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July
1, 2005 * Volume 12 * Number 25
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
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National Corn Growers Association Applauds Senate Approval of CAFTA-DR
•
House Delays WRDA Vote; NCGA Continues Legislative Alert
• Yoder Hopes Vast Farming Background Lands Corn Board Seat
• NCGA, USGC Visit Europe on Biotech Mission
• WTO Rules Mexican Tax on HFCS Violates Commitments, NCGA Notes
• House Agriculture Committee Introduces Bipartisan 8-billion-gallon
RFS Legislation
• Wall Points to Experience in Run for Corn Board Seat
• NCGA Encourages Growers to Take Part in USDA Farm Bill Listening
Sessions
• NCGA Offers Deal on Sattellite Radio to Growers
• Demeter Enterprises Will Build Ethanol Plants in Indiana,
Nebraska and Ohio
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National
Corn Growers Association Applauds Senate Approval of CAFTA-DR
The
Central American – Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)
cleared the Senate Thursday by a 54 - 45 vote, a move NCGA President
Leon Corzine said is for the good of U.S. agriculture. (More
On This Story)
House
Delays WRDA Vote; NCGA Continues Legislative Alert
The
U.S. House of Representatives has pushed back a vote on the Water Resources
and Development Act (WRDA), H.R. 2864, which contains legislation authorizing
upgrades to the locks and dams on the upper Mississippi and Illinois
rivers, the NCGA notes. The House was expected to vote on the bill this
week, but it has postponed any action until the week of July 11. (More
On This Story)
Yoder
Hopes Vast Farming Background Lands Corn Board Seat
Steven
Yoder and his family operate a family farm in Dalhart, Texas, growing
center-pivot sprinkler irrigated corn, wheat and alfalfa. Yoder also
grew corn in Ohio before moving to Texas, and he believes his experience
as a farmer in the Midwest and South will make him an excellent member
of the Corn Board. (More
On This Story)
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| National
Corn Growers Association and U.S. Grains Council members
returned from a European mission this week. In attendance
were (from left) NCGA First Vice President Gerald
Tumbleson, USGC Chairman Paul Williams, Biotech Working
Group Chairman Darrin Ihnen and NCGA President Leon
Corzine. . |
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NCGA,
USGC Visit Europe on Biotech Mission
NCGA
and U.S. Grains Council (USGC) leaders traveled to Europe last
week for discussion of the key issues facing Americans and Europeans
in regard to biofuels, biotech corn and trade. (More
On This Story)
WTO
Rules Mexican Tax on HFCS Violates Commitments, NCGA Notes
The
NCGA applauds the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) preliminary
ruling against a Mexican tax on high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
in beverages that has caused U.S. corn growers to sustain considerable
losses in the past eight years. (More
On This Story)
House
Agriculture Committee Introduces Bipartisan 8-billion-gallon RFS
Legislation
Introduction of the bipartisan Renewable Fuels Act of 2005, H.R.
3081, in the House yesterday re-emphasizes the importance of domestic
renewable fuels in our national energy policy, noted (NCGA). (More
On This Story)
Wall
Points to Experience in Run for Corn Board Seat
Scott Wall and his family grow corn and wheat in Yuma, Colo. Wall,
a Corn Board member, has been a member of the Colorado Corn Growers
Association since the 1980s, and he has served the local and national
associations in many capacities. (More
On This Story)
NCGA
Encourages Growers to Take Part in USDA Farm Bill Listening Sessions
NCGA
Public Policy Action Team Chairman Steve Pigg encourages grower
members to participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
farm bill listening sessions. The first listening session will
be held July 7 in Nashville, Tenn. (More
On This Story)
NCGA
Offers Deal on Satellite Radio to Growers
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) members can take advantage
of substantial discounts for XM and Sirius satellite radio. (More
On This Story)
Demeter
Enterprises Will Build Ethanol Plants in Indiana, Nebraska and
Ohio
Demeter
Enterprises, LLC announced plans to build three ethanol plants
in Linden, Ind., Albion, Neb., and Bloomingburg, Ohio, pending
approval of boards and authorities. If approved, each facility
will be able to produce 100 million gallons of ethanol and 315,000
tons of dry distillers grain annually. The plants will source
corn from Cargill AgHorizons’ grain elevators adjacent to
the sites. Construction is expected to begin this summer. |
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AROUND
THE CORN BELT
News
from State Associations
Ohio:
As the Ohio General Assembly begins its summer recess this
week, the Ohio Biofuels Bill (HB 245) sits in a good position.
The bill will provide a grant program for fuel retailers to
install or convert a pump to E85 or Biodiesel. It also provides
these grants to terminals to install Biodiesel blending equipment.
On Wednesday, June 15 the bill was passed by a unanimous vote
out of the House Transportation Committee and will head to
the House floor when session resumes sometime in September.
Michigan:
Michigan’s production of ethanol is also on the rise
with the announcements of several new ethanol plants. Last
month, Marysville Ethanol, LLC announced plans to build a
plant in Marysville Mich., northeast of Detroit. On June 14th,
Great Lakes Ethanol, LLC also announced plans to build in
Riga Township near Blissfield, Mich. A third plant, Superior
Corn Products, LLC located in Lake Odessa, Mich., began moving
dirt for site preparation in May. Currently, Michigan has
one operational ethanol plant, Michigan Ethanol, LLC in Caro,
Mich., which produces over 40 million gallons of ethanol annually
and utilizes about 20 million bushels of locally-grown corn.
Currently, about 13 percent of 2004’s corn crop was
used for in-state ethanol production, which will increase
threefold in the next year.
Nebraska:
Gov. Dave Heineman today joined the Nebraska Department of
Agriculture (NDA), the Nebraska Corn Growers Association (NeCGA)
and the Nebraska Corn Board in welcoming members of the Indy
Racing League (IRL) to celebrate IRL’s decision to use
100 percent ethanol fuel in its racing vehicles, beginning
in 2007. IndyCar drivers Paul Dana and Jimmy Kite with the
Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing Team joined state officials and agricultural
industry representatives in Lincoln.
Gov. Heineman
challenged Nebraskans to use the IRL announcement as a reason
to improve on statistics that show more than 60 percent of
the fuel sold in Nebraska includes ethanol. Ethanol consumes
about 200 million bushels, or 23 percent of Nebraska’s
corn supply.
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Of
Special Interest:
Next
Week:
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Have
a Safe and Happy Independence Day! |
More calendar information
is available on the NCGA Leader Resource Center, http://www.insidencga.com
© 2005 National
Corn Growers Association
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