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Welcome to “Off the Cob” the original podcast series produced by the National Corn Growers Association. This series features interviews with grower-leaders on hot topics in agriculture and will expand media options for those wishing to further their knowledge of the industry.

 

 

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5/18/12: "Field Notes" meets with Don Rutledge, a highly diversified farmer and rancher who works with his two sons outside of Yuma, Colo.  Rutledge introduces an interesting perspective to the series that includes the concerns specific to hog and cattle ranchers and farmers with crops grown for niche markets.

 

5/17/12: "Field Notes" introduces Brian Scott, a young farmer who has recently returned to the family operation, already shares his story with the public through a variety of new and social media including his blog, The Farmers Life, and on Twitter.

 

5/2/12: “Off the Cob” podcast series speaks to Maize Genomics Database Curator Dr. Jack Gardiner for an update on the project’s progress and insight into the tool’s functionality.

 

3/16/12: Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team Vice Chair Jim Zimmerman talks to "Off the Cob" podcast series about "Know Before You Grow."
 

 

 

 

3/9/12: "Off the Cob" podcast series speaks to NCGA President Garry Niemeyer about his outlook on what the future holds for U.S. farmers.

 

2/23/12: Podcast series "Off the Cob" speaks with NCGA Corn Board member and Commodity Classic Joint Venture Co-chair Martin Barbre about the 2012 Commodity Classic and how it's sure to be a Sound Success.

 

2/8/12: NCGA President Garry Niemeyer speaks with podcast series, "Off the Cob" to invite farmers to make their concerns known on the Hill.

 

1/20/12: “Off the Cob” podcast series speaks with Dr. Jack Gardiner, the curator of the Maize Genome and Genetics Database, where NCGA has funded activities that will add functional genomic software tools into the preexisting USDA ARS database.

 

1/19/12: NCGA’s podcast series Off the Cob caught up with Spurlock to discuss how corn farmers are growing a larger crop on the land already in production while decreasing inputs used.

 

1/18/12: NCGA’s Off the Cob podcast caught up with Jameson to explore his thoughts on the experience and the value that yield contests, held at the county, state or national level, offer farmers.

 

1/6/12: Off the Cob revisits conversations held with some members of the Corn Board following the organization’s Action Team and Committee Meetings in December. During these interviews, the attendees offer information on a variety of subjects covered that they feel to be of particular interest to farmers.

 

12/3/12: Today, Off the Cob spoke with National Corn Growers Association President Garry Niemeyer on his outlook for corn growers in the new year. Emphasizing the importance of cooperation and making changes on the horizon into opportunities for farmers, Niemeyer offered an optimistic outlook for agriculture should the industry take an active role in the many potential movements that could impact various pieces of the value chain.

 

12/2/11: NCGA First Vice President Pam Johnson spoke to attendees both about her personal experience as a female association leader and the goals of the organization in general during the opening panel discussion on “Women in Agribusiness – Success Stories” and during several breakout sessions.

 

11/4/11: Field Notes opened the farm gate this spring and provided followers with an inside look at the activities of several farmers from a variety of geographical areas. With corn harvest complete on his farm, we caught up with Illinois grower Tom Martin to review this year’s growing season and discuss what he plans to do this winter.

 

10/28/11: Field Notes opened the farm gate this spring and provided followers with an inside look at the activities of several farmers from a variety of geographical areas. With corn harvest nearly complete on his farm, we caught up with Maryland grower and National Corn Growers Association Corn Board Member Chip Bowling to review this year’s growing season and discuss what he plans to do this winter.

 

10/7/11: The Off the Cob podcast series caught up with each of these members as they prepared for their terms to discuss what they see on the horizon for corn growers in 2012, their priorities as Corn Board members and their views on leadership. Today, the series airs the second and final set of these interviews, which includes discussions with Bob Bowman and Lynn Chrisp.

 

10/5/11: Off the Cob podcast series caught up with each of these members as they prepared for their terms to discuss what they see on the horizon for corn growers in 2012, their priorities as Corn Board members and their views on leadership. Today, the series airs the first set of these interviews which includes discussions with Keith Alverson, Martin Barbre and Chip Bowling.

 

10/4/11: Off the Cob sat down with her to discuss where she sees the industry heading and her overall priorities for the board over the coming year.

 

10/3/11: Off the Cob spoke with the new president to explore his views on what lies ahead for corn farmers in 2012, the challenges he expects the board to face, and some of the programs he is excited to see coming to fruition.

 

9/30/11: The Off the Cob podcast series sat down with Schott today to discuss the highlights of his presidency, his outlook for the coming year, and to ask his advice for farmers considering volunteering for leadership roles.

 

9/28/11: The Off the Cob podcast series caught up with each retiring Corn Board member to discuss what each learned and experienced through service and to ask for any advice that might benefit farmers considering stepping up to a leadership role

 

9/23/11: Field Notes opened the farm gate this spring and provided followers with an inside look at the activities of several farmers from a variety of geographical areas. Today, we caught up with Maryland grower Chip Bowling as he drove his new grain truck home from Missouri to discuss what he is seeing this harvest.

 

9/20/11: Today, Off the Cob speaks with Texas Corn Producers Board Executive Director David Gibson about the devastating drought that has severely impacted corn growers across his state this growing season. As water pumping restrictions on the high plains continue to decrease farmers’ ability to irrigate, Gibson looks at how a lack of water will impact corn production and necessitate the import of feed grains from out-of-state in order to supply the thriving livestock industry.

 

9/14/11: Field Notes opened the farm gate this spring and provided followers with an inside look at the activities of several farmers from a variety of geographical areas. Yesterday evening, we caught up with Illinois grower Tom Martin to see talk about his perceptions of harvest following Monday’s release of revised U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates of crop condition, yield and acreage.

 

9/9/11: Field Notes opened the farm gate this spring and provided followers with an inside look at the activities of several farmers from a variety of geographical areas. Today, this series visited with Illinois grower Tom Martin to see how harvest is progressing thus far on his farm and to gain perspective into the crop in his area before Monday’s release of revised U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates of crop condition, yield and acreage.

 

9/2/11: Field Notes opened the farm gate this spring and provided followers with an inside look at the activities of several farmers from a variety of geographical areas. Today, this series visited with Maryland grower Chip Bowling to find out how Hurricane Irene impacted his Chesapeake Bay farm.

 

8/30/11: To aid any members still considering applying to serve on a National Corn Growers Association action team or committee in 2012, Off the Cob spoke with Growers Services Action Team Chair Brandon Hunnicutt about how he became involved with NCGA, what these positions entail and why he dedicates his time and effort to leadership.

 

8/18/11: Field Notes opened the farm gate this spring and provided followers with an inside look at the activities of several farmers from a variety of geographical areas. Today, this innovative series brings Chip Bowling from the shores of Maryland and Tom Martin from central Illinois together to share their perspectives on the crop condition in their respective areas and on the preparations underway for harvest.

 

8/10/11: Off The Cob s spoke with National Corn Growers Association Director of Public Policy Sarah Gallo, who assists NCGA’s grower-led Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team, about the importance of free trade agreements to farmers and U.S. ag exports as a whole. In this interview, Gallo addressed pending FTAs with Colombia, Panama and Korea.

 

8/5/11: The National Corn Growers Association’s “Field Notes” podcast series this week visits with Maryland grower Chip Bowling, Kentucky grower Sam Hancock, Illinois grower Tom Martin and Minnesota grower DeVonna Zeug to get an on-the-ground assessment of the crop condition in comparison with the crop condition estimates released by the USDA in a report earlier this week.

 

8/4/11: “Off the Cob” podcast series speaks with Dr. Jack Gardiner, the biologist selected to manage the NCGA-sponsored project developing software tools to be incorporated into the Maize Genetics and Genomics Database. In this position, Gardiner will work with software engineers and scientists to develop a tool that allows researchers to easily isolate and examine manageable data sets, thus decreasing the time and effort needed to utilize the massive amounts of genomic data on corn and produce results that will aid farmers. 

 

7/29/11: The "Field Notes” podcast series opened the farm gate this spring and provided followers with an inside look at the activities of several farmers from a variety of geographical areas. Today, this series caught up with Maryland farmer Chip Bowling following a hiatus during which he conducted a successful campaign for a seat on the National Corn Growers Association’s Corn Board.

 

7/21/11: Today, Off the Cob speaks with Carolyn Lawrence, a research geneticist with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. Coming from the understanding that growers need the results of research such as the Maize Genome Sequencing Project to result in technology that produces real world results, the National Corn Growers Association will fund a functional genomic data base coordinator. This project will incorporate needed software tools into the Maize Genetics and Genomics Database.

 

7/7/11:Off the Cob spoke with NCGA First Vice President-Elect Pam Johnson about her recent election to the post, the vice presidential ratification vote that will occur during Corn Congress, and her views on leadership.

 

7/1/11: Off the Cob speaks with Iowa Corn Growers Association CEO Craig Floss for a look at the organizations efforts to reach consumers with serious messages about corn through entertainment channels they already enjoy.

 

6/30/11: Field Notes visited with Illinois grower Tom Martin to see how his crop is progressing and how he views newly released USDA reports indicating corn farmers planted 92.3 million acres in 2011, up five percent from 2010.

 

6/24/11: Field Notes growers Sam Hancock of Kentucky and DeVonna Zeug of Minnesota jointly discuss their current on-farm activities, their perspectives on this summer’s weather and share their plans for the next few weeks. While Hancock finally got the rain he needed to ensure the quality of his crop, Zeug wrestles with water issues as the rains continue to fall.

 

6/23/11: Off the Cob speaks with North Dakota Corn Growers Association Executive Director Tom Lilja for a look at the organizations efforts to provide consumers with both knowledge and choices at the pump. In addition to explaining these efforts, Lilja explains crop insurance issues the organization is currently working to remedy.

 

6/17/11: Field Notes spoke with Kentucky farmer Sam Hancock. The first participant to finish planting, Hancock reported that, once the rains that delayed planting ceased, unseasonably hot, dry conditions are now the cause for concern.

 

6/16/11: Off the Cob speaks with Kentucky Corn Growers Association Executive Director Laura Knoth for a look at Kentucky’s Crop Observation and Research Education program. Now selecting its second class, CORE is a year-long course designed to increase fundamental agronomy knowledge among Kentucky grain farmers.

 

6/10/11: Field Notes We caught up with our Field Notes farmer to see how they crops were coming along. Despite reports forecasting a difficult season, both farmers remained positive about the current condition of the crop in their fields. “The corn is out of the ground and doing well now,” said Zeug. “Earlier this week, the corn was still yellow. Now, it has gotten some sunlight and turned to green so things are really improving.”

 

6/9/11: Today, Off the Cob speaks with Nebraska Corn Board Executive Director Don Hutchens for a look at Nebraska corn production by the numbers. The third largest corn producer in the United States, Nebraska ranks second in both cattle-on-feed and ethanol production also.

 

5/27/11: During this busy season, Field Notes growers Sam Hancock, Tom Martin and DeVonna Zeug took time to discuss current planting progress on their farms, the ramifications of a late planting and how they plan on moving forward.

 

5/20/11: Today, Off the Cob speaks with Colorado Corn Growers Association CEO Mark Sponsler about the group forums helping the rapidly growing state develop a water use plan.

 

5/20/11: Field Notes growers Sam Hancock and DeVonna Zeug took time to discuss current planting progress on their farms, the ramifications of a late planting and how they plan on moving forward.

 

5/13/11: While national media attention follows the rising water levels on the Mississippi River toward the Delta, farmers in Missouri continue to deal with the flooding resulting from the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to open the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway. This action resulted in the immediate flooding of 130,000 acres of farmland, but the ramifications will be felt for many years, according to Missouri Corn Growers Association CEO Gary Marshall.

 

5/12/11: Off the Cob launches a spring series featuring executives from organizations representing corn growers at the state level. In this first installment, Illinois Corn Marketing Board Executive Director Rod Weinzierl speaks about Illinois Farmers, a statewide initiative uniting several farm groups to educate consumers. Focusing on urban areas, this campaign presents the facts and stories behind modern agriculture. 

 

5/6/11: While the sun peaked out over parts of Missouri and Illinois today, growers continue to experience delays as a long, wet spring delays planting for many in the Corn Belt. Noting that he did get into the field early in April to plant 20 percent of the corn he intends to this year, Field Notes grower Tom Martin continues to hope that more suitable planting weather will help what has thus far been a slow planting season.

 

4/29/11: Today, Off the Cob Introduces New DC Staffer Sarah Gallo. A seasoned ag lobbyist and formally trained marine biologist, Gallo brings a wealth of experience, enthusiasm and energy to the team. Take a moment to and listen as Gallo speaks about her hopes and expectations for her work with NCGA.

 

4/29/11: Field Notes: Illinois Grower Talks about Rain, Moisture. As rain and severe weather continue to plague the Corn Belt and the South, Tom Martin is hopeful that he will be able to plant in time to avoid potential yield losses. Despite his optimism, Martin notes that progress thus far has been very slow and that the optimal planting window will close in his area by mid-May. Martin took a moment to explain why farmers place an emphasis on the moisture content of corn and how the weather and planting schedule affect this key factor.

 

4/15/11: Today, Off the Cob speaks with Sam Hancock, an eigth-generation farmer in Fulton, Ky.Hancock combines farming techniques learned from his father with a formal business education to continually improve the sustainability of their family’s farm.

 

2/14/11: Off the Cob sat down with NCGA President Bart Schott and Director of Biotechnology and Economic Analysis Nathan Fields to discuss the importance of this tool recently. For the full interview,

 

1/28/11: In this first installment, Off the Cob speaks with Tom Martin, a fifth-generation farmer in Mount Pulaski, Ill. In 1982, he joined his father and brother in growing mainly corn and soybeans. Living with his wife and children in the house where both he and his father grew up, Martin still works the family farm – a fact that is not surprising when one considers that more than 90 percent of all U.S. corn is grown on family farms. Learn about winter agriculture and meet Martin by

 

1/7/11: Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its final Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) or “pollution diet” for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. TMDLs are a common pollution control mechanism set forth in the Clean Water Act. Out of more than 40,000 TMDLs that have been developed across the country, the Chesapeake plan is by far the largest and most complex, totaling 200 pages in the main document and more than 3,000 pages of appendices. To listen to the interview in its entirety,

 

1/5/11: During the recent National Corn Growers Association Action Team meetings, held in St. Louis, NCGA’s podcast series Off the Cob caught up with Research and Business Development Action Team Chair Larry Hasheider. As the meetings closed, Hasheider noted that the team anticipates a productive, successful year in 2011 with new staff lead Rick Vierling. To hear the full interview, please

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12/22/10: Following passage of the massive tax package passed by Congress and signed by President Obama last week, National Corn Growers Association Public Policy Action Team Chair Anthony Bush, a grower from Mt. Gilead, Ohio, sat down with Off the Cob to discuss estate tax provisions important to growers.

 

12/21/10: On December 2, top National Corn Growers Association leadership met with officials from NASCAR and Growth Energy in Las Vegas, Nevada to announce the signing of an agreement stating every NASCAR vehicle would be fueled with a 15 percent ethanol blend beginning in 2011. The official announcement, which featured a parade of NASCAR drivers and ethanol industry leaders, raised pulses as the move toward E15 shifted into full gear.

 

NCGA President Bart Schott, First Vice President Garry Niemeyer and Chairman Darrin Ihnen, along with a delegation of grower leaders and CEO Rick Tolman, represented the organization during the highly publicized festivities. To hear their thoughts on the day, the new American Ethanol and NASCAR initiative and the future of ethanol,

 

11/24/10: This Thanksgiving, many families across the country will celebrate their meal with five kernels of corn sitting by their plate. These kernels represent the meager rations of only a few kernels of maize per day that the pilgrims enjoyed between 1621 and 1623. During these lean years, they lived only off of the maize Native Americans helped them grow while learning how to cultivate the soil in this new world.

 

11/4/10: In this series, Off the Cob speaks with grower leaders about harvest on their own farms. Today, National Corn Growers Association Corn Board Member Jon Holzfaster of Nebraska talks about harvest thus far and provides insight into how it affects livestock, ethanol and 2011. For the full interview,

 

10/26/10: In this edition of Harvest Happenings, the podcast series providing on-the-ground coverage of harvest 2010, Off the Cob speaks with Corn Board member Pam Johnson, a farmer in Floyd, Iowa. With corn harvest complete, Johnson speaks about harvest progress in Iowa, yields and the growing importance of agriculture on the world stage.

 

10/15/10: In this series, Off the Cob speaks with grower leaders about harvest on their own farms. Today, National Corn Growers Association President Bart Schott and Chairman Darrin Ihnen talk about what they have seen during harvest thus far and provide insight into the conditions in North and South Dakota.