Banner
Friday, November 18, 2011

This Thanksgiving, Thank a Farmer

 

While preparing  your homes and readying your kitchen for Thanksgiving festivities, take a moment to thank the farmers who provide a bountiful harvest every year.  The hard work and dedication of U.S. farmers allows Americans to enjoy an abundance and vast variety of affordable foods.  Click here and send a short email saying why you are thankful for farmers this year.  Next week, NCGA will run a story featuring quotes from your submissions in a pre-holiday tribute to the men and women who feed our country.

NEWS STORIES

Reminder! Apply Today for the 2013 Corn Board

 

The National Corn Growers Association Nominating Committee is now accepting applications from members for the 2013 Corn Board. Through the Corn Board, members can become an integral part of the organization's leadership. Click here for the application, which provides complete information on requirements, responsibilities and deadlines.

 

The NCGA Corn Board represents the organization on all matters while directing both policy and supervising day-to-day operations. Board members serve the organization in a variety of ways. They represent the federation of state organizations, supervise the affairs and activities of NCGA in partnership with the chief executive officer and implement NCGA policy established by the Corn Congress. Members also act as spokespeople for the NCGA and enhance the organization's public standing on all organizational and policy issues.

 

In a recent Off the Cob interview, NCGA President Garry Niemeyer stressed that every grower, even if he or she is unaware, has a wealth of knowledge and perspective to offer the organization. He also noted that serving fellow farmers through the Corn Board rewards volunteers with training and experience that hone leadership and communications skills. Characterizing Corn Board service as "the opportunity of a lifetime," Niemeyer then encouraged prospective candidates to "step forward and take that chance."

 

To listen to the entire interview, click here.

 

For the whole story, click here.

 

USFRA, Discovery Networks Partner on Video Series

 

USFRA Video BeattieThe U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance is partnering with Discovery Networks to continue to help Americans learn more about how food is grown and raised. Discovery will air short videos featuring real farmers and ranchers answering real consumers' questions about the role farmers and ranchers play in providing healthy choices for people everywhere.

 

Click here for the videos.

 

"This is a terrific partnership with a high-profile media network to visibly demonstrate our public commitment to continuous improvement," said NCGA Chairman Bart Schott, who serves as vice chairman of the alliance. "Dozens of organizations representing our nation's farmers and ranchers have collaborated in ways never seen before, to focus on building a real dialogue with American families about the food we produce and they consume."

 

For the whole story, click here.

 

NCGA Helps Chart the Future of Farmer-Led Sustainability Initiative

 

Last week, NCGA representatives attended a National Initiative for Sustainable Agriculture (NISA) workshop in Chicago to discuss the future of the project with representatives from dozens of other agricultural organizations, food companies, retailers and conservation groups. During the two-day meeting, participants reviewed existing sustainability initiatives and gathered perspectives from various sectors about the need for a national umbrella organization that brings farmer voices to the sustainability movement.

 

"NISA aims to develop a roadmap of farm management systems that will help farmers achieve verifiable sustainability outcomes, improve the environmental services and productivity of their farms, help their rural communities thrive and satisfy performance expectations of the value chain," said NCGA Past President Ken McCauley, who attended the meeting. "With efforts focused at the farm level, this grower-driven effort will incorporate a framework of tools and technical information from a wide base of expertise and programs."

 

NISA, which is facilitated by the University of Wisconsin, was formed in 2010 with McCauley serving as co-chair of the initiative for the past year. Others taking part in the meeting were NCGA Vice President of Public Policy Jon Doggett and Public Policy Director Rod Snyder.

 

For the whole story, click here.

 

NCGA Joins Ag Industry to Look for Waterway Infrastructure Answers in Panama

 

Ship passes through Panama CanalNCGA representatives last week traveled to the Panama Canal to explore improvements currently underway with a group of agricultural leaders organized by Informa Economics. During this investigative tour, the group looked at efficiencies in the Panama Canal improvements, particularly those to the locks system, in an attempt to find successful approaches that could be emulated in the United States.

 

Focusing on the critical need for improvements to the locks and dams on northern sections of the Mississippi River, the group looked at how the Panamanian Canal Authority is managing to accomplish such a large project for a reasonable price tag while remaining both on time and on budget. Analyzing the similarities and differences between the current situation in Panama and projections for the needed improvements on the Mississippi, the group noticed practices which could improve upon the current structure and system for waterway infrastructure upgrading in the United States.

 

Participants noted that the canal improvements, which are funded using revenue generated by operations instead of government funding, have not only been executed within project parameters but should also be completed much more quickly than similar projects in the United States.

 

For the whole story, click here.

 

Webinar Offers Tips on Making the Most of Social Media

 

Social Media LogosNCGA hosted a webinar this week that helped agvocates already using social media explore new strategies and tools to maximize the impact of their efforts. This session, the eleventh in a year-long series co-sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont Business, presented attendees with the latest research data on what makes some social media users more effective than others and offered simple tips that yield real results.

 

The session began with remarks from NCGA Grower Services Action Team Chair Brandon Hunnicutt, an active social media user and advocate. Noting the importance of reaching consumers where they feel comfortable, Hunnicutt highlighted both the importance of fostering an active community of farmers with a noticeable social media presence and the noticeable effect that incorporating even a few new strategies into a routine can have.

 

"For me, using social media to talk about what I do on my farm was as natural as it would be for anyone with a job and young family," Hunnicutt, a Nebraska farmer, said. "This year though, I have tried out some of the tips that I picked up from the webinar series and have really seen an increase in the depth of my online conversations about agriculture, the number of people that I am reaching and the closeness of the online community in which I participate. I haven't invested more time or effort, but I am seeing great results."

 

For the whole story, click here.

 

NCGA Joins with Ag Experts for Discussion on Factors Impacting Farming's Future

 

This week, NCGA participated in a roundtable that brought experts from various areas within agriculture to Kansas City for a discussion of upcoming issues that will impact agriculture. Focusing on issues such as the sustainability of utilizing corn stover as a biofuels feed stock, increasing grain exports from the Black Sea region and the future of ethanol, these discussions helped both the host and participants develop a more comprehensive view of the potential impacts of developing situations.

 

"By sharing insight into the issues NCGA thinks will influence the national corn industry and exploring the variety of ideas these experts brought to the table, we are able to create a more comprehensive look at what must be dealt with today in order to create the best possible scenario for our farmers tomorrow," said Vice President of Production and Utilization Paul Bertels, who represented the organization. "Each participant brings a unique understanding of their particular field, be it special circumstances faced by growers in Nebraska or Illinois or a detailed knowledge of exports, energy or other related markets that help us piece together the broader picture much as one might a puzzle. With farmers today involved in such a variety of activities and affected by national and international factors at the farm level, it is crucial we present our leadership with the best possible knowledge to use as they develop the policies that guide NCGA."

 

The roundtable, organized by the ProExporter Network, began with presentations from Doug Karlen of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service and Wayne Parman of Jefferies Bach, a global securities and investment banking group. Karlen looked at the sustainability of using corn stover for a biofuels feed stock, concluding that the amount which can be sustainably removed is significantly lower than that laid out in the Department of Energy's initial Billion Ton Study. Utilizing information from the DAM project, organized by John Deere, Archer Daniels Midland and Monsanto, he noted that there are many issues with the use of stover as a feedstock for biofuels. These issues include limited days for stover removal in the fall, increased fertilizer expenses, and the need for variable rate removal.

 

For the whole story, click here.

 

NCGA Shares Perspective on Biotechnology with Key Advisor to Philippine Government

 

Dr. Halos with Monsanto and NCGA StaffLast week, NCGA met with Dr. Saturnina Halos, a senior agriculture science consultant at the Philippines Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Agricultural Research, to discuss biotechnology usage in the United States. NCGA staff emphasized the practices in place to ensure safe and responsible use of these improved varieties, also providing information on structured refuge, new refuge-in-a-bag options and farmer attitudes toward compliance.

 

Marketing staff began the meeting by providing an overview of the organization, its mission and activities to aide Halos in understanding the specific role NCGA plays in the greater U.S. industry and why it does so.

 

Halos expressed particular interest in NCGA's involvement with technology providers to ensure the availability of traits and in efforts to ensure farmers use these products responsibly. Expressing concern over farmer attitudes in the Philippines, she sought advice on conveying the importance of refuge compliance.

 

For the whole story, click here.

NCGA IN THE NEWS 

Southeast Farm Press: ASA, Five Other Farm Groups Agree on Farm Bill Positions

 

Western Farm Press: Farm Bill Proposal in Eleventh Hour Negotiations

 

Midwest Producer: Tolerating Mother Nature

 

AgriView: Agriculture's Effort to Block NPDES Permits for Pesticides Fails

 

Farm Futures: Farm Bill Talks Concern NCGA

 

Argus Leader: Three-part Subsidy Plan Emerging in New Farm Bill

 

WJBC News (Bloomington, Ill.): NCGA Focus on Farm Bill, Locks and Dams


Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier: Pay Dirt: Iowa Farm Land Value Soaring Again 
STATE NEWS ROUNDUP
Corn Commentary New

At NCGA's award-winning blog, Corn Commentary, our bloggers explore the negative economic impact that switching to a local food-centric system would have, listen as NCGA leadership fills the airwaves, talks about why farm broadcasters were really the first agvocates and wishes USFRA a happy birthday. Click here for the scoop.

                                                         Like us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  Visit our blog  View our videos on YouTube  View our photos on flickr
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.