NCGA Seeks Growers for Action Teams, Committees
The National Corn Growers Association is seeking applications from members interested in working on an NCGA action team or committee in the 2012 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. This service provides growers an opportunity to play an active role in shaping the future of their industry and to become a part of the national agricultural leadership community.
"As a grassroots organization, NCGA relies on its members to step forward and take an active role in developing the policies that will lead our industry forward," said NCGA First Vice President Garry Niemeyer. "This year, we have opportunities in every area the organization touches that will allow members to take their involvement to the next level while exploring in great depth the areas which interest them the most."
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Corn Farmers Coalition Extends 2011 Campaign
Following a successful campaign in June and July, the Corn Farmers Coalition announced it will extend its summer campaign to educate policymakers in Washington, DC. In its third year, CFC continues to bring messages to Capitol Hill about the U.S. family farmers who produce corn, our nation's top crop. It is estimated that the total 2011 campaign will reach an extremely targeted audience with more than 40 million distinct impressions.
"This summer, we made amazing headway in bringing our messages about family farming and agriculture to our nation's capital," said NCGA President Bart Schott. "By bringing our campaign back in September, we will be able to reinforce this excellent work just as our federal legislators return from recess to create policies that will impact corn growers across the country."
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Ohio CommonGround Launch Brings Farmers, Thought Leaders to the Table
With more Americans growing up in urban and suburban areas, miles from farm life, there is an increasing disconnect between consumers and the people who grow their food. Last week, three Ohio farm women worked to reverse this trend by sharing their personal stories and experiences about farming and food at the state's CommonGround launch event.
"The lack of knowledge about America's agricultural system has caused confusion and distrust among people who are concerned about feeding their families safe, healthy food," said volunteer and farmer Rachel Heimerl. "As a mother myself, I understand their concerns. We must rebuild confidence in our food system. To do that, we are working to show the commonalities between real farm families and consumers who benefit from all that farmers grow - to show there is, in fact, CommonGround."
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Social Media Webinar Offers Blogging Basics
Yesterday, NCGA's 2011 Social Media Training Program hosted a webinar offering participants a comprehensive view of how to create an effective, successful blog. The program is generously supported by Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont Business, and is the eighth of 12 free hour-long online learning sessions underway monthly through 2011.
"Each time we hold another webinar, I reaffirm my strong belief that social media can share our personal stories as farmers with a large audience, easily, and in a way that non-ag audiences relate to," said Grower Services Action Team Chair Brandon Hunnicutt, a farmer in Nebraska very active in social media. "I look forward to reading blogs launched by our participants and seeing the real-world impacts of our program."
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Breakthrough in Saudi Arabia Opens Door for Imports
Culminating years of U.S. Grains Council efforts, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has added corn gluten feed and distillers dried grains with solubles to its import feed ingredient subsidy list, creating a strong incentive for sales of these important ethanol coproducts.
The new list establishes a subsidy for 31 specified imported feed ingredients, which is to be passed down the supply chain to keep feed input costs low for producers and end-users. Ingredients not on the subsidy list have historically attracted little attention.
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Field Notes opened the farm gate this spring and provided followers with an inside look at the activities of several farmers from a variety of geographical areas. Today, this innovative series brings Chip Bowling from the shores of Maryland and Tom Martin from central Illinois together to share their perspectives on the crop condition in their respective areas and on the preparations underway for harvest.
