The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is actively engaged in the flurry of legislative activity in Washington, D.C., particularly concerning budget reconciliation. Farm Director KC Sheperd recently spoke with Wayne Stoskopf, NCGA’s Director of Public Policy for Risk Management and Tax, to understand their key priorities and concerns.
Stoskopf emphasized the immediate need for certainty regarding existing tax provisions. “First and foremost is certainty around the tax provisions that are already in the federal tax code, that otherwise would expire December 31 of this year if Congress doesn’t act; things like the higher estate tax exemption, some small business provisions like bonus depreciation and the overall tax rate for LLCs that many of our farms are are categorized or organized as.”
He identified the primary hurdle in achieving these goals as the overall cost of any provisions and the national debt and deficit. “The overall cost of any provision and the national debt and deficit – there’s a real concern about how much these things will cost. There are different factions of the Republican Party, some that want permanent extensions and others who think the funding is only available to do a shorter-term extension. So really, what is the overall appetite for increased spending or decreased revenue coming into the federal government?”
Stoskopf underscored the significance of the current legislative moment for farmers. “They need to know that a lot of policies that we care about, whether at the IRS, like your tax code, or even farm programs at USDA, are all up for debate and change in a really partisan vehicle, a legislative vehicle that’s going to be driven just by Republicans, and it’s going to have implications of whatever else happens the rest of this Congress. As much as President Trump talks about the one big, beautiful bill as a way to sell the idea that Republicans need to come together on this one piece of legislation, there may not be a lot of other legislative opportunities for the rest of this Congress. So we’re talking about a whole other year and a half. So much is riding on the next couple of weeks and months as the Republicans put together the reconciliation bill.”
Beyond tax issues, Stoskopf noted NCGA’s ongoing focus on expanding markets for corn. “We are always looking at increased product markets, including in the ethanol and biofuels space. So, year-round E15 is a huge legislative priority for the corn growers. We’re also looking at the future of sustainable aviation fuel with the 45Z tax credit, and trying to make sure that we have homegrown places for our products here in the United States.”
