Tell Congress: Farm Bill Now

AN OPEN LETTER TO NCGA MEMBERS

By Garry Niemeyer, NCGA President

My fellow farmers,

Sometimes it is easy to become the victim of your own success.  I think our industry has more than a bit of that going on right now, and this has me terribly concerned.

Times are pretty good right now on the farm.  Prices are relatively high and we have seen significant increases in yields and reductions in chemical and fertilizer use.   Farmers are making money, and that is great.  But it wasn't that many years ago that we were suffering from stagnant demand and excess production. 

To get beyond those tough times, our organizations - NCGA and our state affiliates - led the way to some outstanding victories for the corn industry.  Probably most important among those was passage of the Renewable Fuel Standard - RFS I and then RFS II.  We secured for the ethanol industry a foundation upon which it can build a solid future.  It came because of the hard and committed effort by our grassroots. 

To read the full letter, click here.

NCGA Cheers Strong Majority Vote to Advance Farm Bill in Senate

National Corn Growers Association President Garry Niemeyer released the following statement in response to the Senate voting in favor 90-8 to advance the 2012 farm bill to the Senate Floor:

"The overwhelmingly positive vote on the floor reaffirms that senators understand the importance of passing the 2012 farm bill this year.  The National Corn Growers Association cheers the strong bipartisan vote and appreciates the work of Sens. Stabenow and Roberts on this legislation.

"The 2012 farm bill creates the reforms needed to not only reduce the federal deficit but ensure a positive beginning for the next generation of America's farmers.  We thank the Senate for their support and urge debate to begin quickly." 

Reminder! One Week Remains for NCYC Early Registration

With early registration for the NCGA National Corn Yield Contest closing next Friday, June 15, one week remains to enter for the reduced fee of $80.   For those wishing to take advantage of this limited time savings opportunity, NCGA now offers a new way to save time too by entering online.  To use the quick, simple online entry forms, click here.

"With the early registration deadline approaching rapidly, it is a great time for entrants to try out the new online submission system," said Production and Stewardship Action Team Chair Dean Taylor. "The software streamlines the process, saving both time and, for one more week, money."

The new software allows growers to enter the contest and join NCGA and their state association. The web-based system simplifies data submission, allows users to view their submissions at any time and will allow for quick, efficient use of contest data. 

For the whole story, click here.

Corn Experts Focus on Technology for Utilization

"This was a tremendous opportunity to hear about some of the new technology coming on board," said NCGA President Niemeyer. "Innovation and technology have led us from a culture of scarcity to one of abundance. We need to share that with the world, and to do that, we need research."

Kicking off the event with a keynote address was Dr. Michael Ladisch, director of the Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering and Distinguished Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue University, where he and his colleagues address topics in bioprocess engineering as they apply to bioenergy, bioproducts, biorecovery and bionanotechnology. Ladisch has authored 150 journal and proceedings papers and has issued and applied for 14 patents.

For the whole story, click here.

For information on this year's poster contest winners, click here.

NCGA in Farm Bill News Conference with Senate Ag Leaders

As the Senate prepared to begin debate on the 2012 farm bill, NCGA participated in a news conference with Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and Ranking Member Pat Roberts to stress the importance of the reformed legislation. 

Lyle Pugh, a member of NCGA's Public Policy Action Team and a farmer from Chesapeake, Va., participated in the event along with dairy farmers and fruit growers.

"Since I have been involved in agriculture, the industry has changed dramatically," Pugh said during the press conference.  "Farmers have sent a strong message that direct payments are no longer defensible and do not provide assistance when it is most needed.  Instead, we want a program that will help lessen the blow when farmers are facing years of bad weather or depressed markets."

For the whole story, click here.

NASCAR Truck Series to Include American Ethanol 225 

"NASCAR has become an important way in which our state and national corn organizations reach out to consumers with tangible proof of ethanol's performance and viability," said NCGA NASCAR Advisory Council Chair Martin Barbre, an Illinois corn grower.  "It is exciting to see Illinois, and many other states, working to reinforce the message that the best drivers using the best machinery in some of the most competitive races in the world trust their engines, and in a way their safety, to E15.  I know, personally, that if it works in a NASCAR, it can work for my car too."

The race, which will highlight the American Ethanol partnership, builds upon efforts launched last season to promote ethanol through NASCAR.  Representing a wide array of ethanol supporters, from farmers to bio-engineering firms, American Ethanol was established by NCGA, in partnership with GE and others.

For the whole story, click here.

NCGA Teaches 'Ethanol 101' on the Political History of Ethanol

This week, NCGA helped attendees of an Ethanol Industry 101 workshop explore the history of national politics as they relate to ethanol. This session, which covered political discourse from the initial development of the first Renewable Fuel Standard through the expiration of the blender tax credit, provided attendees with the background necessary to fully grasp the impact of Washington politics on the ethanol industry.

The panel leading "Ethanol in Washington: The Policies and Players that Created the Road to Commercialization" included NCGA Director of Biofuels Pam Keck.  Keck brought the corn farmer's perspective on ethanol to the table, from the history and basic composition of corn plus a simple backgrounder on corn production to an in-depth look at production projections, and helping explain the grower perspective on ethanol-related legislation and politics. 

 "My presentation addressed the basics that someone entering the ethanol industry without previous experience in corn would need to work productively with the farmers who supply their main feedstock," said Keck. "The attendees appreciated this approach.  By explaining something as simple as the difference between sweet and feed corn, we can cultivate better communications."

For the whole story, click here.

New Studies Unlock Diversity, History of Maize Genome

The research journal Nature Genetics published two manuscripts this week offering an unprecedented glimpse into the diversity of modern corn in their online edition.  Gathered through the U.S. Maize Diversity Project, the information in these studies provides important data that will aid breeders and geneticists in efforts to develop improved traits.

"The information in these studies has very exciting implications for corn farmers," said National Corn Growers Association Research and Business Development Action Team Chair DeVonna Zeug.  "As research and development facilities across the country, such as the proposed National Agricultural Genotyping Center, apply this information to the development of new corn hybrids, farmers will see a wider selection of improved traits at a much more rapid pace.  These developments in the lab will yield real-world results in the field."

The first study will allow scientists to identify variations that have allowed corn to adapt to a wide array of environmental stresses, including drought, heat, and pathogens. Through the identification of more than 55 million genetic markers, this study shows that the maize genome is in constant flux, and that maize genomes vary significantly in size.  The data presented here will help scientists, over the next decade, expedite the genetic location of valuable traits and use this information in the improvement of corn hybrids. 

For the whole story, click here.

NCGA, Interns Both Benefit from Nebraska Program

NCGA's headquarters office in suburban St. Louis is hosting Sandra Kavan of Wahoo, Neb., as its first summer intern supported by a partnership between NCB and NCGA. Kavan will be a senior in agribusiness at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, and is assisting NCGA with membership and communication programs, as well as participating in committee meetings. She started with NCGA on May 14.

Starting this week, the NCGA Washington office is hosting David Bresel of Lincoln, Neb., as its summer intern. Bresel is a student in at the University of Nebraska College of Law, and will be involved with a variety of issues related to environmental regulations, transportation, free trade agreements, biotechnology, ethanol and energy.

For the whole story, click here.

FIELD NOTES

The National Corn Growers Association continues the second season of Field Notes, a series that takes readers behind the farm gate to follow the year in the life of American farm families. While these growers come from diverse geographic areas and run unique operations, they share a common love for U.S. agriculture and the basic values that underpin life in farming communities.

Field Notes Talks Corn Condition, Importance of Ethanol with Billy Thiel

Today, Field Notes checks in with Billy Thiel, a farmer from Marshall, Missouri who plays an active role in both his state and national corn associations.  Taking a break from visits with Missouri government officials, Thiel explains how dry conditions have impacted the corn and soybean crops in mid-Missouri.

"Right now, if you are driving through corn fields in my area you can actually see that the leaves are rolled up in the middle of the day," Thiel explained. "It does this to conserve moisture.  Then, at night, it will let itself back out and look as it normally would.  This is the time of year when the ear size of corn is determined and rain would be very beneficial. The early rain and subsoil moisture allowed corn to grow deep roots that are tapping that reserve.  So, the corn crop looks better than it might were this not the case, but continued dry conditions could shorten kernels, even whole ears, and that would lead to yields decreasing as well."

A strong advocate for his fellow farmers, Thiel spent part of his week in the Missouri state capital, Jefferson City, helping to educate growers on the importance of the Renewable Fuel Standard.

For the whole story, click here.

To listen to the full interview, click here.

Stay tuned over the coming weeks as Field Notes follows the growers who have opened their farms, families and communities up this year and meet the true faces of modern American agriculture.