RFA Ethanol Podcast

Need to Increase Demand for #Corn

Cindy Zimmerman

The new president of the National Corn Growers Association says growing demand continues to be a big priority for farmers. “The crop is bigger than we’ve seen before, we just keep being able to produce these records,” said Wesley Spurlock, a corn farmer from Texas who just took over as NCGA president at the beginning of October. “Demand is what …

Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Exports, International, NCGA, RFA

SHP Participates in Climate Research in Ag Event

Kelly Marshall

Several key organizations have gathered in St. Louis, Missouri this week to delve into soil health as a key element in carbon sequestration efforts.  “C-Quest: Charting a Course for Climate Research in Agriculture,” featured the Soil Health Partnership (SHP), a farmer-led initiative of the National Corn Growers Association. Together with Monsanto Company, Washington University in St. Louis, Foundation for Food and …

NCGA, Soil Health Partnership

Ag Groups Tell Dannon Sustainability Needs Biotech

Jamie Johansen

Top farming organizations joined together urging food companies to recognize that their sustainability goals, intended to reduce the use of natural resources, cannot be achieved without the use of modern agricultural practices, despite any misleading assertions to the contrary. This focus on deceptive food company marketing claims is in response to Dannon’s recent pledge to eliminate the use of safe …

Ag Groups, ASA, Food, NCGA, Sustainability, USFRA

Need More Corn Exports on Heels of USDA Crop Report

Joanna Schroeder

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released its new corn forecast report and predicts that this year’s corn harvest will reach 15.057 bushels. Although this is down around 36 million bushels from last month’s estimates, it is still predicted to be another record crop. The World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates Report also lowered corn supplies for 2016/2017 from …

Agribusiness, Corn, NCGA, Trade, USDA

NCGA Continues Scholarships with @BASFAgProducts

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and BASF Corporation are now accepting applications for the next crop of scholarships to help grow the future for agriculture. This is the tenth year for the partnership between BASF and NCGA which awards five $1,000 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field during the 2017-18 school year. …

BASF, Commodity Classic, Corn, Education, NCGA

Atrazine Comment Deadline This Week

Cindy Zimmerman

Growers and other interested stakeholders have until Wednesday of this week to make comments to the Environmental Protection Agency on its review of the herbicide atrazine, which includes a recommendation that could result in a loss of this crop protection tool. Atrazine is currently under EPA registration review, which is required for all pesticides every 15 years to update and …

ARA, Crop Protection, EPA, NCGA

Monsanto Invests $1.6 Million in Carbon Smart Research

Kelly Marshall

Monsanto has announced they will be supporting the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and its Soil Health Partnership (SHP)‘s efforts with a $1.6 million investment.  NCGA was recently awarded $1 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) to help farmers find better solutions for reducing climate change.  Monsanto’s contribution will provide expertise, tools and resources …

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Environment, NCGA

Ag Voices Urge TPP Passage

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Corn Growers Association this week started delivering letters from over 6300 corn farmers from across the country to members of Congress urging them to take up and pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement before the end of the year. “America’s farmers and ranchers need Congress to step up and pass TPP now,” said Chip Bowling, president of the National …

AFBF, NCGA, Trade

#Ag Groups Express Concerns About Consolidation

Cindy Zimmerman

Representatives from the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, and National Farmers Union testified Tuesday at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on consolidation in the agribusiness industry, which is poised to cut the number of major companies in the seeds, chemicals and crop nutrients market in half. AFBF Chief Economist Dr. Bob Young told the committee that farmers …

AFBF, Ag Groups, Audio, Corn, NCGA

Reaction to Bayer-Monsanto Deal

Cindy Zimmerman

Reaction from agricultural organizations on new of a deal between Bayer and Monsanto on Wednesday expressed some concern about what this trend of consolidation will mean for farmers in the long run. From Capitol Hill where National Farmers Union members have been meeting this week, NFU President Roger Johnson “condemned” the merger and called for a “critical review” of consolidation …

AFBF, Ag Groups, Agribusiness, ASA, Bayer, Corn, NCGA