Banner
Friday, March 12, 2010
Speak Up!  Let Legislators Know Where Ag Stands
 
With legislation to open agricultural trade with Cuba and VEETC (the ethanol blenders tax credit) pending, NCGA urges members and supporters to contact their Congress members and explain why H.R. 4645 and VEETC are crucial to U.S. growers.  To utilize NCGA's letter assistance resource for Cuba legislation, click here, for VEETC legislation, click here.
About Us

Founded in 1957, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) represents approximately 35,000 dues-paying corn growers and the interests of more than 300,000 farmers who contribute through corn checkoff programs in their states. NCGA and its 48 affiliated state associations and checkoff organizations work together to help protect and advance corn growers' interests.
 
On the Internet:
 
 NCGA Home Page
Visit NCGA's blog
NCGA on Facebook
NCGA on Twitter
NCGA on YouTube
Bart Schott testifies before the House Ag Committee
Cuban Embargo Works Against U.S. Farmers
 
The U.S. House of Representative's Agriculture Committee held a hearing on agriculture sales to Cuba this week. Bart Schott, National Corn Growers Association first vice president and a grower from Kulm, N.D., participated in the commodity panel's discussion on increasing one-way exports to Cuba.

"The Cuban embargo works. It works against U.S. farmers and ranchers," said Schott. "I simply can't believe that is what Congress intended this policy to accomplish. Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Representative Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) have come up with good solutions in their bill that would eliminate the embargo's impact on me, an American farmer, without getting rid of the embargo altogether."

H.R. 4645, the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act, lifts the requirement known as "cash in advance" that times a Cuban payment for U.S. agricultural goods prior to leaving port, instead of payment before title changes, which is generally at the point of destination. The bill also changes "third party banking" to allow the Cuban importer to pay a U.S. bank directly, instead of going through a non-U.S. third party bank.

The bill also lifts the travel ban and, in doing so, would allow U.S. tourists to go to Cuba. It would not increase travel from Cuba to the United States in any way.

Export projections for these value-added products would increase past their current trend lines. NCGA estimates Cuban chicken consumption could grow over time, doubling U.S. chicken exports to 277,000 metric tons. This would require almost 22 million bushels of corn.

To read the transcript of Schott's oral testimony, 
click here.

To listen to NCGA Joint Trade Policy A-Team Chair Steve Yoder, a grower from Dalhart, Texas, explain the provisions in H.R. 4645 and how it benefits growers, 
click here. 

Growers Need to Consider Insurance Options
 
NCGA would like to remind growers of a significant enhancement in the federal crop insurance program as the March 15 sales closing date for federal crop insurance fast approaches. A national pilot program advanced by NCGA and adopted in the 2008 Farm Bill increases the federal government's cost share of premiums for policies to better reflect the additional risk by producers who change from optional unit to enterprise unit policy coverage.
 

An enterprise unit includes all shares of a crop in the county, which aggregates sharecropped land with owned and rented land. Overall, the higher enterprise unit subsidies have facilitated a switch from lower levels of coverage on smaller basic and optional units to higher levels of coverage.

The pilot program is designed to give farmers who insure their crops using whole-farm and enterprise-unit structures the same subsidy payments as farmers who insure their crops under basic and optional unit structures. Previously, growers who purchased policies tied to basic and options units received a higher dollar amount subsidy even though both forms of insurance coverage offered the same subsidy percentage. The USDA's Risk Management Agency has noted that the pilot calculates whole-farm and enterprise-unit subsidies so that they are approximately equal to the subsidy amount the federal government would have paid were the crop insured under basic or optional units.

For the whole story, click here.

Explore New Revenue Streams at CUTC 2010
 
CUTC Logo
With the 2010 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference quickly approaching, the time to register is now. Over the coming weeks, chairs heading the 10 technical sessions will explain what attendees can expect to learn from their sessions during the conference. This week, Nathan Danielson, chair of the New Products and Revenue Streams Technical Session, talks about the learning opportunities that his session will offer.
 

Based on the idea that second generation biofuels beyond ethanol can create additional revenue streams for growers by increasing demands, this session looks at the recent development of new catalysts, both bio-based and conventional, that has resulted in the production of a number of new biofuels. These fuels will both supplement ethanol and allow for new fuel markets to be accessed. Participants will leave with a firm understanding of the cutting edge technology that will allow growers to take advantage of the four billion ton mandate for advanced biofuels contained in RFSII.

"This session not only explores a wide range of potential products, but it also explores the various methods to get to those products," said Danielson. "Potential participants might consider that this session provides quite a broad range of information on methods as it will address not only conventional and bio-based catalysts but also new hybrid technologies."

For the whole story, click here.
 
USGC Announces Food Security Symposium
 
During Commodity Classic, U.S. Grains Council Chairman Rick Fruth and Senior Vice President of Operations and Industry Relations Keith Heffernan announced the tentative lineup of speakers for the upcoming Global Food Security Symposium, sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council.
 

The symposium will gather U.S. and Japanese government, agribusiness and biotechnology leaders for a first-ever, day-long examination of how international cooperation, policy and technology can be used to feed a burgeoning world population.

"The Global Food Security Symposium brings together some of the world's finest minds for an earnest discussion of how we can leverage the past successes in international agricultural cooperative programs between the United States and Japan," said Fruth. "We will discuss how to also utilize today's emerging technologies for providing proper nutrition and economic stability and strength for our world's growing population."

For the whole story, click here.
 Meet the Candidates
Leadership through Service
 

Gene Baumgardner
With a strong belief that the National Corn Growers Association is the premier grassroots organization both run by and for corn farmers and with his personal dedication to grower service, Gene Baumgardner of Jeffersonville, Ohio, chose to seek election to NCGA's 2011 Corn Board.

"I believe in leadership through service," said Baumgardner. "My record of service demonstrates that I care about the industry. I will continue this service with honesty, sincerity and dedication on the Corn Board."

Baumgardner and his wife, Johnita, run Ricketts Farm Inc. where they, together with two full-time employees, grow corn, soybeans and wheat on 1,900 acres. Additionally, the Baumgardners have a Pioneer seed dealership that also offers agricultural chemicals and fertilizer.

Baumgardner's resume includes a significant and distinguished leadership history. Previously, he has served as the president, vice president and treasurer of the Ohio Corn Growers Association, as the chair and vice chair of the NCGA Production and Stewardship Action Team, and in various capacities working on the Corn Vision 2012 program.

Click here for more about Gene Baumgardner.
 WWW.CORNCOMMENTARY.COM
This Week's NCGA Blog Highlights
 
Former NCGA President talks corn and ethanol while on a power trip...George Patton was tough enough to be a farmer...a new campaign will reinforce the importance of ag...but should the USDA be renamed?
 
Click here for more.

 Week at a Glance
The Week of March 14-21
National Ag Week
 
Monday, March 15 through Thursday, March 18, NCGA representatives will attend the National Institute of Animal Agriculture Meeting in Kansas City.
 
Tuesday, March 16 through March 18, the NCGA Corn Board will meet in Washington, D.C.
 
March 16 through Monday, March 22, NCGA will be represented at a Maize Genome Conference.
 
Wednesday, March 17, NCGA staff attends Washington University's Sustainability Institute, I-Cares, Advisory Committee Meeting.
 
March 18, NCGA will participate in National Ag Week Events held on Capitol Hill. March 20 is National Ag Day.
 
March 18 through March 21 NCGA staff attends the MA Crop Registration Committee Meeting in San Francisco.
 
March 18 through Friday, March 19, NCGA's Agri-Industry Council meets in Washington, D.C.
 
March 18 thourgh March 19, NCGA staff attends the PRX Annual Seminar in Kansas City.