The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) continues to support the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and respects the process that allows for a waiver to be considered by the Environmental Protection Agency.

That according to NCGA First Vice President Pam Johnson of Floyd, Iowa who talked about the issue during an interview last week at the 2012 Farm Progress Show.

“If the EPA with their due diligence finds that the RFS has caused severe economic harm, then a partial, temporary waiver is in order,” Johnson said, but otherwise, a waiver should not be granted. “Let’s take a big picture, long-term view, and figure out what’s best for our farmers and for our country.”

Due to the uncertainty of this year’s crop, NCGA has already requested an additional 30 days for comments regarding the waiver. “We think it’s a little too early to call this crop. I can’t even really tell what it’s like on my own farm,” Pam said. “We know what this crop is not, we don’t know what this crop is.”

Like many Midwestern farmers, the Johnson’s have watched their crop suffer through a hot and dry summer. “We’ve got some corn that doesn’t have an ear on it, some that might not be so bad, but just guessing I’d say we’re maybe going to have 60% of a crop that we normally have,” she said, adding that the soybeans might fair a little better with some recent rain and cooler temperatures, but the bottom line is that they really don’t know yet.

Listen to my interview with Pam Johnson here: NCGA 1st VP Pam Johnson