May 17: The National Corn Growers Association has launched its third season of Field Notes, a series that takes readers behind the farm gate to follow the year in the life of American farm families. While these growers come from diverse geographic areas and run unique operations, they share a common love for U.S. agriculture and the basic values that underpin life in farming communities.

Today, Field Notes catches …

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May 17: The National Corn Growers Association is pleased with the Senate confirmation of physicist Ernest Moniz as secretary of Energy.

“I would first like to congratulate Secretary Moniz on his confirmation and express our eagerness to work with him on the many energy issues facing our nation,” NCGA President Pam Johnson said. “The Secretary’s strong scientific background makes us optimistic that he will be an excellent partner in …

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May 17: With NASCAR ® season heating up, the National Corn Growers Association reminds members that they are entitled to exclusive online NASCAR news and discounts as part of the association’s American Ethanol partnership with the sport. Through this online portal to all things NASCAR, members can access a customized site that offers the best deals on NASCAR tickets, discounts with other NASCAR partners and a vast assortment of other …

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May 16: National Corn Growers Association President Pam Johnson released the following statement in response to the House Committee on Agriculture’s farm bill passage late Wednesday night:

“We greatly appreciate the work by House Committee on Agriculture’s Chairman Frank Lucas, Ranking Member Collin Peterson and the Committee to move forward in the process to develop a five-year farm bill. NCGA is assessing similarities and differences between the legislation and …

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May 15: The National Corn Growers Association thanked members of the U.S. Senate who overwhelmingly passed the Water Resources Development Act today, a bill that represents an important step forward in upgrading the inland waterways system.

“Our inland waterways, in particular the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, are an important route for moving our corn to markets worldwide,” said NCGA Chairman Garry Niemeyer, who has been active on the …

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May 15: Yesterday, National Corn Growers Association CEO Rick Tolman took part in a panel discussion on “Adapting in Real Time to Climate Change” held as a part of Monsanto Media Days. The dialogue, which featured many industry leaders and experts on environmental issues, provided information on agricultural innovation and sustainability for national, local and farm media.

Tolman began his presentation by discussing how corn farming has adapted over …

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May 15: Ethanol not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to petroleum but continues to steadily improve upon the levels at which it does so, according to a report released by Dr. Steffen Mueller of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Energy Resources Center. In his study findings, which are now available online, Mueller outlines how ethanol has helped the Renewable Fuel Standard meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas …

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May 14: The National Corn Growers Association, along with the U.S. Grains Council, MAIZAR, representing Argentina producers and the maize supply chain, and the Brazilian Association of Corn Producers (ABRAMILHO) today signed a memorandum of understanding to form an alliance of North and South American maize producers to collaborate on a global basis to address key issues concerning food security, biotechnology, stewardship, trade and producer image. The organizations will function …

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May 14: National Corn Growers Association President Pam Johnson released the following statement in response to the Senate Agriculture Committee’s farm bill passage:

“We greatly appreciate the work by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and the Committee to put forth a well-crafted farm bill. The National Corn Growers Association is pleased to see the Committee listened to the concerns of our nation’s corn farmers and have done a …

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May 14: With a plate full of hot issues on Capitol Hill, staff from the National Corn Growers Association’s Washington office had a lot to discuss in a round of interviews with farm-state media visiting the Capital for the annual Washington Watch meeting of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Interviews covered a range of questions with particular interest paid to the farm bill, ethanol and the 2013 planting season.

May 13: The National Corn Growers Association expressed support today for the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Bowman v. Monsanto. The court ruled unanimously that Bowman, an Indiana farmer, violated Monsanto's patent on genetically modified soybeans when he purchased some from a grain elevator and used them to replant his own crop in future years. In doing so, the court reaffirmed the importance of maintain the integrity of …

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May 13: As persistently cool, wet weather finally began to relent, farmers across the Corn Belt headed into their fields, more than doubling the progress made to his point, according to reports released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As of May 12, 28 percent of projected corn acres had been planted, while only 12 percent were planted a week prior. Despite the rapid progress, corn planting still lags …

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May 10: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement today that it will prepare a full environmental impact statement regarding certain herbicide-resistant crops is bad news for corn farmers, the National Corn Growers Association said.

“NCGA is extremely disappointed in USDA’s decision to require a full environmental impact statement for a much-needed corn biotechnology trait,” said NCGA President Pam Johnson. “Particularly troubling in today’s decision was that this trait has …

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May 10: This year U.S. farmers are on track to produce a record corn crop, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates released today. While the report projects average yields will not break previous records, strong yields coupled with record plantings will help farmers produce a record total corn supply of 14.9 billion bushels, three billion bushels more than last year.

“The unprecedented abundance of corn projected by USDA …

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May 10: The National Corn Growers Association has launched its third season of Field Notes, a series that takes readers behind the farm gate to follow the year in the life of American farm families. While these growers come from diverse geographic areas and run unique operations, they share a common love for U.S. agriculture and the basic values that underpin life in farming communities.

Today, Field Notes catches …

More

May 9: With only a little more than a month left to take advantage of the early registration discount, the National Corn Growers Association reminds those interested in the 2013 National Corn Yield Contest that time remains to enjoy valuable savings while participating in this popular program. The online entry format makes entry quick and simple, but growers wishing to take advantage of the reduced $80 per hybrid entry fee …

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May 8: Today, the National Corn Growers Association expressed appreciation to Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) for co-authoring a letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack and USTR Acting Ambassador Marantis addressing international regulatory challenges for agricultural products derived from biotechnology. Biotech varieties accounted for 88 percent of corn planted in 2012. As the world’s leading exporter of corn, NCGA strongly supports efforts to ensure the uninterrupted flow of …

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May 8: The National Corn Growers Association welcomes Beth Elliott, who joins the organization as a director of public policy. Elliott, who has worked in a variety of agriculturally focused positions in Washington, will handle ethanol and other energy issues at NCGA’s Washington office.

“Beth is an incredibly valuable addition to our team, and we are excited to be able to utilize her broad knowledge base to further enhance …

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May 7: Membership at the National Corn Growers Association reached a new all-time high with 38,810 on the rolls as April closed. This membership record replaces the former of 38,623 members at the close of August in 2012, when the association had set new records for three consecutive months.

“What is truly unique about this record is that it comes at a time when we usually do not see …

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May 7: The National Corn Growers Association recently submitted comments on the impact of the Renewable Fuel Standard to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in response to their second white paper, “Agricultural Sector Impacts.” In these comments, NCGA addressed how the RFS affects commodity products including corn, agricultural output and economics, RFS flexibility, food prices, cellulosic feedstock and global impacts.

The comments began by noting that corn …

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May 7: The National Corn Growers Association has launched its third season of Field Notes, a series that takes readers behind the farm gate to follow the year in the life of American farm families. While these growers come from diverse geographic areas and run unique operations, they share a common love for U.S. agriculture and the basic values that underpin life in farming communities.

Today, Field …

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May 3:  This week, staff from the National Corn Growers Association and state corn associations across the country met in St. Louis to share insights gained over the past year and coordinate efforts for the next. With more than 130 attendees including state association executives, program directors and communicators, the conference also provided a forum to discuss pressing issues facing their farmer members.

“By working together, our state and …

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May 2: Key members of the U.S. agricultural value chain have joined together to applaud the work of the United States and like-minded governments to promote the importance of science-based regulations to facilitate trade of agricultural commodities derived from agricultural biotechnology.

In a joint statement, the United States was joined by the governments of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada and Paraguay to announce their intention to work collaboratively to remove …

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