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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:

CornPac, Auction At Commodity Classic To Feature ‘50s Theme
Corn Genome Event Highlights Benefits Of Research
NCGA Growers Will Experience The Magic Of Success At Commodity Classic
NCGA, Eden To Announce Results Of Field Trials At Commodity Classic
Corn Growers Voice Support On Natural Gas Legislation

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CornPAC Auction at Commodity Classic to Feature ‘50s Theme
Commodity Classic attendees looking for a 1950s-style fun will have an opportunity to dance the night away at the NCGA Corn Political Action Committee (CornPAC) dinner and auction Wednesday, March 1, at Anaheim, Calif. Commodity Classic is the joint trade show and convention of NCGA and the American Soybean Association. (More On This Story)

NCGA Research and Business Development Action Team member Pam Johnson speaks to congressional staff on Wednesday about the importance of genetic research and what it means to corn growers at an event sponsored by NCGA on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Corn Genome Event Highlights Benefits of Research
The NCGA held a corn genome education event Wednesday on Capitol Hill, highlighting the critical need for greater research and investment in corn genome studies and educating attendees on the work being done on Maize Genome Project, which is part of the National Plant Genome Initiative. (More On This Story)

NCGA Growers Will Experience the Magic of Success at Commodity Classic
Only seven days remain until NCGA members converge on Anaheim, Calif., for the 10th annual Commodity Classic, where corn growers will attend seminars about production, marketing, management and agriculture issues and visit more than 600 booths highlighting a wide variety of equipment, products and services that are important to farmers. (More On This Story)

NCGA, Eden to Announce Results of Field Trials at Commodity Classic
The NCGA and Eden Bioscience will announce the results of field demonstrations of a foliar application designed to increase yields at the 2006 Commodity Classic in Anaheim, Calif., the joint trade show and convention of NCGA and the American Soybean Association. (More On This Story)

Corn Growers Voice Support on Natural Gas Legislation
In a letter to the leadership of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, the NCGA hailed legislation introduced recently as a step in the right direction to enacting policies that will allow for development of more domestic energy resources. (More On This Story)

AROUND THE CORN BELT
News from State Associations

Michigan: One cutting-edge project funded by CMPM and initiated during the 2004 growing season focuses on corn with stacked transgenic herbicide and insect resistance traits. Stacking both traits into a single corn hybrid offers new strategies for pest management in Michigan corn production. These technologies will be aggressively marketed in the near future. The three-year study will examine the economics of managing weeds and corn rootworm through stacked transgenic corn hybrids as compared to conventional insect and weed management strategies. The objectives of the study are to: (1) determine the economic value of stacked trait corn hybrids by measuring the yield loss incurred from weeds and insects in comparison with conventional strategies, and (2) determine the consistency of conventional and transgenic strategies for control of insects and weeds under a range of Michigan conditions. When completed, this research will determine whether the additional costs of the stacked transgenic traits are justified under a range of weed and corn rootworm infestations and determine the economic value of these traits for Michigan corn producers. Field trials were conducted at four locations in both 2004 and 2005 and will again be conducted in the 2006 growing season. The sites were chosen based on their weed populations and insect infestation histories.

Illinois: U.S. Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman, was at ADM in Decatur today to announce some details of President Bush’s Advanced Energy Initiative which Bodman says can transform our transportation sector. Specifically, he announced new federal funding including $160 million to build three new bio refineries which will use inexpensive (biomass) plant material. Secretary Bodman tipped his hat to the starch based ethanol industry but said alternative sources for ethanol will be needed to meet the demands of the future. The federal funding will come in the form of loan guarantees and cost sharing for construction with a goal of showcasing new technology and furthering investment and expansion in the new industry. The locations of the facilities have not yet been detailed. However, he said he hopes a facility may be located in Illinois. Bodman noted that there are estimates that there will be 1.3 billion dry tons of biomass feedstock which could potentially displace 30 percent or our current gas consumption by 2030.


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Next Week
Feb. 26-28:	NCGA Biotech Working Group meeting in Napa Valley, Calif.
March 2-4:	10th Annual Commodity Classic in Anaheim, Calif.
Calendar information is available on the NCGA Leader Resource Center, http://www.insidencga.com © 2005 National Corn Growers Association