NCGA's Mission: To Create and
Increase Opportunities for Corn Growers
This is Corn Commentary, the weekly newsletter for state and national
grower leaders of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). For
complete stories and updated NCGA information, visit www.ncga.com or
the NCGA Leader Resource Center, www.insidencga.com.
IN THIS ISSUE:
- NCGA’s Yoder Makes Fourth Visit to Europe to Discuss Biotechnology, Coexistence
- NCGA Reminds Corn Growers to Properly Channel Herculex Rootworm Grain
- NCGA Hosts Irish Officials in Illinois, St. Louis
- NCGA Study: Farmer-owned Ethanol Plants Contribute More to Local Economies
- NCGA Poised to Satisfy All Markets with 11.114 Billion Bushel Crop
- NCGA Urges Growers to Step Up Outreach Efforts for Passage of WRDA
- NCGA, ABE Commends DoD for Promoting Biobased Products
- American’s Heartland Back for a Second Season, NCGA Notes
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NCGA’s Yoder Makes Fourth Visit to Europe to Discuss Biotechnology, Coexistence
NCGA member Fred Yoder made his fourth trip to Europe in the past year to discuss coexistence and biotechnology, this time with farmers and government officials in Slovenia, Austria and Slovakia. (More On This Story)
NCGA Reminds Corn Growers to Properly Channel Herculex Rootworm Grain
The NCGA reminds growers who planted hybrids containing Herculex™ Rootworm technology to develop a marketing plan for channeling the grain. The technology has full regulatory approvals in the United States, Japan and several other major markets, but it still lacks approval for import into the European Union (EU). (More On This Story)
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NCGA hosted officials from the Irish Department of Agriculture this week to discuss U.S. grain channeling systems and biotechnology. From left to right: NCGA Director of Biotechnology Paul Bertels; Kyd Brenner, DTB Associates; Richard Hackett, Ireland Department of Agriculture Feed Division; Deirdre Webb Ireland Grain and Feed Association; and Liam Hyde Ireland Department of Agriculture Feed Division. |
NCGA Hosts Irish Officials in Illinois, St. Louis
The NCGA hosted officials from the Ireland Department of Agriculture this week to emphasize U.S. grain goes through proper channels to ensure it meets European Union (EU) approval. (More On This Story)
NCGA Study: Farmer-owned Ethanol Plants Contribute More to Local Economies
Local ethanol plant ownership generates significantly more economic activity for the communities in which the plants are located than plants owned by absentee investors, according to a study released today by the NCGA. (More On This Story)
NCGA Poised to Satisfy All Markets with 11.114 Billion Bushel Crop
The National Agricultural Statistics Service’s (NASS) monthly Crop Production report is forecasting an 11.114 billion bushel corn crop for marketing year 2006, which would make the haul the second-largest crop on record, the NCGA notes. Yields are expected to average 154.7 bushels per acre, up 2.5 bushels from August and 6.8 bushels from last year. (More On This Story)
NCGA Urges Growers to Step Up Outreach Efforts for Passage of WRDA
The NCGA is urging growers to increase their outreach efforts and contact their congressmen to support efforts by Reps. Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.) and Marion Berry (D-Ark.) to complete the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) conference report. (More On This Story)
NCGA, ABE Commends DoD for Promoting Biobased Products
The NCGA today joined members of the Alliance for a Biobased Economy (ABE) in commended the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for taking a leading role in promoting biobased products. DoD is hosting a biobased products event to respond to Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and other congressional leaders’ push to increase government procurement of eco-friendly products. The event is also designed to further policy and education of the benefits of biobased products. (More On This Story)
America’s Heartland Back for a Second Season, NCGA Notes
America’s Heartland, the public television series that celebrates the miracle of American agriculture, is coming back to the airwaves for its second season, and the NCGA is once again a proud supporter. (More On This Story)
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AROUND THE CORN BELT
News
from State Associations
Minnesota: “It's Easier to Bury a Tradition than a Child,” reads the headline in the public service message from the Childhood Agricultural Safety Network, released to the media on Wednesday. The group, made up of 14 farm health organizations, aims to keep young children off tractors, through the age of 12. Childhood Agricultural Safety Network, or CASN, hopes its campaign, much like the car safety belt campaigns of the 1960s and 1970s, will change behavior. The group launched a web site yesterday, www.childagsafety.org. "The most recent statistics gathered by NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) show that 100 children are killed and 22,648 are seriously injured in U.S. farm-related accidents every year," said Scott Heiberger, a spokesperson for the National Farm Medicine Center in Marshfield, Wis. Other members of the CASN are: the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety; Farm Safety 4 Just Kids; and the Progressive Agriculture Foundation. Looking at all farm accidents, the U.S. government rates agriculture as having the highest rate of worker deaths with 29.2 deaths per 100,000. This compares to 3.5 deaths per 100,000 works for the workforce as a whole.
Illinois: It is no secret that U.S. pork exports have been booming and that trend continued throughout the summer. To make this great news even better is the returning momentum for beef exports. BSE scares put a major dent in exports with top beef customers like Japan and Korea pulling out of the market. U.S. beef and beef variety meat exports through July increased 37 percent in volume to 354,863 metric tones (mt) and 49 percent in value to $1.1 billion compared to the first seven months of last year as important customers continue to come back into the market. Mexico remains the top export market for U.S. beef as volume increased 34 percent to 207,353 mt and value increased 37 percent to $664.4 million. U.S. beef export volumes to Taiwan (10,577 mt) and the Caribbean (8,771 mt) were higher than most monthly 2002 and 2003 volumes. These amounts are impressive when considering the limited market access compared to 2003. Throughout this entire process the U.S. Meat Export Federation, with the support of Illinois corn checkoff dollars, has continued promoting the quality and safety of U.S. beef and pork. The payoff for stepping up these efforts in key markets like Japan is now being felt in the market.
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KEY ISSUES
