Run Details

State

Completed

Started At

October 12, 2026 at 05:17 PM

Completed At

October 12, 2026 at 05:17 PM

Duration

1 minute

Headline

New President of National Corn Growers Association Sets Out Agenda

Data Preview

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  "title": "New President of National Corn Growers Association Sets Out Agenda",
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  "source": "youtube",
  "channel": {
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/@FarmJournal",
    "title": "Farm Journal",
    "handle": "farmjournal",
    "channel_id": "UCqTizkFSbhBojVtIkjMEoZQ"
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  "matched": true,
  "insights": {
    "risks": [
      "Michigan farmers struggle with heat units.",
      "High input costs (fertilizer, fuel) are hurting farmer balance sheets.",
      "Lower commodity prices are contributing to tough financial situations for farmers.",
      "Farmers may not have enough bushels this year to reach break-even.",
      "The path to passing an E15 bill is uncertain due to political hurdles and differing stances in committees.",
      "The state of the economy and fuel prices exert significant pressure on the farm industry.",
      "A new crop of representatives and senators after the midterms will require extensive education on agricultural issues."
    ],
    "topics": [
      "National Corn Growers Association",
      "Corn",
      "Agricultural Policy",
      "Farm Bill",
      "Ethanol",
      "Biofuels",
      "Bioplastics",
      "Farm Economics",
      "Livestock"
    ],
    "summary": "The new President of the National Corn Growers Association, Matt Frostic, discusses his Michigan farm operation, which includes corn, soybeans, sugar beets, dry beans, and cattle. He outlines his priorities for the year, focusing on passing a new Farm Bill and an E15 bill, while also exploring new markets for corn in aviation fuel, marine fuel, and bioplastics. Frostic highlights the current challenges farmers face with high input costs and low prices, emphasizing the need for policy wins to support the agricultural industry.",
    "entities": [
      {
        "name": "Chip Flory",
        "type": "person",
        "context": "AgriTalk AM Host"
      },
      {
        "name": "Matt Frostic",
        "type": "person",
        "context": "New President of the National Corn Growers Association"
      },
      {
        "name": "National Corn Growers Association",
        "type": "organization",
        "context": "Matt Frostic is the new president"
      },
      {
        "name": "Michigan",
        "type": "region",
        "context": "Matt's farm location"
      },
      {
        "name": "Thumb of Michigan",
        "type": "region",
        "context": "Matt's farm location"
      },
      {
        "name": "Detroit",
        "type": "region",
        "context": "80 miles north of Matt's farm"
      },
      {
        "name": "Lake Huron",
        "type": "region",
        "context": "7 miles west of Matt's farm"
      },
      {
        "name": "Applegate",
        "type": "region",
        "context": "Town where Matt's farm is located"
      },
      {
        "name": "corn",
        "type": "commodity",
        "context": "Crop grown on Matt's farm and focus of NCGA"
      },
      {
        "name": "soybeans",
        "type": "commodity",
        "context": "Crop grown on Matt's farm"
      },
      {
        "name": "sugar beets",
        "type": "commodity",
        "context": "Specialty crop grown on Matt's farm"
      },
      {
        "name": "dry beans",
        "type": "commodity",
        "context": "Specialty crop grown on Matt's farm"
      },
      {
        "name": "cattle",
        "type": "commodity",
        "context": "Livestock on Matt's farm"
      },
      {
        "name": "Midwest",
        "type": "region",
        "context": "Michigan farming resembles the Midwest"
      },
      {
        "name": "ethanol plants",
        "type": "concept",
        "context": "Four in Michigan, fifth expected online"
      },
      {
        "name": "livestock industry",
        "type": "concept",
        "context": "Heavy in the Thumb of Michigan"
      },
      {
        "name": "dairy",
        "type": "commodity",
        "context": "Converted to beef in the Thumb of Michigan"
      },
      {
        "name": "beef",
        "type": "commodity",
        "context": "Dairy converted to beef in the Thumb of Michigan"
      },
      {
        "name": "Michigan Corn",
        "type": "organization",
        "context": "Where Matt Frostic started his leadership path"
      },
      {
        "name": "Farm Bureau",
        "type": "organization",
        "context": "Matt Frostic retired from Farm Bureau"
      },
      {
        "name": "John Linder",
        "type": "person",
        "context": "Past president who encouraged Matt Frostic to join the Corn Board"
      },
      {
        "name": "Farm Bill",
        "type": "concept",
        "context": "Priority for NCGA"
      },
      {
        "name": "E15 bill",
        "type": "concept",
        "context": "Priority for NCGA"
      },
      {
        "name": "aviation fuel",
        "type": "commodity",
        "context": "New market for corn"
      },
      {
        "name": "marine fuel",
        "type": "commodity",
        "context": "New market for corn"
      },
      {
        "name": "bioplastics",
        "type": "commodity",
        "context": "New market for corn"
      },
      {
        "name": "fertilizer",
        "type": "commodity",
        "context": "High input costs"
      },
      {
        "name": "fuel",
        "type": "commodity",
        "context": "High input costs"
      },
      {
        "name": "economy",
        "type": "concept",
        "context": "State of the economy impacting farmers"
      },
      {
        "name": "Middle East",
        "type": "region",
        "context": "Need for consensus for stable input flow"
      },
      {
        "name": "House",
        "type": "organization",
        "context": "Champions for E15 and Farm Bill"
      },
      {
        "name": "Senate",
        "type": "organization",
        "context": "Champions for E15 and Farm Bill"
      }
    ],
    "sentiment": "mixed",
    "confidence": 0.95,
    "key_points": [
      {
        "point": "Matt Frostic is the new President of the National Corn Growers Association.",
        "timestamp": "00:19",
        "importance": "high"
      },
      {
        "point": "His farm is located in the \"Thumb of Michigan,\" about 80 miles north of Detroit and 7 miles west of Lake Huron, in Applegate.",
        "timestamp": "01:10",
        "importance": "medium"
      },
      {
        "point": "His farm consists of about 1000 acres of row crops (sugar beets, soybeans, corn) and around 400 head of cattle on feed.",
        "timestamp": "01:37",
        "importance": "medium"
      },
      {
        "point": "The region's agriculture includes crop and livestock, with special crops like sugar beets and dry beans.",
        "timestamp": "01:27",
        "importance": "medium"
      },
      {
        "point": "Michigan has four ethanol plants, with a fifth one that was mothballed in 2019 expected to come online.",
        "timestamp": "02:29",
        "importance": "medium"
      },
      {
        "point": "The main market for their corn crop is livestock (dairy converted to beef) and ethanol.",
        "timestamp": "02:57",
        "importance": "medium"
      },
      {
        "point": "Matt's leadership path began with Michigan Corn, followed by election to the National Corn Growers Association board four years ago, serving as Vice President, and now President.",
        "timestamp": "03:14",
        "importance": "high"
      },
      {
        "point": "A top priority for the year ahead is to get a Farm Bill across the board and an E15 bill passed.",
        "timestamp": "05:20",
        "importance": "high"
      },
      {
        "point": "The industry is currently hurting from a couple of years of high inputs and lower prices, leading to tough balance sheets.",
        "timestamp": "05:49",
        "importance": "high"
      },
      {
        "point": "This year, farmers likely won't have enough bushels to reach break-even.",
        "timestamp": "05:54",
        "importance": "high"
      },
      {
        "point": "New areas of focus for corn include aviation fuel, marine fuel, and bioplastics.",
        "timestamp": "06:15",
        "importance": "high"
      },
      {
        "point": "The path for the E15 bill is uncertain due to certain positions in rules committees, requiring efforts to soften these stances.",
        "timestamp": "06:59",
        "importance": "high"
      },
      {
        "point": "There is significant pressure from fuel prices and the state of the economy on the farm industry.",
        "timestamp": "07:37",
        "importance": "high"
      },
      {
        "point": "Passing the Farm Bill and E15 is seen as a \"slam dunk\" for solving many problems.",
        "timestamp": "07:46",
        "importance": "high"
      },
      {
        "point": "After the midterms, there will be a lot of educating to do with new representatives and senators.",
        "timestamp": "10:46",
        "importance": "high"
      },
      {
        "point": "Meeting other farmers and understanding their challenges and successes is a rewarding aspect of the role.",
        "timestamp": "09:30",
        "importance": "medium"
      },
      {
        "point": "The NCGA plans to keep issues like E15 and the Farm Bill front and center in politicians' minds.",
        "timestamp": "10:37",
        "importance": "high"
      }
    ],
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  "transcript": "Yep, this is always one of the more exciting interviews that I do all year because I love getting the new president of the National Corn Growers Association on here, getting to know them, figure out what the priorities are for the year ahead and, uh, and see what they've got on on their plate for the year ahead.And joining us right now is the new president, Matt Frostic, uh, from Michigan. He is the new president of the National Corn Growers Association. Matt, welcome to AgriTalk. It's great to talk to you. Thank you, Chip. Thank you for the time to be on. I certainly appreciate the opportunity to be here. Yeah, well, congratulations. What an honor. It it certainly is, uh, to be chosen by your your fellow partners on on a board to to move up into leadership. Um, it is it's a humbling honor to to be here. Uh, the position is way bigger than me. Um, it'll be here it's been here for a long time. It'll be here, uh, for beyond me. So, um, yeah, just it's it's a great it's a great experience so far, um, and looking forward to the next year. Yes. Good. Good, good. Tell us about your operation, Matt. So, I farm in what we call the Thumb of Michigan. Uh, it's about, uh, 80 miles north of Detroit, and we're about 7 miles west of Lake Huron in a town called Applegate. Um, it's kind of a Midwestern look in this area. Um, it's crop crop and livestock, uh, corn soybeans. We do have some specialty crops like sugar beets and and dry beans that we grow here. My farm specifically, we we farm, we're a smaller farm. We have about a thousand acres of row crops of sugar beets and soybeans and corn, and we have about, uh, around 400 head of cattle on feed, give or take, right now. Yeah. Yeah. A thousand acres in in Michigan. I mean, that that's probably 60 or 70 tenants over there, isn't it? Matt? Actually, no. This area is quite Yeah. Um, you know, our our my average farm field size is probably 80 acres, give or take. Um, it's it's laid out fairly flat here. Um, like I said, it it kind of resembles a lot what you'd see in the Midwest. We just struggle more with heat units than anything here. Um, we always have lots of water to deal with, too. So, um, but yeah. Yeah, gotcha. What's your market? What where where does your corn crop go? So, we have four ethanol plants in the state right now. A fifth one should be online. It it, uh, they mothballed it in 2019, I believe it was. But we have about four ethanol plants. Uh, we're a heavy livestock industry here. Uh, a lot of dairy years back that's kind of converted to beef. Um, so there's a lot of a heavy livestock influence in the Thumb area. Uh, a lot of dairy beef that's grown in this area, too, actually. So, um, so yeah, that's that's kind of the the main market between livestock and ethanol for for our corn crop. All right. All right. Talk to us about the the your leadership path. What does it look like that got you to President of NCGA? Yeah, I started in Michigan Corn, uh, several years ago. Um, kind of retired out of Farm Bureau at that point and and, uh, was looking just to finish raising my kids, and a neighbor approached me about, uh, joining the the state corn growers and and kind of thought about it. We we eventually joined or ran for got elected, and then, you know, as I was finishing that term out, a past president, John Linder, said, you you really should think about running for the Corn Board. I said, I'm not so sure a guy from Michigan is, uh, up for that task. I mean, we're just a small corn-growing state. Um, but he we had continued our conversations and and, um, I guess you you look at it, if the door opens, you go. And so we did and was elected, you know, four years ago on the National Board and then, uh, before you know it, you're looking at a looking at a leadership position. So, ran for that, uh, year ago, served as Vice President, and then this year served as President. So, that's kind of the quick quick rundown. Yeah. Yeah, good for you. Good for you. I mean, if you don't show up, uh, somebody else is going to make the decisions for you. And I I mean, is is that kind of your your thought process here that you want to be involved in the decision-making? Um, yeah. I mean, when you at first you don't feel like you're the you're worthy of the spot, but once you dig into the details and and just get engaged in policy, the more the more engagement you have, the more you the the thought of, like, we need to get things fixed and just the the more engaged you get, I guess, and you you really get a heart for it. You take everything personal at that point. And I think that's I mean, everybody on the board does the same thing. It it's when you see the the challenges ahead and what we need to do to fix, it it becomes personal that you you want to get things done in that regard. Right. Yep. Yep, I get you. I get you. So, what's got you most excited about the year ahead? What's on your priority list? Well, we a lot of challenges, actually. I mean, we, you know, we've been, uh, we've spent a year trying to get a Farm Bill across the board and an E15, uh, bill that's either either it's attached or it's not. It just depends on how we look at it. Um, and I think right now it it looks to be attached to the Farm Bill, uh, possibly in a December conversation. We'll see. Um, I I really would we, you know, as an industry, we need to get a win. We need to get something that brings some solidarity to our industry right now. We're just hurting from a, you know, a couple years of high inputs, um, you know, lower prices. I think this year we won't have the bushels to to kind of bushel ourselves close to that break-even, uh, across the board. I think we're we're going to struggle with that. So, I think there's a lot of balance sheets that are going to be in tough tough shape than they were last year, and they were it was tough last year. So, we really need that win. Um, we need I would really like to move on to new things like, uh, uh, aviation fuel, uh, marine bio marine fuel and and bioplastics are three big things that we're, uh, gauging our sights on for the future for at least in the corn world. So, that's important to us right now. Yeah. Yeah, I would like to be able to move on to some of those other issues, too, but here we are. And and that's that's the reality. And and E15 in particular, Matt, uh, we've been it it seems that the industry has been so close. I mean, just one more kick and and it gets you over the the goal line. Um, Yeah. And and it hasn't happened. What can it happen this time? I I really think it can. We just we've the path is uncertain as it's always been. Um, we have some great champions in the House and in the Senate for E15 and Farm Bill. I mean, they've they've done everything they can do. Um, some great advocates. Um, and I I believe that if we can work together, we can get some more advocates for this to to get across the board. I think the key is that we have certain, uh, certain positions in Rules Committee or or whatever that that get in the way of this. And we've got to figure out how to soften that those stances or figure out what makes this work for them, too. Um, that's probably the key at this point. Um, obviously, there's a lot of pressure. You look at the price of fuel right now, and you look at the state of our economy, and you look at the state of our farm industry, and these things really, I mean, they're kind of a slam dunk for solving a lot of problems. Yeah. Yeah, uh, you know, as as you talk about the tight margins, uh, everybody's looking for an answer on how we're going to find some relief or some support for margins as we get into the fall season and the fall fertilizer application season. The we what has happened so far hasn't really provided that much relief. We need to end a end a war or two, really, to, uh, bring some immediate relief, don't we, Matt? Yeah, I mean, perfect storm this year. We go into fertilizer, you know, spring in a heavy time to purchase fertilizers, whether they were prepaid or not. I mean, we still many of us still had to buy in those high markets. Um, you know, fuel prices went up a little bit, but we don't use a lot of fuel necessarily in the spring like we do in the fall. And then we get to the fall and all of a sudden prices double, and it's just like a one more strike against the ag economy to to produce a profit in this crop. Um, that that's been the struggle. I I think we're all trying to figure out to get through. I mean, we've talked about red dye diesel in our farm trucks and things like that. But Yeah. The reality is is we really need to get some, uh, consensus with the the Middle East and get that under more stable conditions when you think about some of the inputs that flow through the the straits that we need not only right now but in the spring, too. Yeah. Yeah, we certainly certainly need that relief. There is no question about it. No doubt. No doubt. Okay, um, what, uh, what are you looking forward to the most as as you serve the time as as President of NCGA, Matt? I I think, you know, meeting farmers, meeting one of the neatest surprises. I mean, we're kind of in the corner here in Michigan. You don't get out and see the Midwest like others get to see it. Um, that's been a real blessing to meet other farmers, whether they're on the board or, uh, within the industry or or whatever. It's it's really intriguing and interesting to go see how other people do things and their challenges and and my challenges and kind of compare and and successes, too. I mean, there's a lot of things that we're everything's similar, but then there's those little nuances that, you know, oh, you you have that problem, and I have this issue, and and they're very different. But many of our struggles are so much the same. So, I I I think that's that's, uh, I look forward to that. I mean, obviously, getting policy done in in DC is important to me. Uh, we've spent a lot of time there this year. I look forward to getting back there and and, you know, making a presence. I think we don't have the the ability to pass E15 or Farm Bill as far as our as an industry organization, but we can certainly influence them. We can certainly keep those issues front stage and center in the politicians' mind, and that's that's what we plan to do. Yeah, well, and after the midterms, you're going to have a lot of educating to do with a brand new crop of representatives and some senators, is is what it sounds like, Matt. Yeah, and that and that's a challenge. I mean, all the more for getting something done this fall. Um, you know, January 1, we start a new slate with a lot of our champions are retiring or, uh, me, you know, may maybe voted out, whatever the case. Um, but we're we're starting with a very very new slate, uh, give or take. So, yeah. Yeah. Yep, well, good luck with the position, Matt. Uh, well deserved. I'm looking forward to talking to you more as the year goes on. Thank you, Matt. Thank you so much.",
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