NCGA Applauds Senate Farm Bill Action

National Corn Growers Association President Pam Johnson released the following statement yesterday in response to the Senate's progress toward a farm bill:

"We greatly appreciate the work by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and the Committee to put forth a well-crafted farm bill, and we thank the U.S Senate for the time given to debate and for floor votes today. The National Corn Growers Association is pleased to see progress is being made and a priority is being placed upon passage of this vital legislation.

"We are disappointed with the passage of the Durbin-Coburn Amendment that would significantly reduce premium support for crop insurance participants through an Adjusted Gross Income means test. As the Senate moves forward, we reinforce our opposition to proposed amendments which would cut crop insurance programs and damage the farm safety net that supports our nation's family farmers when facing adversity.

"Now, we reiterate our call to continue moving this bill along in a swift and thoughtful manner upon the Senate's return. We look forward to continued work with members and staff on this important piece of legislation and urge Congress to pass a farm bill as soon as possible this year."

NCGA Opposes Amendments to Senate Farm Bill

As the U.S. Senate resumed debate on the 2013 farm bill approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee last week, NCGA joined a broad coalition of commodity organizations and conservation and environmental groups in announcing its opposition to a variety of proposed amendments that would have an adverse impact on the federal crop insurance program. The amendments include provisions that would introduce means testing, subsidy caps and public disclosure of information on crop insurance participants into the program.

NCGA, along with the other coalition partners, cited particular amendments as harmful to the federal crop insurance program including the Begich-Flake Amendment, the Durbin-Coburn Amendment, two Flake Amendments, Gillibrand Amendments #931 and #944, and the Shaheen-Toomey Amendment.

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NCGA Voices Opposition to Coburn-McCain Amendment 

As part of ongoing debate over the 2013 farm bill in the Senate, Senators Coburn (R-Okla.) and McCain (R-Ariz.) filed Amendment #1007. This amendment would reduce funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture's Market Access Program by $40 million dollars annually and place additional restrictions on use of program funds. NCGA, along with a broad coalition of allies, strongly opposes this amendment.

Earlier this month, NCGA joined more than 140 organizations in sending a letter to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Cochran in support of MAP. Stressing the importance of long-term export market development partnerships in the face of growing foreign competition, the letter urged that MAP, along with USDA's Foreign Market Development Program, receive the same level of funding authorized in the previous farm bill.

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NCGA Comments to House Committee on Impacts of the RFS on GHG Emissions and the Environment

Thursday, NCGA submitted comments on the impact of the Renewable Fuel Standard to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in response to their third white paper, "Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Other Environmental Impacts." In these comments, NCGA addressed how the RFS has decreased greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's vehicle fleet while leading to innovations that have made U.S. agriculture more sustainable and ethanol facilities more efficient. It also noted that unnecessary Congressional tinkering with the RFS would jeopardize investment in advanced and cellulosic biofuels, undermine incentives for further innovation in the existing renewable fuels sector and make the United States more dependent on dirtier petroleum sources than when the RFS was first enacted in 2005.

The comment begin by detailing the incredible advancements made by corn growers that have allowed them in the last 30 years to decrease the amount of land used to grow a bushel of corn by 30 percent, cut soil erosion per bushel by 67 percent, reduce irrigation per bushel by 53 percent, decrease the energy used to produce corn by 43 percent per bushel and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with production by 36 percent per bushel. Further detailing how agriculture serves the RFS goal of reducing GHG emissions and improving the environment, the comments site "a 2012 study from Stanford University found that advances in high-yield agriculture have prevented massive amounts of GHG from entering the atmosphere, the equivalent of 590 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide."

To read the full comments as submitted, please click here.

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NCGA President Brings Farmer Perspective to DC Discussion 

National Corn Growers Association President Pam Johnson, a farmer from Iowa, participated in a panel at the Washington Post's forum "Future of Food 2013: Building a Sustainable Food System" earlier this week. During her presentation, Johnson emphasized technological innovations in agriculture that have allowed corn growers to produce greater yields on roughly the same amount of land while simultaneously improving the environment. Johnson also effectively defended biotechnology as an important part of sustainable production systems.

"This forum offered an exceptional opportunity to bring the real stories of America's farmers into public conversation in a meaningful way," said Johnson. "America's farmers are doing excellent work every day, meeting the world's need for food, feed, fuel and fiber while leaving the land better than we found it. By joining in discussions on food and farming, we open a dialogue with consumers, who may be many generations removed from the farm, which leads to understanding and appreciation."

To explore video from the program and learn more, click here.

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CommonGround Women Bring Story of Ag to East Coast Food Elite

Last week, CommonGround took conversations about food and farming to New England, hosting a dinner for influential members of Boston's media and food communities. CommonGround volunteer Joan Ruskamp from Nebraska, Christine Lindner from Wisconsin and Rachel Heimerl from Ohio shared dinner with chefs and mama bloggers at Anthem Kitchen + Bar in Boston's Faneuil Hall Marketplace. During the event, the farm women provided unique insight about what happens on farms across America's Heartland for the East Coast food elites.

"I found that, more than anything, people who do not see farming around them have questions about how the food on their plates was grown or raised," said Ruskamp. "This curiosity is completely understandable. We all just want to feel good about how we care for ourselves and our families. By sharing our experiences as farmers, I feel like we helped alleviate some of their food fears and opened an ongoing dialogue that will spread the word that America's family farmers want to share real, open conversations about food with consumers."

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NCGA Offers Members New Succession Planning Tool

For American farmers succession planning is top-of-mind. The USDA reminds us that, "70 percent of farmland will change hands in the next 20 years. If a farm family has not adequately planned for succession, the farm is likely to go out of business, be absorbed by a large farming neighbor, or be converted to non-farm use." This crisis-in-the-making comes at a time when land prices are out-stripping our ability grow the operation and fewer members of the family are involved in day-to-day farming.

NCGA is dedicated to strengthening member farmers, maintaining a healthy organization and continuing prosperity for the industry. To serve that purpose, NCGA is proud to announce that members now are entitled to a discount when using eLegacyConnect. eLegacyConnect is a dynamic online succession planning community.

To learn more and explore this benefit, click here.

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E15 Now Available in Six States

As public awareness of the many economic and energy security benefits ethanol offers continues to grow, demand for higher blends of ethanol is also on the rise. This month, Wisconsin became the sixth state to offer E15 as a fuel option for consumers. With E15 already available in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota, American drivers now have more choices at the fuel pump across a greater portion of the country.

"Decisions by the EPA opened the door for broader E15 availability, and fuel station operators in many areas see how much sense E15 makes for both many drivers and our country as a whole," said NCGA Ethanol Committee Chairman Chad Willis, a farmer from Minnesota. "E15 has undergone some of the most extensive testing ever performed and proven that it offers a reliable, green option. Whether on the track at NASCAR races or on the road in America's cars, E15 helps reduce pollution and our dependence of foreign fuels."

To learn more about E15, click here.

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Farmers Seize Opportunity, Plant Round-the-Clock as Weather Permits

Farmers who had delayed planting corn due to cool, wet conditions hit the fields in force last week planting enough acres to bring progress within eight points of the five-year average according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released Monday. As of May 19, 71 percent of projected corn acres had been planted, while only 28 percent were planted a week prior. While progress lagged behind the five-year average by 37 points last week, the rapid progress closed the gap to only nine points.

"Farmers have the technology and the drive to accomplish more in a week than we could have in three only a few decades ago," said NCGA President Johnson. "Last week, we knew that we needed a week of drier, warmer weather and, throughout much of the Corn Belt, we got just that. Taking shifts and working together, our nation's family farmers will get the crop planted and work just as tirelessly through harvest to make sure that we provide the food, feed and fuel America needs."

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NCGA Welcomes New Legislative Assistant Clint Raine

NCGA welcomes Clint Raine, who joins the organization as a legislative assistant in the Washington, D.C. office. Raine, who recently completed an internship with Representative Benishek (MI- 01), will support the DC staff in their day to day activities and assist the Public Policy Action Team.

"We are pleased that Clint is joining our team and we already recognize the positive attitude and strong work ethic he will bring to the position," said NCGA Vice President of Public Policy Jon Doggett. "A graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and a recent intern on the Hill, Raine is looking forward to being part of the NCGA team and learning all he can about agricultural policy and issues that affect U.S. corn farmers."

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