Rural Development Program Funds Infrastructure Improvements

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing more than $11.6 million in grants to more than 900 agricultural producers and rural small businesses to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. While all of these grants aim to improve rural economies, many will directly impact corn farmers as a portion of the funds are designated for the installation of blender pumps, which allow customers the choice to purchase higher blends of ethanol.

"These investments enable our farmers, ranchers and rural small business owners to develop renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements that will save them thousands of dollars in energy costs each year," said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. "This funding is an important part of the Obama administration's plan to conserve natural resources, create jobs and lead our country on the path to becoming more energy independent."

Grant recipients include many gas station owners who applied for funding to help with the installation blender pumps. While gas stations make it easy for motorists to choose between regular and premium grade gasoline at the pump, few stations allow motorists to make a similar choice when it comes to a blend of ethanol and petroleum. In addition to offering more traditional fuels such as unleaded, E10 and E85, blender pumps can also dispense a variety of mid-level ethanol blends, such as E15, E20 and E30.

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NCGA Mobile Website Now Available

Now, all of the information, news and updates available on NCGA's website are available on-the-go. A new, smartphone-friendly mobile version of the website launched today, allowing visitors to access the main sites information in a faster, more streamlined manner better suited to current cell-phone technology.

"Research shows that, like the majority of Americans, farmers are accessing the Internet through a Smartphone increasingly frequently," said NCGA Grower Services Action Team Chair Brandon Hunnicutt. "The mobile site helps NCGA stay current with ever-evolving technology and makes sure that our members have the information they need available to them no matter where they go."

Accessing the mobile version of the website is as easy. Simply go to www.ncga.com on any internet capable mobile device, and the intuitive design automatically pulls up the appropriate version of the site to best suit the device. Or, users can point their browers directly to mobile.ncga.com

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U.S. Corn Farmers Lose Markets as Congress Stalls on FTA with Colombia

Now more than ever, it is critical the Congress ratify the pending U.S.-Colombian Free Trade Agreement and ensure that U.S. farmers compete on a level playing field against foreign suppliers set to make significant headway into the country's feed market. Traditionally a Top 10 export market for U.S. corn, Colombian corn imports have eroded substantially over the past four years and stand to further decline in light of new trade agreements recently implemented with alternate suppliers.

"U.S. corn producers stand ready to develop and provide corn products to meet the modern demands of global consumption," said NCGA First Vice President Garry Niemeyer. "I urge Congress to work swiftly to pass the pending free trade agreements Colombia, as well as those with Korea and Panama."

Specifically, Canadian feed wheat farmers currently enjoy an advantage as their nation's FTA with Colombia was implemented beginning August 15. In the short 10 days after the agreement took effect, Colombian buyers have placed orders for more than 77.1 million bushels of Canadian feed wheat.

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2011 Weather Continues to Challenge Corn Growers

As growers gear up for this year's corn harvest, Hurricane Irene was the latest in a number of weather-related challenges that have affected acreage, yield and corn condition across the nation's corn fields. 2011 has definitely been a year to test the resilience of the American farmer, NCGA reports.

"We had delayed planting and flooding in the upper Midwest, we lost acreage to floods along the Mississippi River and we saw our crops fade in scorching drought in Texas well before the hurricane came along," said NCGA First Vice President Garry Niemeyer of Illinois. "Last week at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur I heard from many of my peers across the Corn Belt about what's going on in their fields and their expectations come harvest, and we saw first-hand some of the problems of a very hot year in important areas of the Corn Belt. Our heart goes out to those who lost all or some of their crops this year."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported today that 52 percent of the corn crop in the top 18 states is rated good or excellent, compared to 69 percent at this time last year. While there are some bright spots, some states have suffered. In Texas, only 10 percent of the crop is rated good or excellent, with 68 percent rated poor or very poor.

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NCGA, ASA Host Dialogue on Value Chain Collaboration, Communication

The National Corn Growers Association and the American Soybean Association brought together key industry stakeholders to start a discussion about how to best begin construction of a framework for addressing biotech events and impacts on end use markets. 

Acknowledging that all parts of the value chain share a common goal of an uninterrupted flow of corn, soybeans and technology, attendees shared ideas and insights on finding a solution to disruptions that could potentially impact growers.

NCGA CEO Rick Tolman opened the meeting welcoming farmers, members of the grain trade, association staff, biotechnology firm leadership and others from the grain and oilseed trade with a reminder of both the importance and scope of this discussion.  In his remarks, Tolman reinforced that NCGA and ASA chose to host this meeting to provide the entire industry with an open space in which to find ways to improve communication.

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Sign Up Now! Learn How Social Media Can Come Along in the Combine

NCGA's 2011 Social Media Training Program will feature a webinar next week that will offer a look at how mobile applications can help make social media manageable. The program is generously supported by Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont Business, and is the ninth of 12 free hour-long online learning sessions underway monthly through 2011.

"As a farmer, my days are far too busy to spend hours sitting in front of a computer, but, through the use of mobile apps, I can stay connected through social media no matter where I go," said Grower Services Action Team Chair Brandon Hunnicutt. "Whether tweeting from the cab of my combine or posting news from a town hall meeting while I am still there, smartphone apps make it easy and fun to tell the story of modern farming. Most importantly, these tools help me incorporate social media into my day in a quick, seamless way so that I can focus on what is really important."

This webinar will cover the variety of tools and a number of tips on using making the most of mobile, including proven social media applications. It will also address location-based applications, such as Foursquare, and how to incorporate them into a broader social media toolbox. Additionally, information on tools available for users with traditional cell phones will be presented.

For the whole story, click here.

To register right now, click here.

AUDIO REPORTS

Field Notes Grower Finds Pleasant Surprise at Harvest

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 series visited with Illinois grower Tom Martin to see how harvest is progressing thus far on his farm and to gain perspective into the crop in his area before Monday's release of revised U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates of crop condition, yield and acreage.

"We opened up the fields about 10 days ago and began harvesting some of our early April planted corn," said Martin. "We were only able to plant about 10 percent of our acreage then, and the moisture for this section is running at about 23 percent. This week, we got into some of our later planted corn from May, which is running in the 27 to 32 percent moisture range. So, we filled some bins and backed off."

After explaining that he hopes to start harvesting again next week, Martin provided insight into the yields neighbors are reporting at this point.

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To listen to the full interview, click here.