Indiana corn and soybean farmers had the opportunity to meet with legislators Wednesday at the Statehouse, and bacon is what brought everyone together.
“A lot of people think because you represent a non-rural area, like Indianapolis, that we don’t have an interest in what’s going on out there with our farmers. And that’s just far from the truth,” says Indiana Senator Greg Taylor.
Taylor is the Indiana Senate Minority Leader and represents Senate District 33 in Marion County. He enjoyed bacon, duck sausage patties, and corn fritters Wednesday morning at the Indiana Corn Growers Association and Indiana Soybean Alliance Bacon Bar & Brunch event.
Taylor heard from farmers on a number of issues, including Senate Bill 451 that we recently told you about that would infringe on property owners land rights by allowing Wabash Valley Resources to use your subsurface pore space to store C02. Taylor says people need to understand that a landowners property goes from above ground to the core of the earth.
“Well, everybody should be protected. It’s not just about farmers. It’s about every property owner. What we have to do is a balancing act from a public policy standpoint. We have to be able to make sure that we’re protecting the rights of our citizens, but at the same time, we don’t stymie any economic development opportunities. So, we have to create jobs and opportunities for people.”
Senate Bill 451 was heard in committee earlier this week. It was not voted on, instead the committee urged both sides to try and reach common ground. We’ll update you more on that next week.
State Representative Cory Criswell represents Henry and Rush counties, which he describes as very ag heavy. He appreciated the opportunity to meet with farmers.
“I’ll listen, I’ll make my own decisions, but obviously if you have all the farmers reaching out saying this is a good thing or this is a bad thing, then you probably need to lean on the experts when it comes to that.”
Indiana’s corn and soybean policy teams are keeping a close eye on a number of bills this session, including one that would provide retailers a tax incentive for selling higher blends of ethanol. We’ll have more on that bill and others in the coming days.
