WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2009– Keith Bolin, President of the American Corn Growers Association (ACGA) again called upon the U.S. Senate to complete its work on the pending climate legislation this year.  He also urged a united voice by all farm and rural organizations to support the climate legislation as well as the pending energy bill in the Senate.

WASHINGTON – Sept. 17, 2009 –Keith Bolin, President of the American Corn Growers Association (ACGA) called upon the U.S. Congress to complete its work on the pending energy and climate legislation this year.  Bolin’s request follows ACGA’s annual business meeting held last week in Sioux City, Iowa, where the Board of Directors passed a resolution supporting a market-based cap and trade program as the best course to address Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and climate change.

The nation's farmers and the United States as a whole can no longer avoid this issue from either a moral or international competitiveness perspective.

WASHINGTON – Sept. 17, 2009 –Keith Bolin, President of the American Corn Growers Association (ACGA) called upon the U.S. Congress to pass healthcare reform legislation this year.

“There are a multitude of reasons that ACGA supports healthcare reform, but I wish to focus on two key reasons that have yet to be discussed – international competitiveness and jobs,” said Bolin.

ACGA President Bolin Reminds Us :

 We Can

Make A Difference!

At the annual meeting of the ACGA Board of Directors, Sioux City, IA, September 11, 2009, Bolin reminds us from his own experience and as we reflect on the 9/11 tradegy and our families - "You can breed hatred into your family or you can breed passion and love. The latter which is the most rewarding thing you will ever do."  

Thank you, Keith.  

The following excerpt is from ACGA's About Us...in 1987, it became very apparent that a new voice was needed for producers that was not influenced by the grain processing and exporting companies who had become very powerful not only in the farm policy arena, but also within many of the same commodity associations.

ACGA is Working to Empower Communities Just Like Yours, Everyday!

“I am proud to say that this program creates an environment for economic and social revitalization in rural America through social change, grassroots empowerment and political advocacy. 

As we work together with other farm policy groups, Rural Revitalization develops long term programs of education, community organizing, coalition building, networking, outreach, economic and social justice and cooperation between domestic farm advocates and civil organizations.”  

Keith Bolin, President.

Bolin is a conventional and organic farmer and hog producer in Bureau County, IL.

      Please follow along as we share examples of  leadership, member activity

and ACGA's

Rural Revitalization Program in action…

Corn Grower Leader Asks President Obama to Intervene on Behalf of Besieged Rancher

An Open Letter to President Obama
From Keith Bolin, President
American Corn Growers Association
June 29, 2009

Dear Mr. President, 

Congress passed the Packers and Stockyards Act (PSA) to ensure the U.S. livestock market would remain competitive. Congress charged USDA with the responsibility to protect the U.S. livestock market from the anticompetitive practices of the highly concentrated meatpackers.  Congress found that these highly concentrated meatpackers possess sufficient market power to disrupt competition.  Failed enforcement of the PSA has left livestock producers unprotected from the abusive market power wielded by the highly concentrated meatpackers (Callicrate, June 2009).

  Local Energy, Local Food and the Local Economy

One Bureau Valley community has stepped up to the rural revitalization challenge and developed the first localized Farm to School Program of its kind in Illinois. The steps we took are outlined below and highlight the community's journey over time. 

ACGA participates in many progressive and timely initiatives around the country and worldwide.  In north central Illinois, ACGA’s Rural Revitalization Program and our working principles have played a significant role in moving the community along that path and closer to realizing the economic and social benefits of localization – all accomplished through grassroots empowerment, political advocacy and accompanied by social change. 

ACGF Leader McGuire Receives Wind Powering America Award

from Dept. of Energy

WASHINGTON, May 18, 2009 —American Corn Grower Foundation (ACGF) Chief Executive Dan McGuire was awarded the “Midwest Wind Energy Advocacy” award at the Wind Powering America States Summit in Chicago, Illinois on May 8, 2009.

 Keith Bolin, President of the American Corn Growers Association (ACGA) submitted official comments to Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental protection Agency (EPA), last week supporting a pending waiver to the Clean Air Act to allow increased use of ethanol in gasoline.

The ACGA's long-standing Agricultural Water Quality Restoration Program addresses the problem of the continued growth of the hypoxia area in the Gulf of Mexico. We recognize that as higher levels of nitrates are found in many of our rivers, lakes and streams, production agriculture must come to terms with the contributions they are making to this problem. 

Increased nitrogen fertilizer use is exacerbating water quality and natural resource problems through runoff and leaching.  Accepting responsibility for this problem and   developing proactive measures to address it is the basis for this program.

This page is under construction.  Please stop back or visit the following links below: