I'm a fifth-generation family farm, raise corn and soybeans in Washington Court House, Ohio. Farm here with my wife, Emily, my two children, Ethan and Emma.

We're a small operation here, but got my start through an untimely death of my father. I joined the military after high school. He got into an accident, and unfortunately, you know, it was stay in the service or get out and start farming. And farming was always my dream.

Tough situation, but here I am and enjoying every minute of the operation, even in these tough times. And yeah, looking forward to pass it on to the next generation.

Dusty Weis

That was about 20 years ago that you took up the reins, as I understand it, a tough time to serve your country, but I can imagine an even tougher time to come home to news like that.

It sounds like it was important to you, though, to be there for the people that you love and keep the operation in the family.

Jed Bower

It truly was. You know, my grandfather passed away a couple of years prior to that. So I took off at, you know, 24 years old. Looking back, it's hard to believe. Luckily, I had some good support from some neighbors, gave me some great guidance.

And I guess that's why I truly love giving back is because I've been in that situation. I needed that, and I want to provide that for as many growers as I can moving forward and help us through these tough times.

Dusty Weis

You're based in sort of South-Central Ohio for folks who don't know where you're at. What else can you tell us about the operation? How long's family been there and how much ground you work in? What are you planting?

Jed Bower

Sure. As I mentioned, we're corn and soybean. We're fifth generation, but we've only been at this homestead since, my great grandfather was here, I believe, in '46. And then, of course, with any luck, my son will be taken over here in a few years. Or at least joining me. I hope he doesn't push me out yet, but…

But yeah, we'll see how it goes. Like I said, we're a small operation. We're around a thousand acres, so it is going to be a little tough for him to join in with me unless we diversify or, you know, in these times, you just don't know what's going to happen. So there might be some opportunities for him moving forward also.

Dusty Weis

That's a pretty legit flex there, Jed, saying you've only been on the homestead for 80 years there, but, taking the reins as NCGA president here, big picture, what are some of your priorities?

Jed Bower

Oh, there's so many.

Dusty Weis

We got time.

Jed Bower

We do. You know, my hat's off to Kenny Hartman. I took his position. He's our current chairman now. What a hard worker last year and diligent. And there were so many things Kenny did accomplish. And then there were still a few he didn't. And I mean, obviously, top priority is to bring profitability back to the American corn farmer.

With that being said, there's so many little sub things underneath that. Trying to get policy that will allow farmers, obviously to stay profitable, allow them to market their grain. Keep pushing the administration for building out new trade deals, finding new markets for us to move corn and corn products.

I think those are going to be key things amongst many others I'm sure we'll talk through today.

Dusty Weis

Yeah, definitely. I got to say, if you can get onto the national news as many times as Kenny Hartman did, well, you'll be setting a record there. He was a poster boy for corn farmers there and did a great job representing us.

But, before we get into the specifics of some of those policy goals, I wanted to turn to you, Lesly, because a lot of folks have just decided that it's better for their blood pressure if they don't listen to or watch the news or read it right now.

So before we get into those policy priorities, can you give us a lay of the land about what's going on in Washington?

Lesly McNitt

You bet, Dusty. Washington's very divided right now. We're several weeks into a government shutdown with no end in sight, Democrats and Republicans couldn't come to an agreement on a bill that would fund the government or some sort of stopgap measure, even just to fund the government for a few more months at you know, current funding levels.

There are a lot of issues at play here that have brought them to this point. But one of the major points of contention has been extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, and that is one of the Democrats' demands in exchange for the votes needed in the Senate to pass some sort of spending measure to reopen the government.

Dusty Weis

And, of course, with the government shut down, I mean, farmers are losing access to all sorts of services that they normally count on, especially this time of year. But where's the skin in the game for growers right now? Why are we concerned that the government's not open?

Lesly McNitt

Well, I would argue that growers always have skin in the game or they wouldn't support me and my team being here to make sure that their voices are heard every single day in Washington.

But I think at this particular moment, it's very important that we continue to raise the alarm about the farm economy and the fact that corn farmers are in their fields harvesting. They're expecting a big pile of surplus grain, and there is a lot of anxiety about where that grain is going to go, how it's going to impact prices.

And then on the other side of the equation, the high cost of inputs. And so it's really important that we continue to make sure that the policy makers in the US government understand that corn growers need them to continue fighting on their behalf, and they need them to get some things done, come back to work, and advance some of the practical solutions that corn farmers have put forward.

So while there is dysfunction, we really have amazing allies in both parties who support NCGA's priorities and want to deliver for corn farmers. And I think that they really recognize and we reinforce that farmers are feeding and fueling the world. And, you know, our priorities help them do that.

So I think that really catches attention and breaks through some of the political noise that, let's be honest, like most farmers aren't paying attention to the way we have to obsessively monitor it in Washington. Farmers are at work every day producing this year's crop.

Dusty Weis

Well, and you're at work every day in DC there Lesly and so I was hoping maybe you could paint a picture for us. What's it like on the ground in DC right now? How is it impacting your ability to do your job and advocate for growers? You spend a lot of time on Capitol Hill. I know the Capitol, the congressional offices, those are still open.

But you also spend a lot of time with USDA. Are they picking up the phone when you call right now?

Lesly McNitt

Well, that's right, Dusty, it is a little bit strange to try and advocate in the middle of a shutdown. On Capitol Hill, most of the members and most of the staff, it kind of changes office to office, but most of the members of staff are still working and taking meetings. You know, the Senate is taking votes every day on reopening the government.

We're able to get meetings with staff who are, to their credit, working unpaid. So I think we should remember and appreciate that these congressional staff are really dedicated to their work, even when they're not getting paid. So how many of us would work for free? But we're able to get meetings and to continue to work on priorities with those folks.

But in the administration, in the executive branch, most of the workers are furloughed, so they're not working. You can find some essential personnel who we can reach out to, but it's a lot harder to establish two-way communication with agencies during a shutdown scenario.

Dusty Weis

So Jed, Lesly and the team are out there in DC pounding down the doors and trying to do what they can to advance our priorities out there. But can you walk us through what our priorities are right now and what's driving those priorities?

Jed Bower

Certainly. And to start with, just to give an idea, maybe for some listeners that don't know the complete background, I think Lesly did a great job talking about the government shutdown and the employees that are so instrumental that are working without pay, that's tremendous.

But for the listeners, I want them to realize that's what we're doing as corn farmers right now. We're facing hard economic times, which I'm sure everybody's heard. But corn prices are at a five-year low. Our inputs are steady to climbing. That puts me without pay too. And I've unfortunately had to do this for a couple of years.

Dusty, we can only lose so many times before we have to have a win, and that's possibly where we're at. I mean, we're at a situation now where we could start seeing families lose generational farms, and that is so scary.

So looking forward to those priorities. I think it's super important that we keep continuing and Lesly's doing great work to press Congress to act immediately, to pass legislation that expands on the consumer action on higher blends of ethanol.

We have been pushing this for years. You know this. We all know this. It costs taxpayers nothing, brings so much back to rural America. Continue pushing the administration. And I will say they've done great work. We're seeing record exports of corn. But the problem is the markets aren't reflecting that. So we have to continue to push that.

Corn in all forms. We need exports. We need new markets. We have to have this to try to save rural America. This is a generational crisis more than likely, and I hope I don't have to see it again in my lifetime.

But corn growers across the country are working sunup to sundown and we're harvesting. I mean, my guys are out there now doing it, and I will soon be out there, and we got to pay our bills.

And as I mentioned before, after our bills are paid, there's nothing left. As farmers, we're doing our jobs, we're feeding and fueling the Americans, just as Lesly mentioned. And we need Congress to go back to work and do its job by passing legislation that would help create markets for our crops and for our growers.

Dusty Weis

Lesly, let's talk about what some of their potential legislation is here. How do we create new markets for this incredibly abundant crop? I've got to say, I was out in southwest Wisconsin, a little place I've got out there and driving up the valley to the place, I drive through my neighbor's cornfields. And it was taller than I've ever seen corn in 40 years on this planet.

It was like driving down the middle of a canyon coming up that road, and I was chatting with him, and he was standing there just looking out over it, and he looks at me and he says, "I don't know if I want to pay for the diesel to bring it in at this point." I mean, that is a really bleak assessment of the spot that we're in.

So how do we go about creating a market for the biggest corn crop we've ever had?

Lesly McNitt

Well, when we look at opportunities to expand demand for corn, there are a few really important markets with the potential for growth. Jed mentioned increasing exports and the opportunity to develop new trade deals and export more corn, ethanol and other corn products. And that's a huge opportunity.

And the other area that has been very high performing and just pivotal for the corn farmer has been ethanol.

When we talk about E15 and increased blends of ethanol, our baseline right now is the 10% blend of ethanol that fuel has across the country, because the RFS that was passed in 2005, the Renewable Fuel Standard, established a 10% blending requirement.

That has been transformational for corn farmers, that enabled an entire generation of farmers to either, you know, come back to the farm, stay in farming, get into farming, and have it be profitable.

And so for the last 20 years that's been the law of the land and the demand for ethanol has sort of plateaued in accordance, it's matured. And so now we're thinking, okay, what is that next opportunity? We've seen a ton of success from the RFS, we know that it's better for the environment, it's lowered gas prices.

It's created 300,000 jobs, primarily in rural America since the RFS came online. It's done a lot to stimulate our economy. So what does the future look like? And when we talk about E15, we're talking about a 15% ethanol blend. So phasing up from 10% to 15%.

It doesn't require another mandate. It's essentially just a legislative fix to an outdated regulation in the Clean Air Act that prohibits the sale of 15% blends during the summer.

So right now, there are a significant number of states that are selling E15, but it's not nationwide. And there's uncertainty about, unless there's a waiver, about selling during the summer. So this is an effort to get rid of that outdated regulation and enable more certainty around selling E15 all year, everywhere. We know that that would be really beneficial for all the reasons I stated.

It lowers gas prices. We're talking about an average of $0.25 per gallon less at the pump for consumers. Shores up our domestic energy security and reduces carbon emissions.

So our biggest legislative priority this year is for Congress to pass, when they open back up, they come back to town and there are legislative vehicles moving, it's to pass the nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025, and that would enable that nationwide year-round access to E15.

And it would serve as a real economic lifeline for corn farmers during this difficult time.

Dusty Weis

Now, Lesly, you had mentioned that there are several states that are out there that are already allowing the sale of E15 blends, and I heard on the news recently that California recently enacted a law that allows for a year-round sale of E15.

California's a big state, California's got a lot of cars in it, a lot of gasoline that they're using out there. What do we know about that new law?

Jed Bower

So, you know, as we look at California and I never thought I would do this, I've thanked Governor Newsom quite a few times over this. It's a huge opportunity for us. And as we look at this, that could bring in or use up 250 million bushels of corn.

When we look at these piles of corn, and as you've mentioned, this potentially huge crop that we're looking at, and as I've mentioned, we've got to find new uses in every bushel we can grind, it helps the corn growers. So 250 million is huge.

So as we look at that, the sheer buying power of that, and then we want to use that and try to leverage that pressure on Congress, you know, look at what California's done. Why can't we do that nationwide? You know, a lot of the states across the Midwest are trying to do that, but it's the certainty that comes with that that we need to use and leverage that against Congress.

As Lesly mentioned, if I was a fuel distributor, I wouldn't want to invest money in something I wasn't sure on. So a lot of these pumps and a lot of these filling stations are not investing that money because we cannot get this passed and they need the certainty before they make that investment.

So I think that's going to be key as we see California institute this and build on this and we keep pressure on our administration to try to get this across the country. We can have the certainty, have the investment and get these filling stations to start utilizing this.

And we can take this across the country and just decimate these piles of corn using more and more ethanol. And I think that's going to be key, again, as I mentioned before, for growers across the country, for rural Americans, as a whole, I think it'll be great for the country.

Dusty Weis

Now, Lesly, I don't think that Jed is the only grower who went, "Huh, California?" when they heard about the news on that. So I know that you primarily work in DC, but NCGA also does some work advocating with state legislatures and governors as well. So what can you tell us about the role that NCGA played in advocating for this in California, and how this got done there?

Lesly McNitt

Our partners in the ethanol industry have really led the way in the effort to get E15 done in California. But I think the major driver behind (pun intended) behind the state Assembly passing its bill allowing for E15 to be sold in California, was just simply wanting to address affordability for consumers, right?

Everyone knows that California has had higher gas prices than the norm, and affordability is a really big issue for consumers everywhere right now.

And so that was really what was behind the effort to blend additional ethanol. I think there's certainly an environmental component as well. And so the state assembly passed the bill a couple months ago, and then a few weeks ago, Governor Newsom signed it into law.

We're excited to see, you know, there's still some rulemaking that needs to take place, but we're really excited to see this potential take off.

Dusty Weis

It's certainly something that could have a really, really huge impact for growers that are out there, and we'd love to see Congress move forward on it. But what are some of the other policy priorities that we're working on right now, Lesly?

Lesly McNitt

Well, you know, as we've been talking about the 2 billion bushel pile, I think it's kind of clear that there's maybe not one silver bullet, right, that is going to move that entire pile of corn and help stabilize the corn economy. So we have to think about a menu of options, a menu of opportunities, an all of the above push.

And that's really been our strategy. It's been Jed's strategy, and Kenny's before his. And it's what our team is working so hard to implement here in Washington with the policy makers who are really fighting for corn farmers every day.

If we were to get nationwide E15 for every 1% increase in the national average blend rate, we're looking at almost half a billion bushels. It's about 490, based on our economist's most recent analysis.

So you can start to see how that chips away pretty significantly at that 2 billion bushel pile. If you add a couple of significant trade deals or new markets opened, that brings us to our next area of our policy priorities, right. We know that the Trump administration is working to negotiate new trade deals with several countries and NCGA has really strongly encouraged that effort.

And we have been working really closely with all the trade leads in the administration to, you know, make the case for how corn can be an important part of that demand growth. Corn, ethanol, DDGs, other corn products, animal protein, it's all part of the portfolio of how we expand demand opportunities internationally for corn.

So whether it's large markets like India, Vietnam, Indonesia or emerging and middle income markets, there is a great opportunity to expand demand for growers.

I'll give you one example. If India were to drop its restrictions on biotech corn, it could open the door for $235 million worth of US exports each year. We're also looking at India's sustainable aviation fuel market and sustainable aviation fuel across the board, which is an emerging sector that could be a big growth opportunity for us in the medium to long term.

That could be another, in India, another $434 million opportunity for US corn farmers. So you can start to see the vision of each of these potential policy breakthroughs coming together could really add up to put an even bigger dent in that 2 billion bushel pile.

And we're going to need all of it, because USDA is projecting that that's about the level of carryover or surplus corn that we'll have the next few years, because Jed and our other grower members are too good at what they do.

Dusty Weis

They just keep crushing it out there.

Lesly McNitt

So we're doing our best to try and think through every opportunity that's on the table and help share that vision with policymakers and try and deliver for corn farmers.

Dusty Weis

I kind of liken it to sitting down to do a big jigsaw puzzle, and the first thing that you do is you dump the box out on the table and you set all your pieces out. And right now we've just got to get all those pieces out on the table, and then hopefully we can start putting together something that makes sense.

But Jed, I heard on the news the other week, they're talking about potential federal financial assistance for farmers. Is that a piece that you want to put into the puzzle? Is that something that growers are open to?

Jed Bower

Well, I think they are open to it. And I think it is a piece of the puzzle, and that was a very good analogy. As a grower, I would prefer not to have financial assistance. I think we all hear how bad our deficit is in the nation. Do we want to be paid by the Treasury? Morally, I don't think so.

I think we want to be paid by our markets. I think that's key. I think that's what we push for at NCGA, and I think that's truly what growers want. Now, as we look at the situation we're in and that it has spiraled down as far as it has, I do think this is going to be a key along with everything else that we've talked about, of getting farmers whole again.

So as we look back at what's happened, you know, we talk about the one Big Beautiful Bill act. There's a lot of good things in there that will help growers. But for those that don't understand, that's not coming for another year. And I guarantee we have growers listening to this like, "Damn, I can't make it another year." I mean, those are issues that I'm hearing in the communities.

Obviously, Lesly takes that back, I take it back when I'm in DC, we appreciate the work that they're doing, but they don't understand that's a year too late for our farmers, and rural America needs that help now.

So as I mentioned, we want the markets, we want demand, we don't want handouts. But we have let this get far enough away now that we may need both to get us back where we need to be. And I think that's going to be crucial moving forward.

Dusty Weis

We're getting to a time of year here where growers are hopefully starting to wind down the process of bringing that corn out. And then they sit down and they look at the books and they feel some kind of way. But hopefully you've also got a little more time on your hands, and you've got a chance to get involved with the process here.

So how can folks get involved and help with these policy initiatives, Lesly?

Lesly McNitt

I'm so glad you asked, Dusty, because our greatest strength is our grassroots membership, and that's what makes NCGA work. And it really does take farmer voices advocating on their own behalf to get things done here in Washington and to break through the noise.

So farmers can sign up to get action alerts and take action by visiting www.NCGA.com/Advocacy.

Dusty Weis

And I'll say this, Lesly, I called my congressman the other week. I tried to keep it polite. I tried, like you said, the kid that answered the phone on the other end, he wasn't getting paid, but based on what I heard from him, it sounded like they were already getting a lot of phone calls about a lot of things right now.

So do we know, are we making a difference? How do you feel about our chances of getting something going here as we head into the new year?

Lesly McNitt

Well, first we have to put in a plug for that poor soul on the other end of that phone line, because these young staffers on the Hill who are answering the phones have the hardest job in Washington, taking irate phone calls from constituents every day because they're not getting the compliments from constituents, right, they're getting the complaints.

So I hope that we all keep it professional and take that into account when we communicate with our legislators' offices, as frustrated as we may be by some of the policies sometimes.

But I think that absolutely, we have seen that, one, NCGA's grassroots activation this past year has been record-setting.

I applaud all the farmers who showed up and spoke out, and I think E15 is a great example. We came so close to getting our legislation passed at the end of last year. And, you know, we've got a call to action alert actually live right now.

Now, this one actually directs farmers more to social media, because that's also a really important place to make your voice heard these days.

But we came really close last year. And I think that when the government opens back up, we stand a really good chance of getting this bill done this year. So I encourage everybody, now is a great time to be engaging with your members of Congress.

Jed Bower

I guess I would like to add there too, Dusty. I promise I will be out there advocating for every corn farmer in this nation, but I cannot tell your story as well as you can. So please sign up. Become an advocate, because we do need all of us to make this happen.

Dusty Weis

Jed, I told you this when we met back in August here in Milwaukee, but I'm going to tell you again, you picked a heck of a time to take the wheel as president of the NCGA here.

It's already a big job to serve as NCGA president in a normal year. A lot of people might start looking for the exits in a year like this, but you're here driving the bus like a pro. What keeps you going, man?

Jed Bower

My farm. My farm, looking at my son helping me, my neighbors. Somebody has to be there doing this. And if I look at a positive note, as bad as things are, hey, when you're busy, time goes by fast.

Dusty Weis

I think it was Will Rogers who said "A farmer's got to be an optimist," right, Jed?

Jed Bower

I guess, it's hard some days though.

Dusty Weis

Yeah, yeah. Is there anything making you feel optimistic as you look toward 2026 here?

Jed Bower

To a degree, I'm on the inside here, and I know how hard our staff is working and how hard our grower leaders are working. And I truly think we're going to get some great things done just because I know we are relentless. Both growers and staff, and we will continue to push. And I know that message doesn't make it back to the growers on the farm enough.

But in this time, as bad as it is, there's nobody out there working harder. And that is the light at the end of the tunnel.

Dusty Weis

Well, and I'll add this too here, Jed, and maybe it's a reason for optimism. I don't know, but I was on the phone again with my congressman's office the other week. I talked to other folks in DC, and they all sound so darn tired right now. And so I've got to hope that maybe this time when the yelling finally dies down in DC, and it will die down, maybe we'll get lucky and they'll just all be too tired to fight anymore.

And we'll see some stuff get done. That's my reason for optimism right now. But NCGA President Jed Bower, VP of Public Policy Lesly McNitt, I wanted to just take a moment to thank you both for the work that you do, advocating for growers, and thank you both for taking time to talk us through this.

Jed Bower

Thank you, Dusty.

Lesly McNitt

Thanks so much.

Dusty Weis

And thank you for listening. We hope you'll join us again next month for another episode of the Cobcast: Inside the Grind with the National Corn Growers Association.

If you're on X, you can follow @NationalCorn for more news and updates from NCGA. Visit NCGA.com to sign up for the association's email newsletter, and make sure you're following this show in your favorite podcast app.

The Cobcast is brought to you by the National Corn Growers Association, with editing by Matt Covarrubias. And it's produced by Podcamp Media, branded podcast production for businesses. PodcampMedia.com.

For the National Corn Growers Association, I'm Dusty Weis.

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