May 13, 2005 * Volume 12 * Number 18

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:

· USDA Crop Projections Reinforce Need for New Markets, RFS, NCGA Notes
· NCGA Applauds Senate for Adopting E85 Provisions
· NCGA President Sweeps Capitol Hill on Four Day Visit
· Farmer Leaders Recognize Planting of One-Billionth Biotech Acre
· Consumer Interest in E85 Growing, NCGA Notes
· Two Agriculture Reports Outline Evolving Global Requirements of Biotechnology
· Montana, Minnesota Advance Ethanol Use
· NCGA Participates in Agriculture Roundtable Discussions

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USDA Crop Projections Reinforce Need for New Markets, RFS, NCGA Notes
Estimating corn supplies to exceed use by 2.5 billion bushels for the 2005-2006 marketing year the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates reinforces the need for market development, the NCGA notes. (More On This Story)

NCGA Applauds Senate for Adopting E85 Provisions
The NCGA applauds the Senate adoption today of two amendments to its Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill that will provide tax credits for building E85 fueling stations and increase awareness of the ethanol-blended fuels through a labeling program on flexible fuel vehicles. (More On This Story)

NCGA President Sweeps Capitol Hill on Four Day Visit
In meetings with key Bush administration officials and members of Congress, NCGA President Leon Corzine hit the ground running this week in Washington, D.C. High on his agenda were three items: passage of an energy bill this summer, improvements to the nation’s waterways infrastructure, and swift passage of the Central American Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). (More On This Story)

Darrin Ihnen, NCGA Biotech Working Group chair, talks about the benefits of using biotechnology at a global press event in Chicago, May 9. The event marked the 1 billionth biotech-enhanced acre planted in the world. From left are: Neal Broedehoeft, American Soybean Association (ASA) president; Craig Shook, National Cotton Council secretary-treasurer; Ihnen; and Ron Heck, ASA chair. Also on hand were members from Truth About Trade and Technology Farmer Leaders Recognize Planting of One-Billionth Biotech Acre NCGA member Darrin Ihnen today joined farmer leaders from the American Soybean Association (ASA) and the National Cotton Council (NCC) in Chicago to recognize the planting of the one-billionth acre of biotech-enhanced agricultural commodities. Representatives from Truth About Trade and Technology (TATT) were also on hand to talk about an acreage counter that is being used to track the planting of biotech acres around the world. (More On This Story) Consumer Interest in E85 Growing, NCGA Notes Interest for E85 gasoline blended gasoline is growing fast as indicated by record sales of the fuel in states across the country, plans for construction of fueling stations throughout much of the Corn Belt, as well as by automakers’ intentions to roll out more flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) models in 2006, according to the NCGA. (More On This Story) Two Agriculture Reports Outline Evolving Global Requirements of Biotechnology Two reports released this week by the USDA Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21) look at evolving world requirements for traceability and labeling of agricultural biotechnology products and at the complexities of predicting the use of these products in the future, said NCGA President and AC21 committee member Leon Corzine.(More On This Story) Montana, Minnesota Advance Ethanol Use New laws in Montana and Minnesota advance ethanol’s use and aid in decreasing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, the NCGA notes. Governors in both states signed legislation in the last week that will increase the use of ethanol in their states. (More On This Story) NCGA Participates in Agriculture Roundtable Discussions NCGA Board Member Ken McCauley joined Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and 30 agriculture leaders from across the state at the Kansas Agriculture Roundtable last week to raise awareness of agriculture issues including passage of the Central American and Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), need for an energy bill and the importance of the livestock industry to corn growers. (More On This Story)

AROUND THE CORN BELT News from State Associations ILLINOIS: A recent editorial in the Peoria Journal Star (Put Preserving Rivers Ahead of Lengthening Locks - May 10) misses the point of legislation before Congress to modernize locks and undertake a massive environmental restoration of the river system, says Roger Sy, Illinois Corn Growers Association President of Newman. The ecosystem restoration effort on the Illinois and Upper Mississippi River, with a price tag of $1.6 billion, is the biggest effort of its kind in 100 years. To assess the need to modernize the locks based on overall traffic, rather then peak traffic, defies traditional wisdom on designing transportation infrastructure. COLORADO: Sometime in mid-June, farm workers will fill Weld County's rural fields harvesting onions and other crops. More than half of farm workers you'll are new immigrants who live permanently in Greeley. Fewer migrants -- someone who leaves his or her permanent home to follow seasonal jobs -- work in the fields and new immigrants, many of whom used to be migrants, now fill those jobs, said John Moore and Penny Gonzales-Soto, both of Catholic Charities Northern. MICHIGAN: The Michigan Corn Growers Association (MCGA) would like to invite all of its members to grab their cameras and join in the fun of showing off America’s bountiful corn crop. The second annual “Gallery of Corn” Photo Contest is currently under way. “The photo contest is a great opportunity for MCGA members to showcase Michigan agriculture and more specifically to highlight Michigan’s corn crop throughout the growing season,” said Pat Feldpausch, MCGA Vice President and corn grower from Fowler. “We invite all our members to get their cameras ready and send in their favorite corn photos.”

Of Special Interest:

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© 2005 National Corn Growers Association

ST. LOUIS OFFICE

WASHINGTON D.C. OFFICE