NCGA Outraged at Irresponsible Statements on Biofuels
The National Corn Growers Association is outraged by recent statements on biofuels made by United Nations independent expert Jean Ziegler. Among the egregious statements Ziegler made is the claim that food crops for biofuels are a “crime against humanity.”
“Genocide is crime against humanity. War crimes are a crime against humanity. Any act of persecution to a large scale of people is a crime against humanity. Finding solutions to a global energy problem while continuing to provide food to the world is not a crime against humanity,” said NCGA CEO Rick Tolman.
Ziegler is calling for a five-year moratorium on biofuels production, although the price of oil is near $94 a barrel.
Tolman said if Ziegler were citing facts on biofuels and corn he would know the United States is harvesting 13.3 billion bushels of corn—-more than enough to help meet the needs of global hunger, offset petroleum use, provide a nutritious feed for livestock and have more than an adequate corn supply on hand.
“It is a travesty when an official makes public statements that are so irresponsible, so inaccurate and so inappropriately damning,” he added. “The statements ‘crime against humanity’ and ‘catastrophe of the massacre (by) hunger in the world’ are not to be used lightly or in such an irresponsible manner. If this is an example of how Mr. Ziegler carries out his responsibilities, he should resign his post immediately. Hunger is not something to trifle with and those in positions of responsibility need to be accountable in their statements.”
NCGA's "Farmers Matter" Campaign Thanks Farmers for Abundant Harvest
As the nation’s corn farmers harvest the largest crop in history, the National Corn Growers Association and its state affiliates have launched a new Web site and video contest to thank them for their efforts.
The Web site, www.farmersmatter.org, was created to thank farmers and help educate consumers about growers’ dedication for producing the safest, most abundant food and feed supply on Earth, while also supplying the demands for cleaner-burning, renewable ethanol. The site highlights interesting facts about farming, offers an interactive timeline, videos, downloadable badges for placement on blogs or social networking sites, and a video contest designed to thank farmers for their efforts. Prizes totaling $2,500 will be awarded to a first and second place winner.
“Earlier this year the media was full of stories about a pending corn shortage and the impact higher corn prices were having on the consumer’s pocketbook. In the midst of the largest corn harvest in history, we wanted to take a moment to thank our nation’s corn growers for stepping up to meet demands for both our food and feed needs, as well as helping our nation become more energy independent,” says Ron Litterer, NCGA president.
Consumers, farmers and those in agribusiness are encouraged to visit the site, participate in the video contest, comment in the corn commentary discussion forum and use the Forward to a Friend icon to share the site and fun facts about agriculture with friends and family.
NCGA, Other Agriculture Groups Urge Approval of U.S.-Peru Trade Pact
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and 50 organizations representing U.S. farmers, ranchers, meat processors, food producers and exporters, urge Congressional members to approve the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA). The House Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to vote today on the legislation.
In a letter to Congressional members last week, agricultural groups highlighted how the PTPA provides immediate duty-free access to Peru’s market for two-thirds of the country’s farm and food products. “The PTPA would also solidify the United States’ ability to compete fairly in the Peruvian market with the country’s other trading partners, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the European Union and Mexico. Peru already has signed free trade agreements or is in the process of negotiating free trade agreements with these countries,” according to the letter.
“This agreement is a no-strings attached increase in the value of our corn crop,” said NCGA Joint Trade A-Team Committee Chairman Bill Hoffman. “We conservatively estimate that this agreement would add one- to one-and-a-half cents per bushel. Corn growers strongly support the Peru FTA and welcome increased trade opportunities.”
U.S. bulk corn exports to Peru are worth approximately one cent per bushel. The Peru FTA would specifically improve U.S. corn growers’ ability to compete with regional competition such as Argentina, and also increase demand for bulk corn through increased meat exports.
Click here to read the entire letter to members of Congress.
From This Week’s Blog: South Dakota-based ethanol producer POET held a media event this week on the family farm of Darrin Ihnen near Hurley, S.D. to demonstrate techniques for harvesting corn cobs. POET CEO Jeff Broin says, “We are going to do something that has never been done before: produce cellulosic ethanol from corn cobs on a commercial scale. When our Emmetsburg, Iowa plant is operational in 2011, it will necessitate harvesting, storing and transporting 275,000 acres of corn cobs. The 4,000 acres we’re harvesting this fall represents the first step toward making that massive harvest achievable.” POET is working with several leading agricultural equipment manufactures, including John Deere, Kinze and Case, to refine methods for harvesting, storing and transporting corn cobs for commercial cellulosic ethanol production. Check out the Corn Commentary blog.
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