March
28, 2003 * Volume 10* Number 12
IN THIS ISSUE:
- NCGA’s
Corzine Testifies to House Ag Committee on Artificial Barriers to
U.S. Ag Trade, Foreign Food Assistance
- NCGA’s
Yoder to RMA: Additional Assistance Needed for Affordable Crop Insurance
- NCGA Reminds
Members Little Time Left to Update Base and Yields
- NCGA-Sponsored
Ethanol Pump Tour Returns to Illinois Saturday
- NCGA Continues
Focus on Genomics at Wisconsin Conference
- NCGA Unveils
World of Corn 2003, THE Corn Industry Source
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REMINDER: Be sure to visit the “You Need to Know”
section at www.ncga.com to view the
photo album of the RFS Rally!
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NCGA’s
Corzine Testifies to House Ag Committee on Artificial Barriers to U.S.
Ag Trade, Foreign Food Assistance
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NCGA Biotech Working Group Chairman Leon Corzine joined members of Congress
and other farm organizations Wednesday, testifying before the House
Committee on Agriculture regarding artificial barriers to United States
agriculture trade and foreign food assistance.
Corzine participated
on a panel including Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau
Federation, and Gary Joachim, American Soybean Association board member.
The hearing called by committee chairman Bob Goodlatte is part of an
ongoing effort in the Congress to highlight the benefits of biotechnology
and proliferation of non-tariff trade barriers to U.S. agricultural
products.
House Speaker Dennis
Hastert (R-Ill.), and Reps. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va.)
also testified. Hastert described the benefits of biotechnology and
lambasted the European Union for promoting an “indefensible moratorium”
and an “irrational policy.” Speaking as a co-chair of the
Congressional Hunger Center, Emerson stated, “America’s
farmers harvest a bounty big enough to feed America, export around the
world, and share with the hungry in developing countries.
Corzine updated
the Committee on current and future biotechnology issues in potential
export markets including the European Union (EU) moratorium on biotechnology,
food aid to Sub-Saharan Africa, and China’s complicated system
of biotechnology approval.
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NOTICE:
The NCGA 2003 Policy Book is available at the Leader Resource Center
at www.insidencga.com and at
the official website at http://www.ncga.com/public_policy/2003_policypapers/index.htm.
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NCGA’s
Yoder to RMA: Additional Assistance Needed for Affordable Crop Insurance
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NCGA President Fred Yoder last week appealed to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency (RMA) for additional assistance
with affordable crop insurance for underserved states.
In a letter to RMA
Administrator Ross Davidson, Yoder commended the agency for its efforts
to provide corn growers with affordable coverage. However, Yoder said,
additional assistance from the Agriculture Management Assistance Program
(AMA) would be helpful to farmers who have been severely impacted by
drought and other adverse weather conditions.
The NCGA letter
was sent in response to an earlier letter from several senators opposing
a decision by USDA to supplement premium subsidies for buy-up levels
of crop insurance. NCGA is encouraging support of an earlier USDA announcement
that would give additional assistance to 15 targeted states, including
Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York. There is a need for additional
funding because of the diversity of crops raised in these states there.
According to NCGA, success with this program will have an influence
on future decisions to improve funding for the entire program.
NCGA Reminds
Members Little Time Left to Update Base and Yields
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With only a week remaining before the April 1 deadline, NCGA is urging
its members who have not already signed up for base and yield update
options to act quickly. Until the cutoff date, growers can apply for
direct and countercyclical program benefits allotted under the 2002
Farm Bill.
According to the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 60 percent of eligible producers
have enrolled and another 25 to 30 percent will likely take the default
option allotted in the 2002 Farm Bill. USDA is encouraging the remaining
10 percent to apply immediately.
Further, USDA Secretary
Ann Veneman said last week due to heavy workloads in county offices
some producers may not get appointments before the April 1 deadline.
“In that case, the producer must contact the county office and
indicate the intention to signup and obtain an appointment as soon after
April 1 as possible.”
If an appointment
cannot be made prior to April 1, USDA has ensured producers they will
not lose the opportunity to make the base and yield election, but they
must at least have their appointments set before the deadline and be
placed on a registry.
NCGA is also reminding
its growers the June 2 deadline is quickly approaching to signup for
the 2002-2003 direct and countercyclical program.
NCGA-Sponsored
Ethanol Pump Tour Returns to Illinois Saturday
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Even with the bi-partisan Fuels Security Act being re-introduced the
renewable fuels standard (RFS) to Congress after it died in conference
last year, ethanol continues to be attacked in the media. In an effort
to promote the benefits of ethanol and passage of the RFS, AgriTalk
radio has again teamed up with NCGA to promote the “AgriTalk Ethanol
Pump Tour 2003.” The first town to become Ethanol City, USA, this
year is Taylorville, located in central Illinois.
AgriTalk host Mike
Adams and representatives from the Illinois Corn Growers Association
will broadcast and pump gas from the FS Fuel 24 station in Taylorville
located on North Cheney Street from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The theme for
the event is “AgriTalk on your radio – Ethanol in my tank!”
AgriTalk also will hand out T-shirts and caps bearing AgriTalk and NCGA.
After the success
of last year’s tour, which saw NCGA and AgriTalk make several
stops across the Midwest to promote the benefits of ethanol, the two
teamed up once again to support the mission of getting an RFS passed
in Congress. To reach this goal and provide education to growers and
their communities, AgriTalk and representatives of the host state corn
grower associations will distribute literature and other materials promoting
the benefits of ethanol while pumping gas containing 10 percent ethanol
for customers in Midwest states in coming months.
Growers are encouraged
to attend Saturday’s event or listen live on their AgriTalk affiliates.
Farmers are also encouraged to contact their elected officials and tell
them of the importance of passing the Fuels Security Act containing
the RFS by clicking on the action alert on the NCGA web site, www.ncga.com.
NCGA Continues
Focus on Genomics at Wisconsin Conference
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In an effort to understand more about maize genomics and to convey its
benefits to the corn industry, more than 500 maize researchers, as well
as representatives of NCGA, attended the 45th Annual Maize Genetics
Conference, in Lake Geneva, Wis., March 13-16.
“The focus
of the conference was maize genetics and genomics,” said NCGA
Research and Business Development Manager Nathan Danielson. “Of
particular interest was the focus on quantitative trait loci, or QTLs,
which represent the point at which the research conducted on the maize
genome begins to benefit the growers.”
He added they spoke
with the Missouri Maize Genomics Group to discuss their research as
well as to let them know how much the grower community appreciates the
research that they have done.
Research and Business
Development Action Team member Wendell Shauman said he liked what he
saw at the meeting.
“I was impressed with the people who were there and the speed
at which they’re attacking this project and also the professionalism
they displayed,” said the Kirkwood, Ill., corn grower. “It’s
a terribly complicated process, I think more than most farmers realize,
yet the speed in which they’re unraveling this thing is amazing.”
While in Wisconsin,
NCGA representatives also met with Karel Schubert and Brad Barbazuk
from the Danforth Center, and Catherine Whitelaw representing the Institute
for Genomic Research, to talk about NCGA’s participation in the
Maize Genomics Consortium, an organization working to not only complete
the maize genome, but to transition the research into benefits for the
nation’s corn growers.
NCGA Unveils
World of Corn 2003, THE Corn Industry Source
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NCGA has released The World of Corn 2003, the nation’s only comprehensive
almanac and one-stop shop for corn industry information.
The World of Corn
includes statistics on NCGA’s six primary focus issues (ethanol,
trade, research and new uses, biotechnology, transportation and farm
policy), as well as consumption, export and production data, contacts
within NCGA, its affiliated state associations, and the agriculture
industry.
The World of Corn
2003 is available at NCGA’s web site, www.ncga.com,
and also as an insert in the April edition of Corn and Soybean Digest.
Additional copies are available by contacting the NCGA office at 636-733-9004,
or e-mail at corninfo@ncga.com.
2003 National Corn
Growers Association
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