Oct. 30: Last week, members of the Field to Market sustainability effort met in St. Louis to welcome new comers, hear program updates and discuss their 2013 annual work plan. High on the list of farmer priorities was the ability to participate among a diverse group of stakeholders in a consensus-driven approach to making decisions regarding agricultural sustainability.

“We know as farmers that we’re continually improving our efficiencies, fertilizer …

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Oct. 25:  The Conservation Technology Information Center is celebrating its 30th anniversary today in St. Louis, as it continues its mission to champion, promote and provide information on technologies and sustainable agricultural systems. The National Corn Growers Association will be on-hand to join the celebration.

“For three decades, the Conservation Technology Information Center has provided comprehensive data, research and materials related to achieving better soil, cleaner water and a …

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Oct. 16: The U.S Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service launched an initiative highlighting the benefits of improving and maintaining healthy soil last week. The “Unlock the Secrets in the Soil” looks at successes and identifies lessons learned in communities already examining how soil health can benefit their operations. This information will be shared with farmers in other areas which might also benefit from implementing similar practices.

“Managing …

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Oct. 5: The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania heard oral arguments Thursday in the case of American Farm Bureau v. EPA.  The case challenges the Environmental Protection Agency's Total Maximum Daily Load for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment in the Chesapeake Bay. The National Corn Growers Association joined the suit last year with the American Farm Bureau Federation and other agricultural organizations.

“This lawsuit is extremely …

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June 18: During an Environmental Protection Agency Scientific Advisory Panel hearing on atrazine, the National Corn Growers Association, along with state corn association representatives from Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Nebraska, urged the use of sound science and real-world evidence in its decision making. This was the final in a series of SAP hearings on this issue over the past three years.

“It is important that sound science and real …

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Feb. 24:  Ken McCauley remembers getting Maryland’s Jamie Jamison to tackle the sustainability issue during McCauley’s term as NCGA president: “I remember him telling me, ‘this is not fun.’ At that time, people just didn’t want to talk about the issue.”

Times have changed, and sustainability has become an important issue for the National Corn Growers Association, and with good reason, according to Don Glenn, the Alabama grower who …

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Jan. 26: The National Corn Growers Association’s Production and Stewardship Action Team traveled to Fresno, Calif., this week to tackle issues related to sustainability, water quality and other conservation and environmental concerns.

At the meeting, Gary Edwards and Ken McCauley, who serve as NCGA organizational appointees on two sustainability initiatives, spoke to growers about sustainability efforts in the agricultural industry.

McCauley, an NCGA past president who farms in eastern …

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Dec. 27: The National Corn Growers Association is currently involved in two major pieces of environmental litigation that will likely be decided in federal court in 2012. This could have major implications for future environmental regulations.

Earlier this year, NCGA joined with the American Farm Bureau Federation and other agricultural organizations to challenge the Environmental Protection Agency’s Total Maximum Daily Load for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment in the Chesapeake …

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Nov. 16: Last week, representatives of the National Corn Growers Association attended a National Initiative for Sustainable Agriculture (NISA) workshop in Chicago to discuss the future of the project with representatives from dozens of other agricultural organizations, food companies, retailers and conservation groups. During the two-day meeting, participants reviewed existing sustainability initiatives and gathered perspectives from various sectors about the need for a national umbrella organization that brings farmer …

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Nov. 15: Last week, the National Corn Growers Association met with Dr. Saturnina Halos, a senior agriculture science consultant at the Philippines Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural Research, to discuss biotechnology usage in the United States. NCGA staff emphasized the practices in place to ensure safe and responsible use of these improved varieties, also providing information on structured refuge, new refuge-in-a-bag options and farmer attitudes toward compliance.

Marketing …

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Nov. 3: Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry held a hearing on the EPA’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. TMDLs are a common pollution control mechanism established by the Clean Water Act. The TMDL for the Chesapeake Bay watershed sets a firm limit on the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment that can be discharged in six states and the …

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Nov. 2: The National Corn Growers Association welcomed a high-level delegation from Argentina exploring how new technology improves yields and conserves resources when used in conjunction with other agronomic practices.  Designed to foster a farmer-to-farmer conversation across the Americas, delegates expressed particular interest in how U.S. growers have improved their sustainability.

“Fostering interaction between corn farmers across the hemisphere benefits both parties,” said NCGA CEO Rick Tolman. “Working together, …

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Oct. 25: Last week, staff from the National Corn Growers Association took to the fields of South Dakota taping video footage to be used in updates of the group’s online Insect Resistance Module . This footage, which features NCGA Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team Chair Chad Blindauer of Mitchell, S.D., will be used along with interviews taped late this summer to create a module that helps to explain …

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July 28: During testimony before an Environmental Protection Agency Scientific Advisory Panel evaluating the effects of atrazine on human health, NCGA Director of Public Policy Sarah Gallo explained the importance of the product to combat weeds effectively and affordably. She also discussed how farmers have been safely applying atrazine for more than a half century.

Click here for her testimony.

“The United States is the world’s largest producer and …

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July 27:  A study published in the July 2011 Biomass and Bioenergy Journal on indirect land use change (ILUC) due to biofuels production indicates that the real impact of U.S. biofuels production on ILUC domestically and internationally is negligible or nonexistent.

The study, “Indirect land use change for biofuels: Testing predictions and improving analytical methodologies” was coauthored by Drs. Seungdo Kim and Bruce E. Dale of Michigan State University. …

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July 27: Last week, staff for the National Corn Growers Association participated in an aerial crop tour of the Corn Belt taken by Water Street Solutions. Covering eight states over the course of two days the group surveyed growing conditions across the Midwest to gather data and develop an assessment of the current condition of the U.S. corn crop. This is the second of three aerial surveys the company …

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July 26: In comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency today on the draft guidance that identifies which waters are protected under the Clean Water Act, the National Corn Growers Association outlined concerns including the new proposal could expand EPA’s authority over isolated waters such as ditches and farm ponds.

Click here for the letter.

The draft guidance, which was announced in April, was developed to clarify the scope …

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The National Corn Growers Association applauds the Senate Agriculture Committee for passing H.R. 872, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011, with a strong bipartisan vote. This legislation clarifies that National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits are not required when applying pesticides according to their EPA approved label. The House of Representatives passed this legislation in April.

“NCGA greatly appreciates the work of Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie …

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Agricultural conservation programs make up a significant portion of mandatory farm program spending. The National Corn Growers Association has developed a survey to collect information on how farmers utilize these Farm Bill programs.

In the current budget environment, tough decisions will need to be made about how to structure these programs to provide optimum environmental and economic benefit. The purpose of this survey is to gather information that will …

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U.S. corn farmers yet again proved that they are growing more with less year after year. According to USDA and Fertilizer Institute data, farmers decreased usage of key fertilizers by roughly one-third per bushel in the last 30 years.

“Farmers truly were the first environmentalists,” said National Corn Growers Association Production and Stewardship Action Team Chair Steve Ebke. “The multigenerational nature of our operations constantly reminds us of why …

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