Corn Farmers Return to Nation's Capital in Educational Campaign
For the fifth year in a row, policymakers in our nation's capital are learning about the U.S. family farmers who produce corn, our nation's top crop, as part of the Corn Farmers Coalition program. Once again, the program, which is sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association and its state affiliates, showcases how innovative and high-tech corn farmers have become by introducing a foundation of facts about farmers and farming.
"This has always been a crucial time of year in Washington to make sure our lawmakers and those who influence them remember the importance of corn farming to our nation and our economy," said Pam Johnson, NCGA president and a corn grower in Iowa. "Our state corn checkoff programs have seen the importance of this program each year for educating a very important audience about this essential crop and its high value."
Click here for images of the current campaign at Union Station.
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CommonGround Volunteers Bring Bloggers to the Farm, Without Leaving Austin
CommonGround volunteers are sharing the story of food and farming with bloggers from across the country this week at the BlogHer Food conference in Austin, Texas.
With more than 500 leading female bloggers on subjects including food and nutrition in attendance, Iowa farmer and blogger Sara Ross and South Dakota farmer and blogger Morgan Kontz are helping share a farmer's perspective on a variety of current issues, including GMOs, organic farming, antibiotic use in livestock, and the prevalence of family farms, while they deepen their relationships within the blogging community.
"We have received an incredible response from the other bloggers in attendance so far," said Ross. "All of us have so many common bonds; we all have a particular interest in food, in sharing our story, and in doing what is best for our families. There is such a strong desire here to really delve into every aspect of American food and, as farmers, we bring a unique perspective to a receptive, engaged audience."
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NCGA Pleased With Quick Senate Action on Farm Bill
National Corn Growers Association President Pam Johnson released the following statement in response to the Senate's farm bill cloture vote: "The National Corn Growers Association is pleased to see the cloture vote on the farm bill received 75 votes, well over the 60 votes necessary to move the legislation forward. However, there is still important work that needs to be done. We urge the Senate to quickly take action and vote to pass the legislation." NCGA was one of 120 farm and conservation groups that sent a letter to all senators Wednesday urging them to vote for cloture on the farm bill. Click here to read the letter. The Senate has scheduled a final vote on the farm bill Monday afternoon, June 10. Corn Growers Question Study on Climate and Corn Yield A new study out of Rice University and the University of California at Davis that looks ahead 40 years at farming and climate change and draws some very specific conclusions needs to go back to the research table, according to the National Corn Growers Association. "At a time when meteorologists struggle to tell you what the weekend will be like, it's odd to see a report that tries to so specifically pinpoint the weather 40 years from now," said NCGA President Pam Johnson. "But that's only one of the problems we have with this very problematic study." The report, published in the American Chemical Society journal Environmental Science and Technology, states that the yield of corn grown for ethanol in the United States would be reduced by an average of 7 percent over the next four decades, and the amount of irrigation needed for the corn would increase by 9 percent. For the full story, click here. Farmers Keep Planting, Fight Wet Conditions Farmers continued to make planting progress this week despite wet conditions across much of the country, holding last week's gains on corn planting progress to maintain progress only four points behind the five-year average according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released today. As of June 2, 91 percent of the corn acres had been planted, while only 28 percent were planted three weeks prior. "Growers continued their efforts to get the crop in the ground despite challenging conditions that made many areas too wet for planting," said National Corn Growers Association President Pam Johnson, a grower in Iowa. "With progress nearing normal, farmers are giving corn planting one last, hard push to the finish line. For farmers who have acres left to plant and those who have already finished, the most important factor that will determine the success of this crop is whether the weather will provide timely rains, sunshine and temperatures conducive to corn growth." To view the full report released today, click here. For the full story, click here. U.S. Corn Prices Have Little Effect on Japanese Meat Prices It is an undeniable fact that corn represents a large proportion of our foodstuffs. Everything from meat to soda to plastic contains some variety of corn products. Of course, the product that gets the most media attention is ethanol. Even with the world's largest ethanol industry, the United States will over time bounce back from 2013's drought-depressed levels to remain the world's leading corn exporter. Therefore, internationally, ethanol is often made the scapegoat for the rising cost of animal production, which contributes to the rising consumer price index. But, as long-time students of the matter know, the data tell a different story. Japan is the United States' largest importer of corn and this week's U.S. Grains Council Chart of the Week graphs the price of corn versus the Japanese CPI and more selectively, the "meat CPI." For the full story, click here. |