Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the creation of the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, and the appointment of a 15-member board of directors. The 15 voting members of the board include a former agriculture secretary, a number of university professors, a representative from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, an executive …
Busy Week in DC for Corn Growers
Members of the National Corn Growers Association had a busy week in the nation’s capital last week – hearing from and meeting with administration officials and lawmakers, saying goodbye to retiring industry leaders, and inspiring new young leaders. One of the highlights was an update from EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe on the proposed Waters of the United States rule. …
Ag Groups Take Issue with Interpretive Rule
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy’s promise that under the proposed rules defining Waters of the United States (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA) “all normal farming practices are exempt – period” may be falling on deaf ears in the agriculture community. McCarthy is visiting Missouri this week to explain the proposed rules but she faces an uphill battle from the …
Field to Market Announces New Supply Chain Program
Field to Market®, the Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, has just launched a new agricultural supply chain program for commodity crops. The Field to Market metrics and benchmarks developed through a multi-stakeholder process over the past several years will now become an important platform for measuring, promoting and reporting on continuous improvement in corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice, potatoes and other …
NCGA Climbs to New Membership Heights
National Corn Growers Association membership set yet another membership record at the end of June, with 41,185 active members. This membership record replaces the former record of 40,797, set in April. Notably, the April record concluded a three-month run of consistent record membership. “The membership records just keep coming in 2014, and we couldn’t be more excited,” said NCGA President …
NCGA Joins USB, Taking Action on Weeds
The National Corn Growers Association has added a new “Take Action on Weeds” section to its website as a resource of farmers combating herbicide resistance issues. This resource, developed by the United Soybean Board through its Take Action program, offers a wide array of information developed over several years to help farmers combat weed resistance through best management practices. “The …
CUTC Student Poster Competition Winners
During the 2014 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference the winners of the Gary Lamie Graduate Student Poster Competition were announced. The program is sponsored by the Indiana Corn Marketing Council. Pictured are National Corn Growers Association President Martin Barbre (left) and NCGA Research and Development Action Team Chair Tom Mueller (right) with the top three poster winners. I visited with …
NCGA CEO Addresses Fuel Ethanol Workshop
National Corn Growers Association CEO, Rick Tolman took the podium on his farewell tour to address the general session at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Indianapolis this week. It’s the 30th year for the workshop and during his remarks he commented on how things have changed in the last 30 years from the acres of corn planted and bushels harvested …
NCGA Thanks President for Signing WRRDA
The National Corn Growers Association thanked President Obama for signing the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014. This final reauthorization bill, which will improve the reliability and efficiency of the U.S. inland waterways system, was passed by the House on May 20 and the Senate on May 22. “This legislation provides an important step toward the infrastructure improvements …
Special Award at CUTC
During the 2014 Corn Utilization Technology Conference a special presentation was made by Tom Mueller, Chairman of the NCGA Research and Business Development Action Team. Tom is a corn grower from Illinois. He presented a plaque to the Indiana Corn Marketing Council for their significant support of the newly named Gary Lamie Graduate Student Poster Competition. Accepting was Dean Eppley …