IN THIS ISSUE:

• NCGA's Palmer Discusses RFS at California Ethanol Workshop
• NCGA Attends Disaster Assistance Briefing with USDA Officials
• NCGA Addresses Biotech Traceability Concerns at Paris Meeting
• NCGA, Grains Council Meet with USTR, USDA to Discuss CAFTA
• Planting Season Progress Up Slightly Over Five-Year Average
• NCGA Pleased with End to Russian Poultry Ban
• NCGA-Sponsored Ethanol Pump Tour Stops in Kansas Saturday
• NCGA to Participate in NAFB Issues Forum
• NCGA Member Continues Duties on USDA Air Quality Board
• LRC Provides Corn Grower Leaders with Online Access to NCGA information

NCGA's Palmer Discusses RFS at California Ethanol Workshop
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Representing NCGA last week at the California Ethanol Workshop in Sacramento, NCGA Director of Public Policy Mark Palmer spoke about recent congressional renewable fuels activity and addressed questions surrounding California's ability to tap its resources to produce an in-state transportation fuel that utilizes agriculture, forestry and other biomass resources.

Palmer shared NCGA's significant role in shaping ethanol and renewable fuels standard (RFS) legislation and provided insight into the RFS legislative process on Capitol Hill to the more than 200 participants. Workshop discussions centered on what it would take to make California a viable player in the ethanol industry, the environmental, economic and fuel market impacts, and the costs and benefits of such a program.

The event was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Participants included California state public officials and regulators, agriculture community representatives, financiers, producers, distributors, retailers, and consumers.

NCGA Attends Disaster Assistance Briefing with USDA Officials
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NCGA staff joined other farm group representatives this week at a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) briefing on the Agriculture Assistance Act of 2003. USDA held the meeting to discuss recent decisions on how disaster assistance will be delivered to farmers and ranchers.

The disaster payment rate will be the Actual Production History (APH) price, as in the 2000 disaster bill. For non-insurable crops, the FSA will use the 1996-2000 average market price, dropping the high and low prices.

Sign-up for the crop disaster program is scheduled to begin June 6 with payments to be distributed shortly thereafter.

Visit <http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov/> to learn more about the Agricultural Assistance Act of 2003 and download the Crop Disaster Program calculation spreadsheet.

NCGA Addresses Biotech Traceability Concerns at Paris Meeting
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As part of a continuing effort to educate key policymakers on biotechnology within the Codex arena, NCGA Biotech Working Group member and U.S. Grains Council liaison Vic Miller attended the Codex Committee on General Principles in Paris.

With the Precautionary Principle and traceability on the agenda, Miller focused on the practical implications of these policy discussions when talking with delegates from key markets at the meeting. "There is a continual need to inform policy makers on the practical realities of the policy they are discussing," Miller said.

The Iowa Corn Promotion Board member wasn't alone at the meeting - delegates from Latin America and Egypt who had attended the Council's International Biotechnology Information Conference last fall were also in attendance.

"It was exciting to hear these delegates using the information we had provided to them last year," Miller continued. "They were able to ask informed and pointed questions at critical times in the discussion."
-- U.S. Grains Council provided information for this story.

NCGA, Grains Council Meet with USTR, USDA to Discuss CAFTA
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Greater market access for U.S. feed grains and co-products to Central America will be the result of a successful conclusion of the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and USDA officials met with Hayden Milberg, NCGA director of public policy, and Kevin Natz, U.S. Grains Council special assistant - trade policy, this week to discuss the U.S. feed grains industry's objectives for the agreement.

Through these negotiations with the five Central American countries - Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua - the U.S. feed grain industry looks to gain greater market access by eliminating tariffs on our grains and their co-products. In total, the region imports more than 1.6 million metric tons of corn per year, with the U.S. supplying nearly all of that demand.
-- U.S. Grains Council provided information for this story.

Planting Season Progress Up Slightly Over Five-Year Average
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NCGA noted the nation's corn growers are slightly above the five-year average in their planting this season, with 12 percent of the total corn crop in the ground as of April 20. The national average for this week since 1998 has been 10 percent.

According to the USDA's weekly production report, Tennessee and Texas lead the nation with highest percentage planted with 70 percent and 68 percent, respectively. Missouri, Kentucky, and North Carolina round out the top five with 48 percent, 44 percent, and 32 percent, respectively. Tennessee also has the largest increase of the five-year average by 19 percent, while North Carolina is seeing a 21-percent decrease compared to the period ranging from 1998-2002. The 2003 planting season started slowly, due to unseasonably cool temperatures, but has picked up significantly in the past week as producers have increased their percentage planted since last week by 7 percent. Soil temperatures have remained cooler than ideal, but dry weather has kept moisture levels down and there has been increased grower activity during the recent warming trend.

NCGA Pleased with End to Russian Poultry Ban
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NCGA is pleased to learn of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Russian Ministry of Agriculture resolution earlier this month of the remaining technical issues in a long-running dispute involving poultry trade.

The dispute centered on new veterinary standards agreed to last year, but not fully implemented because of technical disagreements. The new agreement will enable inspections of U.S. poultry processing facilities by the Russian Veterinary Service to resume immediately. Collectively, beef, pork, poultry, and dairy producers utilize 5.6 billion bushels of corn annually. Corn used directly as feed represents nearly 60 percent of consumption, while industrial co-products used as feed, such as distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) makes up another 20 percent of usage. The poultry industry consumes 27.3 percent of corn used for livestock feed, second only to beef. The technical issues related largely to differences between the Russian veterinary practices and those of the U.S. industry. Resolution of the issues involved utilizing the concept of "equivalency" - achieving the same objectives but with different science-based approaches. The Russians earlier established a June 1 deadline for completing inspection of all U.S. plants under the new veterinary standards. This process, halted last November when disagreements arose, can resume almost immediately. Expedited visits of teams of Russian inspections will begin this month, and the Russians are expected to show some flexibility with the June deadline.

NCGA-Sponsored Ethanol Pump Tour Stops in Kansas Saturday
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As a means of promoting 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 next stop on the tour is Dodge City, Kan. AgriTalk host Mike Adams and representatives from the Kansas Corn Growers Association (KCGA) will broadcast and pump gas from the Kwik Shop at 1500 W. Wyatt Earp Blvd., in Dodge City from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The theme for the event is "AgriTalk on your radio - Ethanol in my tank!" AgriTalk will also hand out T-shirts and caps bearing AgriTalk and NCGA logos. 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 <http://www.ncga.com>.

NCGA to Participate in NAFB Issues Forum
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NCGA President Fred Yoder and NCGA policy leaders will be participating April 27 in the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) annual issues forum in Washington, D.C. The symposium provides an opportunity for NCGA to communicate its legislative agenda to farm broadcasters from around the nation. Other issues NCGA plans to discuss include disaster aid, farm bill implementation, the budget and upcoming appropriations.

NCGA Member Continues Duties on USDA Air Quality Board
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NCGA member Jim Trotter has been re-nominated to serve on Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman's Agricultural Air Quality Task Force for 2003-04. The task force is chaired by the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and made up of USDA employees, industry representatives and other experts in the fields of agriculture and air quality.

Trotter, from Adair, Ill., and in his sixth year of service, is the only corn grower on the task force. Representatives from USDA's Forest Service, Agricultural Research Service and Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service also will participate on the task force. The Agricultural Air Quality Task Force charter is renewed every two years to address agricultural air quality issues. The task force serves as an advisory committee and operates under the terms of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The task force advises Secretary Veneman on issues related to agricultural air quality, including strengthening and coordinating USDA air quality research efforts and identifying cost-effective ways in which the agriculture industry can improve air quality.

LRC Provides Corn Grower Leaders with Online Access to NCGA information
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The NCGA Leader Resource Center (LRC) is the online resource for state and national corn grower leaders. The LRC is available to state board members, Corn Board, national team, committee and working group members, Corn Congress delegates and state and national staffs. The site is available at <http://www.insidencga.com> by subscription only. If you need your username or password reset or need assistance using the site, please contact membership@ncga.com

Recent information added to the site include:

• NEW Services on the LRC
  * LRC Search feature
  * Defending Agriculture Discussion Board (open to all LRC users)
  * Identity Preserved Contract Survey
• CORN BOARD
  * NCGA Corn Board Conference Call Minutes, April 16, 2003 (interim approval) (PDF)
• CORN CONGRESS
  * Minutes - Corn Congress, February 27 & March 1, 2003 (PDF)
• HEALTH AND NUTRITION
  * Obesity Talking Points
• LEADER TEAMS
  * December 2003 Orientation for Corn Board Officers, Action Team Chairman & Vice Chairman, New Action Team Members (PDF), DRAFT 4/15/03
• PRODUCTION AND STEWARDSHIP ACTION TEAM
  * Op-Ed on Water Quality Credit Trading Memo 4-22-03 (PDF)
  * Conservation Technical Assistance Memo 4-22-03 (PDF)
• RESEARCH AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACTION TEAM
  * Friday Update - Volume 3 Number 11 (PDF)
• STATE STAFF MEETING
  * State Staff Meeting Agenda as of April 24, 2003 (PDF)

NCGA THIS WEEK
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• April 28-30 NCGA/State Association all-staff meeting in St. Louis
• May 1 NCGA President Fred Yoder, CEO Rick Tolman and Livestock Information and Programs Manager Tracy Snider will attend the ASA/USB/NCGA livestock meeting at the Airport Marriot in St. Louis

© 2003 National Corn Growers Association

ST. LOUIS OFFICE

WASHINGTON D.C. OFFICE