April 29, 2005 * Volume 12 * Number 16

NCGA's Mission: To Create and Increase Opportunities
for Corn Growers

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:

· Approved Budget Resolution Limits Agriculture Cuts to $173 Million in FY 06, Notes NCGA
· NCGA Launches Weed Resistance Management Learning Center
· President Sends Clear Message: Comprehensive U.S. Energy Policy Vital
· NCGA Congratulates Chuck Conner on Ag Appointment
· CAFTA-DR Levels Playing Field for Agriculture, NCGA Notes
· NCGA to Participate in Public Television Series on Agriculture
· NCGA Wins National AgriMarketing Award
· NCGA Key Legislative Issues Threatened by ‘Nuclear Option’
· NCGA President Addresses Potential for a Biobased Economy at BIO Conference
· NCGA Calls for Entries to the 40th Anniversary National Corn Yield Contest

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Approved Budget Resolution Limits Agriculture Cuts to $173 Million in FY 06, Notes NCGA
Congress approved a fiscal year (FY) 2006 budget resolution bill last night that limits reductions in agriculture and farm policy programs to $173 million, notes the NCGA. (More On This Story)

NCGA Launches Weed Resistance Management Learning Center
Recognizing the need to preserve the viability of technologies that farmers depend upon, the NCGA in conjunction with university weed scientists and leading developers of agricultural crop protection products, has developed an online Weed Resistance Management Learning Center (WRMLC) to educate growers and ag industry professionals on how to reduce the development of resistant weeds. (More On This Story)

President Sends Clear Message: Comprehensive U.S. Energy Policy Vital
Sound energy policy that includes ethanol took center stage in President George W. Bush’s address to the nation last night, the NCGA notes. In his address, Bush laid out four steps the United States must take to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, including developing “promising new sources of energy such as ethanol.” (More On This Story)

NCGA Congratulates Chuck Conner on Ag Appointment
The NCGA congratulates Charles (Chuck) Conner on his Senate confirmation yesterday as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. (More On This Story)

NCGA CEO Rick Tolman while in Washington, D.C., this week met with representatives from the National Farmer’s Union, the democratic organization for farmers and growers in England and Wales. Discussions centered on promoting a biobased future in the United States and abroad, and NCGA’s Future Structure Ag Task Force report. CAFTA-DR Levels Playing Field for Agriculture, NCGA Notes The NCGA strongly supports the Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) and is encouraging members to take advantage of their senators being in their home districts next week and let them know the importance of passing this agreement. The Senate is expected to bring up CAFTA-DR before its Memorial Day recess. (More On This Story) NCGA to Participate in Public Television Series on Agriculture The NCGA will collaborate with Monsanto, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and four other commodity groups on a new public television program that is aimed at promoting agriculture to the non-farming public. The program, America's Heartland, will be produced by public television affiliate station KVIE in Sacramento, Calif., and distributed nationwide this fall. (More On This Story) NCGA Wins National AgriMarketing Award The NCGA was awarded first place for its World of Corn in the 2004 Best of NAMA national awards in Phoenix last week. Sponsored by the National AgriMarketing Association, the event honors the best in agricultural marketing communications. (More On This Story) NCGA Key Legislative Issues Threatened by ‘Nuclear Option’ If the Senate’s threatened “nuclear option” happens this week, key legislation championed by the NCGA could be stalled for a significant period of time. (More On This Story) NCGA President Addresses Potential for a Biobased Economy at BIO Conference NCGA President Leon Corzine joined government officials, academics and leaders from the biotechnology, chemical and agricultural sectors last week to discuss the future of the bioprocessing industry at the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing. The event, held in Orlando, Fla., was sponsored by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), the American Chemical Society, and the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council. (More On This Story) NCGA Calls for Entries to the 40th Anniversary National The 40th Anniversary NCGA National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC) is under way, with the initial deadline for entries set for July 1. Every year, corn growers throughout the nation enter the NCYC to demonstrate their production skills. (More On This Story)

AROUND THE CORN BELT News from State Associations MINNESOTA: Minnesota took one step closer to historic renewable fuels legislation when the Minnesota House of Representatives voted 91 to 43 in favor of SF4, a bill "increasing minimum ethanol content required for gasoline sold in the state." The law provides that one of two things must happen: either 20 percent of all vehicle fuel used in Minnesota must be renewable fuel by Dec. 31, 2010, or, failing that, on August 30, 2013 every gallon of gasoline sold in Minnesota contain 20 percent ethanol. MICHIGAN: Michigan’s corn producers view corn as America’s renewable resource. When they gaze across rows and rows of corn, they envision the value-added products that can be made from corn including plastics, clothing, and ethanol. “Ethanol is a great example of value-added agriculture and has had a tremendously positive impact on our nation’s economy,” said Jody E. Pollok, Michigan Corn Growers Association (MCGA) Executive Director. “Ethanol creates jobs and increases revenues while decreasing the amount of energy we have to import from other areas of the world.” In Michigan alone, corn producers plant an average of 2 million acres per year, with each acre yielding an average of 120-130 bushels of corn for a total crop of about 250 million bushels. “One bushel of corn yields 2.8 gallons of ethanol, so imagine how many gallons of ethanol we can produce right here in our state,” added Pollok. ILLINOIS: President Sends Clear Message of Support for Ethanol-- President George Bush made a speech addressing the nation’s energy needs today and he stated his support for ethanol and other renewable fuels like biodiesel as clearly as he has to date. The President laid out an agenda that would include more oil refineries, more nuclear facilities, and more ethanol. However, the first item on the agenda is passing comprehensive energy legislation. Bush called on Congress to give him an energy bill by August. The House has passed a version, while the Senate will begin debate next month.

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© 2005 National Corn Growers Association

ST. LOUIS OFFICE

WASHINGTON D.C. OFFICE