American Ethanol green flags signal the start of the Daytona 500.

NASCAR Season Kicks Off With Ethanol

With an attendance of 180,000 and a broadcast audience in the millions, NASCAR's exciting Daytona 500 - dubbed "The Great American Race" - had a crucial difference this past Sunday: the cars were all fueled with a 15 percent blend of ethanol as part of the NASCAR American Ethanol partnership involving the National Corn Growers Association and Growth Energy. 

Click here for exclusive photos of the race.

"This is just the beginning of the racing season, and NASCAR's 75 million race fans will see the benefits of an ethanol blend for more power and less emissions," said NCGA President Bart Schott, on hand for the race in Daytona Beach, Fla., with growers and others for an up-close look at how a NASCAR race operates. "This has been a great experience for us to learn more about NASCAR's drivers, staff and fans and to help spread the word about ethanol."

American-Ethanol-sponsored driver Clint Bowyer had a great showing this weekend, winning a pole position for Saturday's Drive4COPD 300 race and coming in second, and scoring the sixth starting position for the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Bowyer led that premier event 11 times for 31 laps and then finished 17th, after a massive pileup only four laps before the end of the race.

Bowyer, driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet, will serve as an official spokesman for American Ethanol on behalf of America's green, clean alternative fuel component. American Ethanol will be the primary sponsor of the No. 33 Chevrolet car at the Kansas Speedway 400 on June 5, and an associate sponsor of the car for the rest of the season.

At Daytona, 120,000 race fans were provided miniature American Ethanol green flags to wave at the start of the race and take home as reminders of ethanol's presence in the 2011 season. In addition, NASCAR aired a minute-long spot on the Fox broadcast focused on the farm connection to ethanol, with commercial time alone valued at $1 million. Ethanol logos encircle the fuel ports of all race cars and the NASCAR American Ethanol partnership also involves a multi-year agreement through which American Ethanol will sponsor a new award each race and be featured on-site for race days.

"This showcase of ethanol will really help us educate Americans about the value of a domestic, renewable fuel blend that creates jobs, provides energy independence and helps clear the air," Schott said. "NASCAR's endorsement of ethanol is an important one because they appreciate the value of good fuel for their machines."

Click here for more information on NASCAR American Ethanol.

NCGA CEO Reassures Ethanol Industry, Corn Growers Can Meet All Demands for Food and Fuel

Despite reports of tight corn stocks, NCGA CEO Rick Tolman reported that, in the long-term, corn growers will continually be able to not only meet, but also surpass, increasing demand for food, feed and fuel.

"Still our biggest challenge is that we can overproduce the market," Tolman said. "Farmers respond to incentives, and there's an incentive right now to produce. I can guarantee we'll have a big crop in 2011."

Tolman presented this view, formed from both hard data and personal interviews with growers, to the National Ethanol Conference earlier this week. The conference, which focuses on current and future issues within the ethanol industry, included Tolman's presentation in a panel discussion of market forecasts and their implications for the biofuels industry. Oil Price Information Service Chief Oil Analyst Tom Kloza also gave his views on the oil industry to concerned stakeholders from all sectors of the industry.

While his co-panelist stressed the influence political instability in the Middle East has on oil prices, Tolman explained that today's corn supply situation will not be lasting. Instead, he noted that current planting conditions suggest a bumper crop in 2011.

"We had a great fall, farmers got their crop out of the field, they did their fall tillage, they did their application of inputs," he said. "We're coming into the season in about as perfect a condition as you can have," he said, adding that odds favor significant yields in 2011 and a larger carryover in 2012.

Speaking of the meeting, Tolman noted, "I was quite impressed with both the size and diversity of the turnout. From ethanol producers, to their suppliers and many other tangential stakeholders, attendance reassured us that ethanol is a vibrant, growing, solidly-based industry."

To listen to a full interview with Tolman following the meeting, click here.

Corn Growers Rebut President Clinton on Ethanol 

NCGA President Bart Schott released the following statement in response to Former President Bill Clinton's speech yesterday at the Ag Outlook Forum regarding ethanol production:

"Every year, America's farmers produce more than enough corn to meet all the needs of the expanding markets of feed, fuel and food both in the United States and across the world and the ethanol industry is not an exception. The U.S. ethanol industry uses only three percent of the increasing global grain supply and is expected to return 1.2 billion bushels of corn livestock feed in the form of dried distillers grains and corn gluten feed this year alone.

"New reports show that the rising cost of oil, not ethanol production, is a major cause of increased food prices. With the continuing unrest in the Middle East and Northern Africa, it is imperative that we continue to support a home-grown fuel industry that helps keep our country safe and creates jobs. The American farmer is very aware of the world's rising demand for corn, and we will continue to meet those needs."

Research Team in Search of the Big Bang

NCGA's Research and Business Development Action Team recently held meetings in Santa Fe, N.M., to discuss current and future research and business opportunities. The team's projects focus on development initiatives involving corn processing, ethanol, energy and bioproducts, genome research and the feed industry. The highlight of the meeting included a trip to visit with scientists and tour the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

"The Los Alamos scientists seemed as equally excited to exchange ideas with our farmers, as we were to hear their new and innovative approaches to plant science and renewable energy," said Team Chair Larry Hasheider. "Unlike health, energy and defense, agriculture doesn't have a national laboratory dedicated to solving problems of global importance, and the time may be right to explore ways to change that."

The team toured a high throughput sequencing center that is used to design genotyping assays, a Department of Homeland Security testing lab, and viewed cutting edge technology platforms and equipment. A project that seems suited for the type of work being undertaken at Los Alamos is Phase Two of the NCGA--spearheaded Maize Genome project. The efforts in Phase One changed the way research is conducted in plant biology.

The objective of Phase Two will be to keep public corn researchers relevant by assuring their access to genetic technology for the improvement of corn traits and products. However, development of a national genotyping center will not just benefit corn farmers. The sequencing information created by such a center can be used to develop new traits and better agronomics for all of agriculture.

Public Policy Team Gets First-Hand Look at Agriculture Issues in Washington

NCGA's Public Policy Action Team recently held meetings in Washington to discuss a wide range of legislative developments and emerging issues likely to influence the shaping of future farm policy. The team is responsible for federal agriculture policy, regulatory matters on farm programs, rural economic development, risk management and tax policy reform.

"With a new Congress and farm bill negotiations beginning in the near future, it is an important time for our organization in Washington," Team Chair Anthony Bush said. "These meetings are a great way to get our members up to speed on the important issues and get them ready to be the voice of corn growers in our nation's capital."

During their meetings, growers heard from farm policy experts on the potential impact of rising federal budget deficits on the 2012 farm bill debate and opportunities for improving risk management tools available to corn growers. The team also received briefings from House and Senate Agriculture Committee staff on upcoming oversight hearings on implementation of financial regulatory reforms and new environmental regulations affecting production agriculture.

In addition, the team discussed ways to increase grower involvement in policy issues and how to get NCGA's word out to the more-than 100 new members of Congress. Growers also had the opportunity to attend a "meet and greet" reception for new members of Congress, hosted by NCGA.