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December
17, 2004 * Volume 11* Number 48
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:
•
Chief of Engineers’ Report Includes Navigation Improvements
for Mississippi and Illinois Rivers
• NCGA Names Corn Yield Contest Winners
• NCGA Submits Comments on Conservation Reserve Program Long-Term
Policy Issues
• NCGA Announces Inaugural Class for Recruiter Hall of Fame
• NCGA’s Corzine Meets with Auto Reps to Discuss E-85,
Flexible Fuel Vehicles
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Chief
of Engineers’ Report Includes Navigation Improvements for Mississippi
and Illinois Rivers
The chief of the Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday approved a report
calling for $2.6 billion in navigation infrastructure improvements,
including new locks, on the upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The
NCGA said approval of the “Chief’s Report” marks an
important step forward in the effort to modernize the nation’s
transportation infrastructure. (More
On This Story)
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| David Hula of Charles City, Va., won the A No-Till/Strip-Till Non-Irrigated class of NCGA's 2004 National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC) with an amazing yield of 339.48 bushels per acre. While there is no one overall winner in the NCYC, Hula had the highest yield in all classes of this year's contest. |
NCGA
Names Corn Yield Contest Winners
All 27 national
winners in the NCGA 2004 National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC) far
surpassed the USDA’s most recent average yield projections
of 160.2 bushels per acre, once again illustrating the outstanding
production skills NCGA members demonstrate year after year. (More
On This Story)
NCGA
Submits Comments on Conservation Reserve Program Long-Term Policy
Issues
The NCGA this week sent a letter encouraging the U.S. Department
of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA) to require all Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) contracts expiring between 2007 and 2010
to compete for reenrollment, using a mechanism such as the Environmental
Benefits Index (EBI). The letter was in response to FSA’s
solicitation of comments on the CRP long-term policy, enrollment,
management and benefits. (More
On This Story)
NCGA
Announces Inaugural Class for Recruiter Hall of Fame
In less than 50 years, the NCGA has grown from a group that represented
a few hundred growers in nine Midwestern states to a vibrant association
of nearly 33,000 corn producers in 47 states. (More
On This Story)
NCGA’s
Corzine Meets with Auto Reps to Discuss E-85, Flexible Fuel Vehicles
Increasing consumer demand for flexible fuel vehicles (FFV) that
use ethanol-blended E-85 fuel was among the top agenda items for
NCGA President Leon Corzine while in Washington, D.C. last week.
Corzine met with agriculture leaders and automotive industry representatives
to discuss ways NCGA can be of assistance to the automotive industry.
(More
On This Story)
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AROUND
THE CORN BELT
News
from State Associations
SOUTH
DAKOTA: An ethanol plant is being proposed near
Jewell, the Broin Cos. of Sioux Falls, S.D., announced Thursday.
Construction of the plant, known as Horizon Ethanol LLC, could
begin as early as spring, although no specific starting time
has been determined, said David Lambert, director of site development
for Broin Cos. If built, Horizon Ethanol would use more than
21 million bushels of corn a year to produce 60 million gallons
of ethanol. About 40 jobs, averaging $50,000 annually, also
will be created.
ILLINOIS:
A dip in pump prices shouldn’t encourage policymakers
to let up in the push for national biofuels incentives, U.S.
Senator-elect Barack Obama advised last week. The Chicago Democrat,
who visited Illinois Farm Bureau’s annual meeting in Chicago
last week, said he anticipated passage of an energy bill in
2005. “I am hopeful an ethanol and biofuels package is
part of any energy bill,” he told FarmWeek.
NEBRASKA:
According to the Nebraska Agricultural Statistics
Service, 41 percent of Nebraska's 8-million-acre record corn
crop was planted to insect resistant varieties, 15 percent to
herbicide resistant varieties and 8 percent to stacked gene
varieties, compared to 36 percent, 11 percent and 5 percent,
respectively, a year ago.
As for the 4.65-million-acre state soybean crop, 89 percent
is expected to be planted to herbicide resistant varieties,
up from 86 percent a year ago.
MISSOURI:
Missouri high school and college students may
now apply for one of six Missouri Corn Scholarships. The Missouri
Corn Growers Association and Missouri Corn Merchandising Council
will award four $750 scholarships to graduating high school
seniors and two $750 scholarships to college juniors in the
year 2005. This is the ninth year Missouri Corn Scholarships
have been available.
COLORADO:
Bill Wright of Walsh was the only Colorado producer
to win an award in the annual National Corn Growers Association
Corn Yield Contest. Wright won in the ridge till irrigated class.
All 27 national winners in the annual contest far surpassed
the USDA’s most recent projections of 160.2 bushels per
acre, once again illustrating the production skills NCGA members
demonstrate year after year.
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Of
Special Interest:
Next
Week:
| Dec.
24 |
NCGA’s
Offices in Washington, D.C. and St. Louis will be closed for Christmas
Holiday |
More calendar information
is available on the NCGA Leader Resource Center, http://www.insidencga.com
© 2004 National
Corn Growers Association
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