WASHINGTON, July 16, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today awarded Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) with its prestigious President's Award for his leadership and commitment to reform in the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.
"Sen. Brown is truly an exceptional leader," said NCGA President Ron Litterer. "NCGA cannot thank him enough for helping to take farm policy to a new level by introducing the Average Crop Revenue Election program. We thank Senator Brown for embracing a market-based revenue program."
Litterer noted how Sen. Brown and his colleague, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), were instrumental in getting the Average Crop Revenue Election program in the farm bill. ACRE significantly reforms how U.S. commodity programs operate by better addressing the volatility that growers face in the marketplace.
Sen. Brown praised NCGA for its leadership during his remarks. "I am proud to have worked with farmers from Ohio and throughout the Midwest to demand programs that protect farmers while reforming our agriculture policy," said Sen. Brown. "The National Corn Growers Association and the thousands of farmers they represent have shown true leadership, vision, and responsiveness to the needs of rural America throughout the 2008 farm bill debate. I am honored to receive this award recognizing our shared success in the 2008 farm bill and look forward to our future work together on issues important to rural America."
Senator Brown accepted his award before a crowd of more than 250 growers and staff attending NCGA's Corn Congress, currently under way in Washington, D.C. The President's Award is presented annually to a leader who has worked to further issues important to corn growers and agriculture.
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is a national organization founded in 1957 and represents approximately 33,000 dues-paying corn growers and the interests of more than 300,000 farmers who contribute through corn checkoff programs in their states. NCGA and its 48 affiliated state associations and checkoff organizations work together to help protect and advance the corn producer's interests.