Matt Frostic chairs the Michigan Corn Growers Association. After 11 years and 3 terms as District 3 Representative, a term as President, he is now in his final act as Chairman. Frostic has been busy advocating for and working with corn growers across the state and nationally.
July was Corn Congress. Last month, Frostic, with the National Corn Growers Association, went to their annual meeting in D.C. to meet with representatives and help write policy.
“The big, hot item that we really are trying to push is the Next Generation Fuels Act, a bill that’s been in congress for a couple years now. It was then introduced in the House. One of our top priorities for the year is to push that legislation through.”
Michigan Corn Growers have been at the forefront of the bill, poised to focus on the future.
“We were able to get some of our legislatures to cosign on it a couple years ago. We’ve been kind of one of the states that have driven to get this to the forefront, so it’s important for the future of liquid fuels in cars. So it’s been a big priority for our Michigan legislation. We’ve also taken a hard look at aviation fuel and how that fits with ethanol. We’re doing some lead research on that to see how that fits into our own system here in Michigan actually.”
From legislative policy to crop management, Frostic says the yield this year hasn’t been bad.
“The yield this year, I think, overall should be above average. It is spotty, so there’s a lot that goes into a good yield, but I think this year we should be average to maybe slightly above average, but a lot of variability from region to region. So, we’re kind of waiting for those numbers to come in.”
Those numbers are on the way.
“We do a ‘Between the Rows’ event that was started this week and it goes through next week. What that is, is the staff as well as other volunteers go throughout the state and do corn yield samples to come up with an average yield. It does give us a good idea where we’re at. It’s a good tool for us to know, as farms for marketing, and for the industry to predict where we’re at for the year.”
There is a statewide meeting for the Michigan Corn Growers early next month in Lansing. Frostic says this year they’re focused on the future of fuel.
“We’re really honing in on aviation fuel and what, where ethanol plays that role and what kind of corn grow that will take. We’re also, obviously, looking at the liquid fuels market for automobiles, and the Next Generation Fuels Act and how we can press forward with that. How we can serve the corn industry in the state is kind of our priority in September.”
Frostic says advocacy is especially important now with the upcoming election. As chairman of Michigan Corn Growers Association and a newly elected member of the National Corn Board, Frostic says advocacy from growers themselves is just as important as industry organizations.
“A lot of times we go to D.C. and in Lansing and advocate for our industry, but it’s really important that the guy at the local level tells a story to legislatures, so they understand the problems that they’re facing. And we can inundate them with stats and figures and how things can, you know, effect an industry but it’s important that legislatures hear, you know, stories of all those out there. It goes a long way to, to effect policy, because it’s real.”
You can find a Between the Rows event and more information, check out the Michigan Corn Growers Association online.
