Thanks to a #Classic20 attendee for helping me with this photo outside the convention center in San Antonio. It’s kind of like déjà vu since the weather was pretty nice yesterday and now we’ve got a wind warning and temps dropping into the 20’s tonight. Same thing happened at the Cattle Industry Convention just 3 weeks ago. I’m getting ready …
NCGA CEO Launching Podcast
If you have ever wanted to follow the CEO of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) on his adventures around the country, now you will have your chance. NCGA’s new podcast “Wherever Jon May Roam,” hosted by CEO Jon Doggett, will provide listeners an insider’s view of corn issues, the thinking behind them and the people behind the thinking. Episode …
Biofuels Stakeholders Disappointed with EPA Final Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a final rule today that establishes required renewable volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for 2020 that is basically the same as the proposed rule that industry stakeholders say still falls short. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says the rule fails to deliver on President Trump’s commitment to restore …
Hula Sets Corn Yield Record of Over 616 Bushels
David Hula of Charles City, Virginia has once again broken his own record in the National Corn Growers Association 2019 National Corn Yield Contest and set the bar pretty high for the future. Hula produced the highest yield on record at 616.1953 bushels per acre, beating his previous record of 542-plus bushels in 2017, which broke his 2015 record of …
Corn Growers Seek Action on USMCA and Ethanol
Leaders of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and state corn organizations held a news conference Wednesday morning to urge the Trump Administration and members of Congress to finish the job on outstanding trade and ethanol issues important to corn farmers. The past year has presented a perfect storm of challenges for America’s corn farmers. While there have been positive …
Farmers and Ethanol Producers Need Relief Now
Ethanol producers and corn farmers held a telephone press conference Wednesday to spotlight recent research on the impacts of ethanol plant closings, a new survey on voter attitudes about ethanol, and a potential White House agreement to promote further renewable fuels use. The main message from Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper, new National Corn Growers Association President …
USDA Urged to Establish Foot and Mouth Vaccine Bank
Representatives of the National Pork Producers Council, the National Milk Producers Federation, the National Corn Growers Association and Iowa State University are urging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to move quickly to establish a Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine bank. At a press conference Tuesday, the groups recognized steps USDA has already taken to establish the bank, but called for “expedient …
Ethanol Report on Crappie Masters Championship
2019 has been another winning year for the partnership between ethanol and crappie fishing. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) just wrapped up a third year as co-title sponsor of the Crappie Masters All American Tournament Trail with the national championship in Grenada, MS, concluding September 28. Missouri Corn Growers and the National Corn Growers Association have also both been closely …
NCGA Tackles Waivers, Trade
While celebrating announcements about E-15, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) 1st Vice President Kevin Ross had the opportunity to share a pointed message with President Trump last spring regarding small refinery exemptions. But recent news out of Washington, D.C. about Renewable Fuels Standard waivers has Ross declaring there is still work to do. “There’s time for them to do things …
Farm and Biofuel Groups Dismayed by EPA Refinery Waivers
Small refinery waivers will continue to take a chunk out of the gallons of biofuel that should be blended into our nation’s transportation fuel supply under the Renewable Fuel Standard, thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement late Friday that granted 31 more exemptions, representing 1.43 billion gallons of additional lost RFS demand. Only six of the requests for 2018 …