For more than two decades, Commodity Classic has helped set the stage for the growing season. Farmers and presenters from across the country pour into one place with one goal in mind—to get ready for 2017. As attendance has grown, so has the event’s influence.
Commodity Classic is made of representatives from the corn, soybean, wheat, and sorghum industries, and some leadership from each are echoing their concerns about the future.
Tim Lust, CEO of the National Sorghum Producers
“Because prices have collapsed, people say China must have quit buying sorghum. They are still buying and they’re on track to meet our expectations for exports again this year of over 50 percent of our industry. Domestic demand on the biofuels level is going to break another record for the highest use ever in sorghum again this year.”
Steve Censky, CEO of the American Soybean Association
“China is an extremely important market. We want to make sure our exports are not disrupted, that we’re not involved in any kind of trade war when we hear about tariffs being put on Chinese goods coming in. That’s something that concerns us—how would China retaliate?”
Chris Novak, CEO of the National Corn Growers Association
“We’re not going to grow demand quickly as we saw with the creation of the first Renewable Fuels Standard. That was a unique time in history and a unique opportunity for corn growers. The future growth of demand is going to be slow and steady.”
Chandler Goule, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers
“There are plenty of other countries out there that are in need of U.S. wheat, but what we need is the administration to focus in on one so we can be supportive of that and help move that ball forward.”
