As co-chairs of the Congressional Chicken Caucus, Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Congressman Sanford Bishop (D-GA) expressed their concern with the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent decision to not waive its’ mandate on the use of corn for ethanol production, ignoring the needs of family farmers and poultry producers. Affected negatively by drought conditions, corn production has decreased, which has driven up the cost of feed grain.

“Record drought conditions and rising feed costs have put a huge burden on producers in my district and across the country this year. It’s a shame that the Environmental Protection Agency would not waive the corn ethanol mandate that could give farm families some relief,” said Crawford. “No government agency represents a bigger burden for farm families than the EPA. It’s time for Washington bureaucrats to hear the concerns of the agriculture community and grant a waiver for the corn ethanol mandate.”

“With the price of feed continually rising and the economy in the state that it is, I am disappointed that the Environmental Protection Agency would not use its’ ability to waive the corn ethanol mandate to provide relief for our agricultural industries,” said Congressman Bishop. “The EPA continues to be the source of the challenges many Georgia farmers and producers face on a day to day basis. A temporary waiver of the corn ethanol mandate would have represented a balance between the needs of rural America and our responsibility to protect our sacred environment. Going forward, I will continue to work with both sides to find compromise, and encourage the Environmental Protection Agency to join in the discussion.”

As co-chairs of the Congressional Chicken Caucus, Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Congressman Sanford Bishop (D-GA) expressed their concern with the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent decision to not waive its’ mandate on the use of corn for ethanol production, ignoring the needs of family farmers and poultry producers. Affected negatively by drought conditions, corn production has decreased, which has driven up the cost of feed grain.