NCGA's annual Priority and Policy Conference was held this week in St. Louis. See related story below and click here for a selection of images from the event.

Farmers Gather for Priority and Policy Conference

The National Corn Growers Association's annual Priority and Policy Conference took place this week in St. Louis, bringing farmer leaders from many corn states to begin the discussion of state and national priorities for 2012 and consider changes to NCGA's policies on subjects such as trade, ethanol and biotechnology.

"This meeting was an important opportunity for us to learn from leaders in our state organizations about their concerns and work together on a consensus for moving forward in the months ahead," said NCGA President Bart Schott, a grower from Kulm, N.D. "It came at an important time for our industry, with a new Congress now seated and a new farm bill and presidential election on the horizon."

The meeting was for chairs, presidents and executive directors of NCGA's state organizations, as well chairs and vice chairs of the organization's action teams and committees, and started with an economic analysis presentation from Dr. Bruce Scherr, chairman of the board and CEO of Informa Economics, who talked about corn supply and demand and what drives overall commodity prices globally.

This year, as part of a collaborative initiative with the U.S. Grains Council, the Priority and Policy Conference also included leadership from that organization for a discussion of USGC priorities and trade issues.

Database Helps Growers Make Smart Seed Choices

Planting time is just around the corner for our nation's corn growers. But before finalizing seed purchases, NCGA recommends farmers research their marketing opportunities because not all hybrids are approved for all export market uses.

Consulting NCGA's Know Before You Grow database can assist growers in indentifying the export and marketing implications of each corn hybrid before they're committed to the ground.

"U.S. farmers are growing for an international marketplace, so it's important for growers to keep track of the opportunities and challenges of marketing corn overseas," said Chad Blindauer, chairman of NCGA's Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team. "Know Before You Grow has become an important educational tool for our growers, and fits perfectly with our mission of creating and increasing opportunities for our famers."

For 2011, corn growers planting biotech seed have more choices than ever before. And there is no end in sight for the industry's trend towards producing and refining all-in-one power performing seeds. In cooperation with the nation's leading seed companies, NCGA has designed a database to help make seed purchase decisions as comprehensive and convenient a process as possible. This database lists nearly 3,000 seed products based on biotech traits and their approval status by Japan and the EU. Of the registered hybrid traits in the database, 2,905 have been approved in Japan, 2,262 for food and feed use in the EU or just for feed use in the EU. This tool is respected and used worldwide by governments and the industry on a regular basis.

Growers should continue to read their grower agreements before planting and communicate with their grain buyers if they are unsure of any new regulations. For hybrids not fully approved for all export markets, there are still channels available. The key is to know before you grow, so growers can channel hybrids not fully approved for all export markets to elevators accepting them, into their own livestock rations, or domestic livestock feeding channels.

2010 Annual Report Focuses on Igniting Action

The National Corn Growers Association's Annual Report for 2010, available now on the NCGA Website, talks about the many ways the organization and its 35,000 members took action for the industry and all of American agriculture last year.

"Every farmer has a little fire in the belly. We have a drive to push ahead through bad weather, to move beyond turbulent markets and to keep a vision of harvest through it all," said NCGA's 2010 president, Darrin Ihnen. "Yet we often face challenges that don't come from Mother Nature or the markets. Sometimes they come from regulators, Congress, activists or those who do not have much respect for or understanding of the tremendous opportunities all Americans have thanks to the billions of bushels of corn we produce every year."

These challenges were opportunities for action and for educating Americans not on the farm about the importance of what U.S. corn growers do to feed and fuel the world. NCGA helped get a higher-level blend of ethanol approved for newer cars. It helped get key ethanol incentives passed. It fought back when critics wanted to stop the use of atrazine or wrongly blamed high fructose corn syrup for a myriad of ills.

In 2010, NCGA and its state affiliates carried out an image and activism campaign that reached consumers around the country through social and mainstream media and educated Washington policymakers via the Corn Farmers Coalition, which saturated Capitol Hill in the summer with a campaign based on the truth about today's farmers. NCGA has taken the lead and kept it.

"The excitement and energy of the National Corn Growers Association and its members draws others in - whether that be new members or other organizations who, like us, are striving to share the success of agriculture with a broader audience," writes NCGA CEO Rick Tolman. "Sharing the story of corn farmers is critical. It is how we keep the farmer in agriculture, something that is necessary since some critics continue to mislead and miss the point that there are indeed real men, women and families in the countryside producing feed, food, fuel and fiber."

In the report, Ihnen calls on growers to continue their work and their leadership role.

"As new leaders take the drive they have for farming and extend it to these and other efforts, we will see incredible success in the future. NCGA is your organization - it is your opportunity to come together and make sure corn farmers are heard," he said. "Your participation, your inspiration and your dedication are what make corn farmers and NCGA successful. It humbles me to be a member of such a great organization." 

Social Media Training Series Starts Thursday

The first webinar of NCGA's 2011 Social Media Training Program will take place at 10:30 a.m. CST Thursday, January 20. The program is generously sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, and is the first of 12 free hour-long online learning sessions that will be held monthly through 2011.

"NCGA's mission is to create and increase opportunities for our members, and promoting the image of corn is a very important part of that," said Grower Services Action Team Chair Brandon Hunnicutt, a farmer in Nebraska very active in using Facebook and Twitter. "There is great value for our industry in developing a corps of farmers savvy in social media to engage in public discussions about today's agriculture."

The Jan. 20 webinar will address the goals of the series, and why growers should take the time to participate. Presenters will define the objectives and review the "return on investment" of engaging in social media and how it fits within the context of agriculture. Instructors will also review how it is being used successfully by others in the industry and show participants how they can track their personal social media success.

"America's farmers have a compelling story to tell about their work to feed and fuel the world," said Judd O'Connor, Pioneer vice president, North America Sales. "Pioneer Hi-Bred is proud to partner with the NCGA to help farmers tell that story through social media."

Follow-up webinars are planned for February 17, March 17, April 28, May 19, June 16, July 21, August 18, September 15, October 20, November 17 and December 15. Times for these will be announced prior to the webinars.

Click here to register or get more information.