The grand prize winner in the National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) 2015 Fields of Corn Photo Contest struck a special chord with the judges as it highlighted the joys of family farming and sharing a love of agriculture with future generations. This news release from the NCGA says the photo of a father and young daughter playing in a corn …
The Nature Conservancy Supports Soil Health
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) provides technical support for the Soil Health Partnership (SHP), and it’s something that fits in well with the organization’s mission “to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.” “The Nature Conservancy has been working in agriculture for several decades,” says Larry Clemens, TNC North American Agriculture Program Director. “We’ve been wanted to scale …
Soil Health From the Ground Up #SHPsummit16
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) is not even two years old yet, but already the group has made some great strides in learning more about soil health to share with farmers. Hans Kok is a field manager for SHP in Indiana, where the second Soil Health Summit is being held this week. “We’re setting up a network of demonstration farms …
Grains Council Confirms Good Quality Corn Crop
The U.S. corn crop was generally good, according to a new report from the U.S. Grains Council (USGC). This news release from the National Corn Growers Association, a founding member of the council, says the USGC’s 2015/2016 Corn Harvest Quality Report found 94 percent of corn samples samples rated at quality grade No. 2 or better. “This is the fifth …
NCGA: Boosting Corn Utilization Key Success Strategy
National Corn Growers Association leaders say the corn industry needs a better plan than hoping bad weather fixes weak prices, as some market analysts have suggested. This news release from the group says it has recommitted to boosting corn utilization as a key strategy in achieving a healthy and viable corn industry long term. “To successfully address farmer’s income you …
New Record Set In NCGA Yield Contest
A record corn yield of 532 bu/acre has set a new all-time high in 51 years of the NCGA National Corn Yield contest. Improved seed varieties, advanced production techniques and innovative growing practices helped corn growers achieve ever-higher yields with an additional five national entries surpassing the 400-plus bushel per acre mark. “The contest does more than just provide farmers …
Outstanding Career Award at #ASTACSS
A giant in the plant breeding and genetics world was honored by the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) and the National Council of Commercial Plant Breeders (NCCPB) during the CSS 2015 and Seed Expo last week in Chicago. Donn Cummings retired from Monsanto after 30 years as a corn plant breeder, spending the last eight years of his career developing …
#ASTACSS Taking Cover Crops Mainstream
A diverse panel covered the topic of cover crops at the ASTA CSS 2015 and Seed Expo this week, exploring how the practice is starting to hit the mainstream. David Pearl with the CISCO Companies in Indianapolis, who serves as chair of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Cover Crops Working Group, says this was the first full cover crops …
Iowa Corn Gets Bio Process Patent
The Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) has gotten a patent application accepted for a production method using corn in the industrial manufacturing of a raw material called monoethylene glycol (MEG). “Patenting this research will lead to advances in the production processes for corn-based bio-MEG eliminating the need for the petroleum ethylene derivatives currently used and creating demand for Iowa corn,” …
Corn Growers Talk Sustainability at Climate Change Talks
American corn farmers were talking about just how sustainable U.S. agriculture is during the recent COP21 United Nations climate talks in Paris this week. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) says the group shared U.S. corn farmers’ perspectives on a wide array of sustainability and environmental issues. The event, hosted by Field to Market, Business for Social Responsibility and Pepsico, …