Farm Compliance

Washington, DC - This past summer, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Corn Board member Mark Schwiebert traveled to Europe with members of other agriculture groups to learn firsthand about rural development on that continent. The group toured Belgium, Germany, and France and were shown how these countries addressed the environmental aspects of farming.

In December, the group reunited in Washington to discuss what they saw working (and not working) in the European Union. With the current momentum and enthusiasm regarding environment impacts, the group learned how the European Union integrated rural programs into agriculture. The group’s goal in making the trip was to incorporate some of the EU agriculture applications into U.S. agriculture and use those ideas to influence future farm programs and/or legislation.

Next summer, the U.S. tour group is hoping to host members from the EU, Schwiebert, of Hamler, Ohio, said.

“We are looking forward to sharing with the EU how the United States’ approach to rural development is different,” he said. “Currently, the programs we incorporate work with our style of agriculture, but we are always searching for new ideas and technologies to benefit our growers. We are looking forward to a cross-Atlantic idea exchange.”