Tyler Everett is a farmer in Lebanon who serves as the treasurer of the Indiana Corn Growers Association. On Thursday, Everett got a very special visit from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
According to Everett, “It was like we threw a wedding in four days. We definitely took off the last couple of days and cleaned the trucks and the combines and the barn out and made sure it was as presentable as we could make it for the secretary.”
Everett had the honor of hosting a gathering of farmers and Indiana ag industry leaders at his farm where they we’re able to speak candidly with Secretary Rollins.
He says, “All the farmers definitely 110% want year round E15…that’s a no brainer. And to make sure our government is not pushing back on corn products that we’re trying to raise and sell locally. It’s sound science and we know the science to make and produce all those corn products to be safe and sound. So we just wanted to make sure the government is not pushing back against high fructose corn syrup in the markets with that. Also we wanted to make sure that there is a market for all these soybeans. I know President Trump had a very successful visit to South Korea and that he was able to secure a really good deal for the foreseeable future concerning the sale of soybeans so we’d like to make sure that continues and that we are represented well in other countries.”
Everett said other issues were raised as well.
“They also brought up concerns for input prices and commodity prices correlating because we all know that fertilizer hasn’t changed in 40 years but seed and yields have and the uses that are being used for corn and soy are forever changing. We just wanted to make sure that those are all not forgotten but definitely on the top of our list. Also to make sure that animals always have a good market, we wanted to make sure that the beef market is protected. I know there’s a lot going on with Argentina right now and I know farmers are really feeling the hurt and I hope this isn’t a relapse of the 80’s.”
Everett even got the privilege of teaching Secretary Rollins how to drive a combine.
He added, “She claims that she’s just like the rest of us but I wanted to make sure that she was an honored guest of ours and it was very special to have her ride the combine with us. She said it was a dream come true for her to ride and drive a combine so I gave her the crash course in how to drive a half million-dollar piece of machinery very quickly. She caught on like a pro. She did a very good job in helping the Everett family finish up our corn crop.”
All-in-all a very beneficial visit with the Secretary of Agriculture.
