The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has announced the appointment of Chris Novak as CEO of the association. He will be replacing Rick Tolman, who announced earlier this year he will be retiring after 14 years in the helm. Novak is currently the CEO of the National Pork Board (NPB) and will begin his tenure at NCGA on October 13, …
Summit Group Announces Corn Ethanol Plant in Brazil
Alden, Iowa-based Summit Group announced a project to build the first modern corn ethanol plant in Brazil during the 2014 Farm Progress Show. The project will consist of a US$140 million ethanol plant near Lucas do Rio Verde in Mato Grosso, a leading agricultural state in west central Brazil and the country’s largest producer of corn and soybeans. The project …
Corn Growers at Farm Progress Show
National Corn Growers Association officers were out in force at the 2014 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa this week. Right out of the gate on the first day I met up with NCGA chairwoman Pam Johnson of Iowa, First VP Chip Bowling of Maryland, and President Martin Barbre of Illinois. It was a soggy start to the show on …
Get Paid to Plant Enogen
Calling all farmers? Did you know you can get paid to plant Enogen corn from Syngenta? And did you know that for every acre of Enogen corn planted, Syngenta donates a $1 to the renewable energy industry? Well I didn’t know you could get paid until I sat down with David Witherspoon, head of renewable fuels for Syngenta during Farm …
FMC Talks Pre-Emergent Herbicides at AMS
At the recent Ag Media Summit Chuck spoke with FMC’s, Len Dobbins, about the importance of pre-emergent herbicide technology when looking ahead to next year’s growing season. “FMC has really developed a number of herbicides to be used pre-emergently for soybeans and corn. The interest in pre-emergence has developed because of weed resistance. When we look back a number of …
AgRowers Support Farmers and Rivers
Missouri corn and soybean growers were rowers last week in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of the state’s rivers for agriculture. The Missouri Corn and Soybean Rowers, also known as the Ag Rowers, spent nearly 77 hours last week paddling their tandem kayak across the state from Kansas City to St. Charles in the Missouri American Water …
Corn Based Craft Beer
Plato is quoted as saying “He was a wise man who invented beer.” With craft beers all the rage now, a wise brewery is taking a second look at corn as a main ingredient. Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, Maryland calls its new brew Agave Cerveza. Our latest Brewhouse Rarities release, Agave Cerveza, is the artisanal answer to the easy-drinking, …
USDA Predicts Record Corn and Soybean Crops
A little bit more corn and a lot more soybeans compared to last year is what USDA is forecasting in the latest report out today. U.S. soybean producers are expected to produce a record 3.82 billion bushels in 2014, up 16 percent from last year according to the Crop Production report issued today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National …
Minnesota Congressman at Ethanol Conference
The American Coalition for Ethanol meeting in Minneapolis this week honored Congressman Collin Peterson of Minnesota with its highest award for supporters of ethanol, the Merle Anderson award. Anderson, known to many as the Father of Ethanol, presented Peterson with the award, as well as an ethanol lapel pin and a big five dollar contribution for his campaign. Peterson says …
BASF Helping Fight Corn Leaf Blight
Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) has been reported in numerous fields across the U.S. Corn Belt. If the disease isn’t controlled, it will continue to spread and decrease corn crop yields. AJ Woodyard, BASF Technical Crop Production Specialist, says conditions have been perfect this summer for NCLB. “It’s actually a disease that enjoys cooler temperatures,” Woodyard said. “It also likes …