Corn growers say McCain trying to use ethanol for his gain

There’s no love for Arizona Senator John McCain among leaders of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, which is holding its policy conference in Des Moines today. Association president Ron Litterer is angered by McCain’s comments about ethanol during Monday’s republican presidential debates.Litterer says McCain has written off Iowa and is using ethanol as a whipping boy to try and win New Hampshire. Litterer, who farms in the Greene area, says McCain is wrong about there being a “subsidy” on ethanol, a fuel made from corn. Litterer says it’s simply a tax that’s not collected. He says McCain is being very short-sighted.Litterer says he and other leaders of the Iowa Corn Growers Association are also meeting today with the leaders of the Iowa Soybean Association. The two agencies unveiled a membership agreement that became effective last month, which he says is working out well.Other issues Litterer says are being discussed today include: changes in the farm bill and how genetically-modified or “G-M-O” crops are effecting trade. Governor Vilsack is scheduled to address a joint meeting of the corn & soybean groups at noon.