Robert Bowman, left, a member of the NCGA-USGC Joint Trade Policy A-Team, visits with U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Agriculture Ambassador Allen Johnson during a USTR workday trip in Davenport, Iowa.

NCGA Promotes Corn Grower Issues During Iowa Work Day
NCGA Director of Policy Hayden Milberg joined the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Chief Agriculture Ambassador Allen Johnson on a work day visit to Davenport, Iowa, this week. The work day is part of a series scheduled with commodity and producer groups around the country focusing on trade issues important to farmers and ranchers. (More On This Story)

Veneman Outlines Administration’s Vision for Agriculture in Speech to Agribusiness Club
Not long ago, U.S. agriculture simply meant the production of feed, food and fiber. But with the development of renewable fuels like ethanol, environmentally friendly plastics and other new crop-based products, those days are long gone, Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman told the St. Louis Agribusiness Club Monday. (More On This Story)

NCGA Encourages Growers to Voice Support for Ethanol Provisions in Corporate Tax Bill
With the fate of the corporate tax bill lingering and mixed signals coming from Capitol Hill, NCGA is urging Congress and the administration to work together to pass the corporate tax bill that includes the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) before Congress adjourns in October. (More On This Story)

Harvest Well Under Way in States Across the Country, USDA Says
It’s that time of year again. The familiar roar of the combine has returned to fields throughout the Corn Belt and harvest is officially under way. According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop report released Monday, 5 percent of the corn crop is already in the bin. (More On This Story)

NCGA Encourages Students, Teachers to Visit New Educational Corn Web Site
Despite the fact corn is the most abundant crop in the United States, its purposes and importance are often misunderstood by the general public. But the outreach efforts of the NCGA and others are helping to educate U.S. consumers and school children on the significance of corn to national and world economies. (More On This Story)

KANSAS: With the Kansas Corn Commission’s ethanol-powered car as a backdrop, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed a proclamation Sept. 15 establishing that day as Kansas Biofuels Awareness Day. KCC Chairman Bob Timmons said the governor’s support of renewable fuel is important to Kansas. “We appreciate the Governor’s strong support of the production and use of ethanol in Kansas,” he said.

IOWA: Twenty men and women from across Iowa have been named to the second Iowa Corn Leadership Enhancement And Development (I-LEAD) class, sponsored by the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) and the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA). The class will meet in a series of nine workshops over two years to build practical communications and decision-making skills, develop key contacts in Iowa and beyond, and explore the challenges confronting agriculture and rural Iowa.

ILLINOIS: Lincoln Land Agri-Energy in Crawford County received a $4.8 million Opportunity Returns grant to build a new ethanol production facility. This effort to promote the use of ethanol as a viable and efficient source of fuel in Illinois is part of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s Opportunity Returns initiative. The funding comes through the new ($15 million) Renewable Fuels Development Program.

MINNESOTA: Almost 800 gallons of E85 were pumped at an event, held Monday at the Nobles County Coop Oil Cenex in Worthington, where the home-grown fuel was sold for just 85 cents a gallon. According to Tim Gerlach, director of outdoor air programs for American Lung Association of Minnesota, a major supporter of the Minnesota E85 program the event was a resounding success.

MISSOURI: The Missouri Corn Growers Association received word that a provision that could be very detrimental to Missouri and Mississippi River navigation has been added during Senate Appropriations Committee deliberations on the 2005 Interior Appropriations bill this week. An amendment was offered to prohibit the Corps of Engineers from releasing water from the upstream reservoirs in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota if the water levels in the reservoirs are below a certain level.