Corn Growers Again Voice Spring Rise Opposition

June 29, 2001

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has again voiced its opposition to a spring rise on the Missouri River. The NCGA was among several farm organizations that signed a letter to Congress to keep Section 106 of H.R. 2311, the fiscal year 2002 energy and water appropriations bill. Section 106 stipulates that changes in the management of the Missouri River cannot be made to allow for alteration in springtime river flows.

Reps. Tom Latham (R-IA) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) inserted Section 106 into the appropriations bill last week. The measure has been approved by the House Appropriations Committee and was on the House floor Thursday.

The groups asked members of Congress to vote against any amendment proposing to strike section 106 because of the effects a spring rise would have on Midwestern farmers and farmland. "NCGA and the other organizations feel that removing this provision could harm farmers from Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa and Kansas by the potential flooding of their land and affect barge traffic on both the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers," said Jamie Jamison, Dickerson, MD, farmer and chairman of the NCGA Production and Stewardship Action Team.

Cosigners of the letter are the Agricultural Retailers Association, the American Soybean Association, the National Association of Wheat Growers, the National Grain and Feed Association, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Midwest Area River Coalition.