IN THIS ISSUE:

• NCGA Urges Members to Receive Discount by Registering for Commodity Classic NOW
• NCGA Places Renewable Fuels Standard at Top of Legislative Priorities
• NCGA President Takes Disaster Assistance, the RFS and Other NCGA Issues to Capitol Hill
• NCGA Looks Forward to Working With New Senate Ag Committee
• Crop Disaster Aid Legislation Reintroduced in Congress, NCGA Says Bill is Responsible Alternative
• NCGA Scores Win as Army Corps, FWS Go Back to the Drawing Board on MO River
• NCGA Efforts Pay Off; Standard Reinsurance Agreement Negotiations Deferred
• NCGA's Best and Brightest to Attend Leadership Training
  

REMINDER:
There are only 3 more days to take advantage of early registration for the 2003 Commodity Classic! Visit www.ncga.com <http://www.ncga.com> for details!

Top 10 Reasons to Attend the 2003 Commodity Classic!

10. To take advantage of early registration (ending at midnight Monday, Jan. 13) to save $$$$
9. A trade show with over 700 booths providing information and educational sessions
8. To hear General Session keynote speaker, NFL Hall of Famer and two-time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion car owner Joe Gibbs
7. Two words: Saltwater Taffy!
6. Tours offered to Lowe's Motor Speedway, home of the NASCAR Winston Cup All-Star race and to Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the race team founded by the late seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt
5. An Evening of Entertainment Saturday, March 1, featuring Country Music Award winner Diamond Rio
4. To make a difference at Corn Congress
3. Attend seminars providing educational tips on how to increase your yield and improve your operation
2. Meet and exchange information with the "who's-who" of agriculture ...and the number-one reason to attend the 2003 Commodity Classic...
1. Free name tags so you never forget your name!

NCGA Urges Members to Receive Discount by Registering for Commodity Classic NOW

With early registration for the 2003 Commodity Classic ending Jan. 13, NCGA is urging members to take advantage of the opportunity to not only secure their accommodations for the annual event, but to save money as well. Commodity Classic will be held Feb. 27 - March 1 in Charlotte, N.C.

Members registering by Monday will only pay $125; after Jan. 13, the fee will increase. From Jan. 14 to Feb. 10, the fee is $150 for NCGA members and after Feb. 10, the fee further increases to $175. Fees for spouses and youths over age 10 are discounted at $100 and then will increase to $120 and then to $145. Youth ages 5-9 are $50 and $70 after Feb. 10 and children under 5 are free. One-day registration is $60, $75 and $95. The theme of the 2003 Commodity Classic, the annual combined convention and trade show of the NCGA and the American Soybean Association is "Accelerate Performance," in honor of Charlotte's racing heritage. The three-day event will feature a comprehensive trade show featuring more than 700 booths, information and educational sessions focusing on agricultural topics affecting the nation's corn and soybean growers and exceptional networking opportunities with other growers, top agricultural leaders and industry officials. NFL Hall of Famer and two-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion car owner Joe Gibbs will provide the keynote address for Commodity Classic's General Session and Friday night's Evening of Entertainment will feature the Country Music Award-winning group, Diamond Rio. Growers interested in attending can register online at www.commodityclassic.com <http://www.commodityclassic.com>, or fax their form to 636-688-1650, attn: Commodity Classic. For questions, call 636-928-3700 or e-mail at commodityclassic@charter.net<mailto:commodityclassic@charter.net>.

NCGA Places Renewable Fuels Standard at Top of Legislative Priorities

NCGA laid out its legislative agenda for the 108th Congress Jan. 6, in a letter to House and Senate leadership and members of the agriculture committees. Securing a renewable fuels standard (RFS) this year is NCGA's highest priority. Trade and transportation issues are also important, said the organization. The organization anticipates the RFS will be included in the energy bill and is optimistic it will get passed by Labor Day. NCGA said transportation matters it will focus on include river navigation issues. Mississippi River locks and dams will continue to be an important issue.

Trade priorities for NCGA include ongoing agriculture negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO), fighting the EU biotechnology moratorium as well as labeling and traceability regulations, eliminating the use of export subsidies by China, and resolution of the Mexican-American sweetener dispute involving high fructose corn syrup.

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Leader Resource Center (LRC) News

Be sure to participate in NCGA's Leadership Resource Center survey located at www.insidencga.com <http://www.insidencga.com>. This month, the survey is: Midwest Unapproved Crops Survey: "Should unapproved crops be granted permits in the Midwest?" LRC site users are also invited to participate in the Survey Question Discussion Board.
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NCGA President Takes Disaster Assistance, the RFS and Other NCGA Issues to Capitol Hill

NCGA President Fred Yoder traveled to Washington this week to meet with members of Congress regarding NCGA's legislative priorities for this coming year. Since the 108th Congress convened Jan. 6, NCGA has been actively engaged in delivering its 2003 congressional agenda to lawmakers.

On Jan. 7 Yoder met with House Agriculture Committee member Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) to discuss the introduction of H.R. 92, the Companion Disaster Assistance Program (CDAP). H.R. 92 would provide more equitable aid for crop insurance participants hurt by drought and flooding conditions. The legislation was originally introduced by Graves last year, but died when the 107th Congress adjourned. Yoder also met with House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Rep. Charlie Stenholm (D-TX) earlier in the week. During this meeting, Yoder and Stenholm discussed potential cuts in agriculture spending during the budget reconciliation process among other issues.

During his visit Jan. 7 with House Energy and Commerce Committee member Rep. John Shimkus, (R-IL). Yoder discussed the importance of the RFS being included in the energy bill and matters surrounding locks and dams.

In addition, Yoder and Corn Board member Leon Corzine of Illinois met with Chuck Conner, agriculture and trade advisor to President Bush. They discussed NCGA's legislative priorities and thanked the Bush Administration for its support, particularly on including the RFS in the energy bill.

NCGA Looks Forward to Working with New Senate Ag Committee

NCGA members will witness a transformation in the 108th Congressional Senate Agriculture Committee that will be a contrast to what has been dominated by Midwestern leaders for more than a decade. Not only is the committee under new leadership, it has gained five new Republican members. Democrats have not yet named members to the committee. The agriculture committee will have a new Southern voice in leadership in Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) a fourth-term senator. Cochran, a long-standing member of the committee, is credited with authoring and guiding to passage in 1985 the marketing loan program for cotton and rice. His legislative record also includes cotton and rice key provisions in the 1985, 1990 and 1996 farm bills.

Ranking Member Sen. Richard Lugar, (R-IN) who would have held the leadership position, has taken over chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Lugar will remain an agriculture committee member.

New to the committee are GOP Senate members Charles Grassley (IA); Elizabeth Dole (NC); Jim Talent (MO); Norm Coleman (MN); and Saxby Chambliss (GA). Dole, according to Doggett, has two legacies to live up to on the agriculture committee. Also new to the committee is former member of the House agriculture committee Chambliss and corn industry supporter Talent. Corn state member Coleman, who expressed his support in initial meetings with NCGA last month, is another new addition.

Because of his party's failure to obtain a majority in the Senate, former committee chair. Tom Harkin (D-IA) will move into the role of ranking member.

Crop Disaster Aid Legislation Reintroduced in Congress, NCGA Says Bill is Responsible Alternative

NCGA President Fred Yoder met with Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) Tuesday to discuss disaster aid legislation Graves reintroduced in Congress. If adopted, the Companion Disaster Assistance Program Act, reintroduced by Graves Tuesday, would provide more equitable aid for crop insurance participants who have been hurt by substantial losses from severe drought and floods. If adopted, the legislation would provide more equitable aid for crop insurance participants who have been hurt by substantial losses from severe drought and floods. The new legislation would complement the crop insurance program by covering a portion of the uninsurable deductible rather than duplicating the insurance coverage under traditional disaster assistance. Preliminary scoring from the Congressional Budget Office puts the cost of the disaster assistance programs at $2.9 billion.

NCGA Scores Win as Army Corps, FWS Go Back to the Drawing Board on MO River

The Bush administration has ordered the Army Corps of Engineers and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to work on an acceptable solution for the preferred alternative for operation on the Missouri River. The news, heralded as a potential victory for NCGA, comes weeks after NCGA and the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River (CPR) had renewed their notice of intent to sue the Corps and FWS in an effort to prevent the two groups from issuing a preferred alternative recommending a spring rise situation. A spring rise would cause potentially disastrous flooding in the spring and make the river unnavigable during the summer months. The Corps of Engineers has spent more than 14 years studying a revision to the Missouri River Master Manual, which is the book that directs operations of the Missouri River. In 2000, FWS issued a biological opinion claiming the current operations of the Missouri River jeopardized and threatened endangered species, including the pallid sturgeon, interior least tern, and piping plover.

In addition, they gave the Corps until 2003 to change operations, claiming the Corps would be in violation of Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, which says it is illegal to jeopardize the lives of an endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service BiOp directed a spring rise to be conducted on an average of one out of every three years, if adequate reservoir storage is available. The plan would also include summer draw downs, meaning discharges from the reservoir would drop below levels needed to meet minimum navigation service from June 15 through the beginning of September. Missouri River navigation provides market access to farmers in the Midwest, and puts competitive pressure on rail rates in the Missouri Basin. Plus, reduced water discharges from the Missouri would dramatically increase the likelihood of navigation disruptions on the Mississippi River.

NCGA Efforts Pay Off; Standard Reinsurance Agreement Negotiations Deferred

NCGA said Jan. 7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken into account its request to keep the Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA). The SRA is a contract between the federal government and insurance companies that establishes the amount of risk companies will take, sets the expense reimbursement rate and outlines other basic regulations. NCGA urged USDA Secretary Ann Veneman last month to continue the program after learning the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) and the Risk Management Agency (RMA) intended to cancel the SRA.

The Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 allows the reinsurance agreements to be negotiated once during 2001 to 2005 at the discretion of USDA. The renegotiated SRA would remain in effect until changed by new legislation. According to USDA, deferring SRA negotiations will give all parties additional time to evaluate ways to improve the program.

NCGA's Best and Brightest to Attend Leadership Training

Current and future leaders of the NCGA are gearing up for part two of a leadership training conference Jan. 26-28. Grower leaders will head to Washington, D.C., where they will have the opportunity to meet with elected officials on Capitol Hill to discuss national issues affecting agriculture. The conference, sponsored by Syngenta Crop Protection, provides training to growers who are currently state association presidents or just getting active on a state association board. The first phase of training took place in August in Greensboro, N.C.

Also in attendance will be NCGA staff members. This is done to provide growers more of a perspective on not only the issues NCGA addresses, but to have the lead staff for those issues available to answer questions.

The opportunity will also give the staff a chance to hear from the growers first-hand what they need and expect from NCGA staff.

NCGA THIS WEEK

• Jan. 13-14 NCGA Director of Production and Economics Paul Bertels will attend a meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C.
• Jan. 13-14 NCGA Research and Development Manager Nathan Danielson will be in San Diego for a plant and animal genome conference
• Jan. 14 NCGA President Fred Yoder will attend the Minnesota Ag Expo in Minneapolis, Minn.
• Jan. 14 NCGA will host the Illinois Corn Growers Association at an open house at the NCGA offices in Chesterfield, Mo.
• Jan. 15 The NCGA Corn Board will meet in at the Doubletree Hotel in Chesterfield, Mo.
• Jan. 16-17 NCGA Priorities and Policies meeting is being conducted at the Doubletree Hotel in Chesterfield, Mo.
  

© 2003 National Corn Growers Association

ST. LOUIS OFFICE

WASHINGTON D.C. OFFICE