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By Dusty Sonnenberg, Ohio Ag Net
The annual Celebration of Ohio Corn & Wheat was held in Bucyrus, Ohio, on Feb. 23, 2023, to recognize the accomplishments of the organization, and the corn and wheat growers who are a part of it. The event was attended by approximately 200 growers and industry guests from all over the state.
Some notable award recipients included the State Wheat Yield Contest winner Dave Lutz and State Runner-Up Kent Edwards; State Corn Yield Contest winner Cory Atley and State Runner-Up Carl Atley; and scholarship winners Jacob King, Bryce Bennett, Dalton Mullins, Abigail Paxton, Matthew Gusset, Molly Hafer, Kiley Holbrook, Emerson Trapp, Carley Miller, and Tim Sullivan.
The Celebration of Ohio Corn & Wheat is one of the ways the organization is able to publicly recognize the people who work hard every day for Ohio agriculture and look to the future.
“Over the next year we are focusing in on expanding market access and demand for E15 fuel and supporting legislation that will allow the cleaner burning fuel to be sold year-round. This is an incredible market for our growers and is an accessible way to help the environment,” said John Settlemyre, Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association president.
Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Brian Baldridge gave remarks on the importance of the organization’s work and commended those gathered for their dedication to Ohio agriculture.
“As an organization we are always looking for ways to applaud our grower members and share their accomplishments. This event brings together some of the best people in the Ohio grain farming community, and we are proud to represent the interests of such individuals,” said Tadd Nicholson, Ohio Corn & Wheat executive director.
Nicholson gave updates on recent developments regarding Mexico’s biotech corn ban that stands in opposition to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada-Agreement (USMCA) and affirmed the organization’s dedication to working with national partners to fight it.
“Our U.S. trade representative has been talking with the Mexican government and they doubled down on bad policy. The ban on importing GMO corn was supposed to be done in 2024. They made it immediately. They doubled down on ignoring science around GMOs in USMCA. There are scientific rules we have to abide by and they’re not doing that,” Nicholson said. “The White House through the U.S. trade representative’s office needs to launch an official grievance and take official action within USMCA to bring a case forward. We’re asking corn farmers in Ohio to call their congressional member and let them know this is an important issue and they need to get active on putting pressure on the trade rep’s office to take official action. It’s incredibly important. We’re talking about the No. 1 customer of U.S. corn. Mexico is our largest corn buyer they have to be held accountable.”
To take action on Mexico’s corn ban, visit: https://p2a.co/Np0pGv5
Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture Brian Baldridge addressed the crowd, praising their commitment to Ohio agriculture and highlighting the significance of the group’s efforts.