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November
19, 2004 * Volume 11* Number 45
NCGA's
Mission: To Create and Increase Opportunities
for Corn Growers in a Changing World
This
is Corn Commentary, the weekly newsletter for state and national
grower leaders of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). For
complete stories and updated NCGA information, visit www.ncga.com or
the NCGA Leader Resource Center, www.insidencga.com.
IN THIS ISSUE:
• Corn
Growers Hopeful as Congress Mulls Lock Modernization Measures
• NCGA
Officers Field Hundreds of Questions During NAFB’s ‘Trade Talk’
• NCGA
Accepting Applications for Corn Board
• Desirable Weather Boosts Corn Harvest Progress, NCGA Notes
• NCGA Thanks Veneman, Abraham for Service to Corn Growers
• Industry Standards Discussed at National Distillers Grains Conference
Corn Growers Hopeful as Congress Mulls Lock Modernization Measures
In
interviews with dozens of farm broadcasters Thursday at the National
Association of Farm
Broadcasters meeting in Kansas City, NCGA President
Leon Corzine, Chairman Dee Vaughan and First Vice President Gerald
Tumbleson answered hundreds of questions about issues important to
corn growers. They responded to queries ranging in topic from the energy
bill and this fall’s record corn crop to preparations for the
next farm bill and world trade issues. (More
On This Story)
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| Mississippi
River Lock and Dam 15 near Moline, Ill., was built in 1931
and processes more than 30 million tons of freight annually. |
NCGA
Officers Field Hundreds of Questions During NAFB’s ‘Trade
Talk’
Dozens
of farm broadcasters from across the country interviewed the
NCGA officers today on a wide variety of issues affecting agriculture.
The interviews were conducted during “Trade Talk,” which
is part of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB)
annual convention in Kansas City. (More
On This Story)
NCGA
Accepting Applications for Corn Board
The
NCGA Nominating Committee invites corn growers to be an integral
part of NCGA's leadership by applying for positions on the
NCGA Corn Board. (More
On This Story)
Desirable
Weather Boosts Corn Harvest Progress, NCGA Notes
This
fall’s corn harvest got a boost last week, as favorable
weather conditions persisted across much of the Midwest. NCGA
members in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Indiana reported
that harvest is nearing completion in those states. (More
On This Story)
NCGA
Thanks Veneman, Abraham for Service to Corn Growers
As
several members of President George W. Bush’s Cabinet
tendered their resignations today, the NCGA thanked Agriculture
Secretary Ann Veneman and Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham
for their dedication and service to U.S. corn growers during
the past four years. (More
On This Story)
Industry
Standards Discussed at National Distillers Grains Conference
NCGA
staff members joined distillers grains marketers and customers,
ethanol manufacturers, academics, government officials and
others last week at the National Distillers Grains Conference
in Des Moines, Iowa, to discuss research and distillers grains
marketing efforts. (More
On This Story)
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AROUND
THE CORN BELT
News
from State Associations
KANSAS: Corn, wheat, sorghum and cotton producers will come together
Nov. 30 for the Kansas Commodity Classic at the Garden City
Plaza Inn. This annual event will feature a wide range of
topics from legislative and policy issues to production and
marketing of Kansas crops. The 2004 Kansas Commodity Classic
is hosted by the Kansas Corn Growers Association and other
state commodity groups. Rep. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Sen.
Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) have been invited to speak.
MINNESOTA: Minnesota corn farmers should have a record harvest and tie
the state yield record this year. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture says Minnesota farmers will harvest just under
1.1 billion bushels of corn, with an average yield of 157
bushels. That should top the state's 2002 record by 3 percent,
and the average yield should tie the state record set two
years ago. A warm September and October are the reason.
COLORADO: An energy company has identified three Weld County sites,
including one east of Windsor, as finalists for a $54 million
ethanol plant. Front Range Energy LLC plans to make a final
decision within two months. The plant initially would have
about 32 employees with annual revenue expected to exceed
$65 million. If completed, it would be the second ethanol
plant coming on line in Weld County in roughly the next 12
months.
WISCONSIN: Wisconsin's very first ethanol production plant has already
finished its first expansion project since going online in
2002. This week, ACE Ethanol in Stanley announced it has
completed an addition to its facility that will allow production
of an additional 15 million gallons per year.
NEBRASKA: Following a near-record high year for Nebraska net farm income
in 2003, the initial forecast for this year is even higher,
according to the Nebraska Business Forecast Council and the
Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska.
The forecast 2004 level is $3.60 billion, nearly 12 percent
above the $3.23 billion level in 2003.
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Of
Special Interest:
Next Week:
| Nov.
22-23 |
NCGA President Leon Corzine, First
Vice President Gerald Tumbleson and CEO Rick Tolman attend Illinois
Commodity Conference in Bloomington, Ill. |
| Nov.
25-26 |
NCGA offices in St.
Louis and Washington, D.C., closed for Thanksgiving. |
More calendar information is available on the NCGA Leader Resource
Center, http://www.insidencga.com
© 2004 National Corn
Growers Association
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