Dan Basse, Ag Resource, returned to the ASTA 2018 CSS and Seed Expo for the 6th year in a row to deliver his insights on the intersection of economics and agriculture. Some of Basse’s comments included: Population growth slowing – 9 billion people now about 2054 When you look at population growth, it’s all about Africa Black swan event for …
Enogen Means Energy for Feed and Fuel
The same trait that makes Enogen corn hybrids great for ethanol production is also good for livestock feed. The higher levels of the alpha-amylase enzyme in these hybrids help break down sugar into energy more efficiently which benefits both ethanol producers and cattle. “The Enogen technology and how it gains efficiencies and makes the ethanol plant money is similar in …
Corn Growers Request Changes in Trade Relief Package
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is urging Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to consider changes to the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) ahead of the second round of payments. In a letter to Perdue, NCGA president Lynn Chrisp said that many farmers are “disappointed in USDA’s approach to calculating the first round of MFP payments because it was too narrow in …
New NCGA CEO Talks Corn Issues at #NAFB18
Jon Doggett participated in his first NAFB Trade Talk this year as CEO of the National Corn Growers Association. Doggett is no stranger to farm broadcasters, having served as head of NCGA’s policy efforts in Washington D.C. since 2002 and becoming executive vice president in 2014. But he was just officially named CEO in September. “I thought I was traveling …
Corn Growers Partner With Environmental Defense Fund
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is joining forces with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to address one of the most pressing challenges for farmers, rural communities and natural resources – how to improve environmental outcomes while optimizing productivity and profitability. The partnership will work on gathering data for tracking of water quality, soil health and greenhouse gas emissions, and …
Pork, Soy and Corn Groups Unite for Sustainability Research
The National Pork Board (NPB), United Soybean Board (USB) and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) are joining together on a sustainability research platform that will benefit all three organizations and their producers. The CEOs and farmer leaders of all three organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the 2018 NAFB Convention Wednesday in Kansas City, MO. The research program will …
Grains Council Officers Meet in Mexico
U.S. Grains Council (USGC) officers headed south of the border last week to talk about the new trade agreement and meet with new government officials in the country that accounts for a big chunk of U.S. feed grains exports. Leaders from the U.S. feed grains value chain traveled to Mexico on the heels of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) negotiations, …
Concerns Raised About E15 Rulemaking Delay
Ethanol interests have been raising concerns this week about the Environmental Protection Agency delaying the start of the rulemaking process for year-round E15 until February 2019, which would make the timeline for getting it approved before next summer very tight. “EPA ought to speed it up, or otherwise it’s going to look like the president wasn’t serious about his announcement,” …
National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center Celebrates 15 Years
The National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE) is celebrating 15 years of biofuels research this month. The Illinois Corn Growers Association was instrumental in fostering development of the Center in 2003 and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has worked closely with NCERC since its inception and continues partnering on various projects. NCERC Executive Director John …
Export Exchange Pre-Tours Underway
The 2018 Export Exchange starts next week in Minneapolis, but many teams of international buyers are already here in the United States participating in pre-event tours around the Midwest. The tours include three teams from Mexico who will visit Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kentucky and Iowa to see U.S. corn, sorghum and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) production and supply …