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Write Your Local Paper About Importance of Farming
We're inviting you to send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper and other local media outlets, stressing the importance of modern farming to not just feed the world, but clear the air, based on a new Stanford University study. This study states that, if not for increased yields, additional greenhouse gas emissions from clearing land for farming would have been equal to as much as a third of the world's total output of greenhouse gases since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in 1850.
Click here to send a letter to the editor. |
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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.
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Bringing Grower Concerns to the Table
A delegation of Illinois corn growers discusses inland waterway improvements with a staffer in the office of Rep. Danny Davis. |
While farmers across the United States join the National Corn Growers Association for a variety of reasons, most members state that they value the representation the organization provides in Washington D.C. Legislation that accounts for the interests of growers is essential to the long term success of the agricultural industry but, with only 1.5 percent of the population engaged in farming, these issues often fall to the wayside.
This is especially true given the extremely partisan political climate prevalent at the federal level. As the bickering parties deal with broad issues such as the economy and healthcare, growers must now remain in constant contact with their state's representation in order to draw legislative focus to our issues.
Last week, the grower leaders and state staff participating in Corn Congress, held in the nation's capital, did just that. More than 12 states sent delegations to Capitol Hill where they brought grower concerns to their state's members of the House and Senate and their legislative staff. The delegations worked tirelessly to visit as many legislators as possible with Illinois delegation managing to visit every member of Congress, either directly or through staff that represents their state.
During these visits, growers discussed many of the issues prevalent during Corn Congress such as relaxing trade restrictions with Cuba and renewing tax incentives for ethanol. In addition to these national issues, many delegations brought up issues of special concern to their state. These matters of state concern, such as flooding in Missouri, highlighted the regional concerns that differing physical environments necessitate.
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Key Ethanol Incentive Moving Forward?
NCGA and its allies reiterated their support for ethanol incentives in a letter to Congressional leadership this week as a short-term extension of a key tax credit was under discussion by some members of the important House Ways and Means Committee.
"This is a positive development," noted NCGA President Darrin Ihnen. "This is a signal from House leadership that the ethanol blenders' tax credit is on the table and will be considered a priority as a tax package moves forward. We appreciate the work of Congressmen Earl Pomeroy and John Shimkus on this and are eager to see legislative language in the next few days."
On Monday, NCGA along with American Farm Bureau Federation, the Renewable Fuels Association and the American Coalition for Ethanol sent a letter to the co-sponsors of the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit extension legislation, reaffirming their support of the Renewable Fuels Reinvestment Act in the House and the GREEN Jobs Act of 2010 in the Senate.
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Corn Growers Concerned About Rail Rates
Rail transports about one-third of the corn shipped in the United States, and can consume more than 30 percent of the overall price a farmer receives for his or her grain. Concerned with whether or not recent acquisitions and consolidation in the rail industry may have led to unfair price increases, the National Corn Growers Association commissioned a study to review and analyze freight rail rates for corn.
"We need a financially healthy rail system in this country if we are to prosper," says NCGA First Vice President Bart Schott, a grower from Kulm, N.D. "However, we don't want our transportation options to be limited by unfair practices and the study provides a starting point for discussions regarding reasonable pricing."
Informa Economics evaluated overall rail revenue-to-variable-cost ratios for corn moved by rail in the United States. They looked at the impact of corn market geography, historical freight pricing, production and recent improvements in transportation infrastructure and technology.
Click here for a copy of the study. |
Off the Cob: Board Members Say Good Bye
 During the July 15 session of Corn Congress held in Washington, three grower-leaders who will retire from the National Corn Growers Association Corn Board had the opportunity to provide remarks to the entire delegate body. As the session marked their final meeting with the overall group, the three growers retiring this year, Theresa Schmalshof, Mark Schweibert and Jamie Jamison, spoke on topics such as the importance of service, the value of NCGA and on their own personal experience as a Corn Board member.
"Our grower leaders exhibit true dedication and through their continued hard work NCGA has grown into the premier organization it is today," NCGA President Darrin Ihnen said at Corn Congress. "These members have been active and influential on NCGA's Corn Board and they will be missed."
Off the Cob caught up with all three individuals and asked that they summarize their remarks so that those who were unable to attend the meetings could still enjoy the spirit of their farewells.
To listen to a farewell interview with Theresa, click here.
To listen to a farewell interview with Mark, click here.
To listen to a farewell interview with Jamie, click here. |
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USGC Elects New Board of Directors; Celebrates 50th Anniversary
As the U.S. Grains Council celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, it also elected a new board of directors to lead them in 2011 during their recent board of delegates meeting in Boston, and leadership from the National Corn Growers Association was on hand to congratulate the Council. A founding member of USGC, NCGA works in tandem with the export promotion organization to increase and maintain opportunities both at home and abroad for U.S. corn growers.
"We're proud of the work the Grains Council has accomplished in its history, and we are proud to share several common founding members," said NCGA President Darrin Ihnen. "We are working to build on our half-century history of collaboration so that we can continue to serve the country's corn farmers to the best of our abilities."
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Alternative Worlds Make It Real
 Most people like a good 'whodunit', and apparently so does Stanford University researcher David Lobell. If you follow environmental news, greenhouse gas alleviation seems to cause more consternation than revelation. However, a new study co-authored by Dr. Lobell and published in last month's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences seems to be uncovering some much needed clues on the subject.
Dr. Lobell, a research fellow in Stanford's Program on Food Security and the Environment and assistant professor of environmental earth system science, focuses his research on identifying opportunities to raise crop yields in major agricultural regions with an emphasis on adaptation to climate change. He currently conducts projects in Africa, South Asia, Mexico and the United States using tools such as remote sensing, geographic information systems and crop and climate modeling.
What makes the recent work of Dr. Lobell and his research team unique is their methodology for identifying climatic implications of agriculture through the comparison of actual production data with hypothetical scenarios expanding farmland rather than yields. By creating and comparing alternatives to what actually happened in the period from 1961 to 2005, the researchers were able to dismiss the idea modern agricultural production is more damaging to the environment than old fashion means.
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