IN THIS ISSUE:

• NCGA to Visit European Union on Biotech Fact Finding Mission
• NCGA Pleased to See Senate Response on Russian Poultry Ban
• NCGA Members' Planting Affected by Inclement Weather
• NCGA Provides Training to Newly Merged South Carolina Grower Associations
• Dalton Wants Opportunity to 'Give Back' to NCGA with Corn Board Bid
• NCGA Welcomes New Team Member

This is Corn Commentary, the monthly newsletter for state and national grower leaders of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) available via the U.S. Postal Service. Updated NCGA information is always available online at http://www.ncga.com.

EACH WEEK, CORN COMMENTARY WILL FEATURE PROFILES OF EACH OF THE PERSPECTIVE CORN BOARD MEMBERS SEEKING ELECTION DURING THIS SUMMER'S CORN CONGRESS. THE REMAINING SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS:
MAY 31-CAL DALTON

NCGA to Visit European Union on Biotech Fact Finding Mission
Representatives of the NCGA and the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) are visiting the European Union (EU) next week to meet with European producers and agriculture representatives. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss trade issues such as the exporting of corn gluten and biotechnology issues and to provide updates on U.S. biotech acceptance, as well as the future direction of biotech corn production. Meetings will be held in the Netherlands, France and Spain.

NCGA Biotech Working Group member and Alpha, Minn., corn grower Jerry Ploehn said the trip is necessary. "Only through communication can we understand where someone's coming from," he said. "To find out what concerns they have, we must be able to have active dialogue, find out what common ground we have and work from there."

Representing NCGA during the mission are: Ploehn; President Tim Hume; Corn Board member and Dumas, Texas, grower Dee Vaughan; and Director of Development Tom Slunecka. Representing USGC is President and CEO Ken Hobbie and Chairman Donald Jacoby.

Ploehn said an understanding of where EU producers stand on biotech criteria would be extremely helpful. "If we knew what levels of biotech they consider to acceptable, that would help us a great deal and would be a great place to start with our discussions," he said.

"We're excited about the opportunity to further build our relationship with the French Corn Growers Association and the farmers they represent," he concluded.

The group leaves June 1 and will return June 8.

Visit www.ncga.com <http://www.ncga.com> throughout the week for updates and photos of the mission.

DID YOU KNOW??
http://www.ncga.com will be providing a Farm Bill Calculator in the weeks to come. NCGA's calculator was put together with the help of growers all over the country to supply you with a better understanding of the benefits provided to you by the Farm Bill! A downloadable version is planned as well as implementation meetings throughout the country this summer. Watch this space for further updates!

NCGA Pleased to See Senate Response on Russian Poultry Ban
The NCGA is pleased to see more than half the U.S. Senate supports a letter from the National Chicken Council (NCC) concerning the continued ban on U.S. poultry into Russia. The letter, signed by 51 senators, was sent to President George W. Bush earlier this month in an effort to convince Bush to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the ban.

"Russia's disruption of the U.S. poultry exports continues to cause U.S. chicken and turkey companies to suffer losses of over $25 million per week due to depressed domestics prices and lost sales opportunities," the letter says. "Furthermore, this negative economic impact has spilled over into competing meats such as pork and beef and to grain/oilseed farmers."

According to NCGA Livestock Programs and Information Manager Tracy Snider, Russia formally lifted its ban on poultry yet poultry importation still has not returned to normal. According to discussions with the Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) one ship has unloaded successfully, however it is too soon to predict the results.

The livestock and poultry sector represent the largest consumers of corn, consuming over 58 percent of the annual corn crop, she said. In the U.S., poultry production represents 27.3 percent of all corn consumed by livestock, so it is not difficult to see why NCGA has a stake in this issue. The poultry exported to Russia eat nearly 1 million tons of corn per year, which equates to 35.7 million bushels, or about 260,000 acres of corn.

The Russian Veterinary Service is due in the U.S. next week to work on the details of a new agreement, and then the U.S. team will spend a week in Russia while determining the new agreement.

NCGA is working with the administration, Congress and representatives from the poultry industry - the NCC and USA Poultry and Egg Export Council -- regarding this important issue. The Russian market represents almost 40 percent of U.S. chicken exports.

NCGA Members' Planting Affected by Inclement Weather
Recent storms across the Midwest have put several members of the NCGA behind in their planting schedules, according to a National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Crop Progress report.

"States such as Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky are 11 to 50 percent behind schedule for planting corn in comparison to last year," said NCGA Director of Production and Marketing Paul Bertels. "These states are also well behind the five-year average of around 93 percent completed. For example, Ohio is more than 50 percent behind planting due to the torrential rains of the last month."

Matt Gibson, an NCGA member who farms out of Morocco, Ind., said the rains have unquestionably affected his spring planting. "We definitely won't be breaking any yield records this year," he said. "Almost a third of what I've already planted is under five inches of water, so that has to be re-planted.

"I'm looking a losing almost 20 percent optimum yield this year because of the rain," he continued. "Because we'll be re-planting so late, the corn won't pollinate until August. Indiana Augusts are hot and dry and that's not a good time for plants to pollinate. It's a bad situation."

Not everyone has suffered due to the rains, even those in affected areas. "I finished planting my corn on time," said Bushnell, Ill., corn grower
Steve Pigg, "and fortunately, the way my land is set up, we didn't see a lot of flooding. Most of my ground doesn't 'pond,' so I'm not behind. There are a lot of people around here, though, who have their corn under water because of the rising creeks."

Not only has the Midwest seen lower-than-average planting percentages, the quality of the corn has fallen behind, as well. "Right now," said Bertels, "around 57 percent of the nation's corn crop is rated fair or worse, with states such as Michigan and Texas having about 12 to 15 percent of their corn rated as very poor. It's been a season of extremes and it's going to show up in their yields at the end of the season."

DID YOU KNOW??
http://www.ncga.com provides a complete guide to state web sites and contact information. Click the drop-down listing on the front page to visit state web sites.

NCGA Provides Training to Newly Merged South Carolina Grower Associations
The South Carolina Corn and Soybean Association, which merged in January into a single organization, continues to benefit from NCGA membership services. In late May, NCGA Corn Board member and Stonewall, N.C., corn grower Charles Alexander and NCGA Membership Services Manager Byron Keelin provided training for the new association, explaining to them what NCGA is doing to increase grower profitability.

Keelin said the group is well prepared and ready to represent South Carolina grain producers. "Charles and I met with their new board to discuss the tools and resources available to South Carolina growers to help them be more responsive to their members," he said, "such as the NCGA web site and the Legislative Action Center."

The merger, the first of its kind, came about when it was decided both the corn growers' and soybean growers' associations represented basically the same growers and the same interests.

NCGA assisted the group with its January merger by providing input on writing bylaws and by providing membership recruitment strategies. "They have a great group of board members and an executive director who is eager to grow their organization," said Keelin, "and I think we can look forward to hearing some great things from them."

Keelin said the association is planning to get involved with NCGA immediately. "Their goal is to send a couple of growers to the NCGA
Leadership Academy in Greensboro, N.C., in August, as well as increase their membership to 500 members," he said. "They're also planning to take part in the 2002-2003 NCGA recruitment program."

Dalton Wants Opportunity to 'Give Back' to NCGA with Corn Board Post
In any organization, vision, experience and enthusiasm are key to quality leadership. Pardeeville, Wis., corn grower Cal Dalton has an abundance of both and hopes those qualities get him elected to the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Corn Board this July during Corn Congress.

"NCGA has given me a lot of opportunities to advance within the organization," said the Grower Services Action Team member," and I
would like to give back to NCGA by using my real-life experiences to become an effective Corn Board member.

"I want to see NCGA to continue to advance with the times and I would like to have the opportunity to use my experiences to make that happen," he continued.

Dalton and his wife, Joanne, farm 2,200 acres of corn, soybeans, specialty grains, wheat, oats and hay in Pardeeville. He has held many leadership positions at the state and local level, and has served NCGA in many leadership capacities, including as a member of the 2001 nominating committee., These experiences have built his communication and knowledge-based decision-making skills, which he considers his strongest attributes. Dalton, who has a bachelor's degree in broad-area agriculture from University of Wisconsin-River Falls with minors in animal science and agricultural engineering, has also been a factor in the development of NCGA's leadership programs."

We have come a long way as far as the tools we have to communicate with," said Dalton. "NCGA is leading the pack among farm organizations and it's because of tools like our web site, timely mailings to the members, and an effective communications department who has kept us in the forefront on issues such as farm bill, trade promotion authority, and the energy bill."

He strives to make positive changes and develop new leadership to preserve the future of the organizations he has served. "I would like to serve on the Corn Board to help other corn growers develop economical, political and educational opportunities for themselves and their farming operations, utilizing the resources of the NCGA," said Dalton.

"My personal expectations for a board member include being a leader, and being a person with a vision for the future who will work diligently on the issues of today while holding to the historical value of NCGA," he concluded. "Board members should conduct themselves professionally and be able to communicate the philosophy of the NCGA to fellow corn growers and to the public."

"NCGA is a leader and I would like to help keep it that way."

NCGA Welcomes New Team Member
NCGA is pleased to announce that Nathan Danielson will be joining the team June 3as Manager of Research & Business Development. Nathan has a master's degree in Biology. He earned his undergraduate degree in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology with a minor in Biochemistry from the University of Colorado. . He is currently working toward an MBA at the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. He has worked for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and recently for Incyte Pharmaceuticals in research and product development.

NCGA THIS WEEK

• June 1-8 NCGA President Tim Hume, Corn Board member Dee Vaughan, Biotech Working Group member Jerry Ploehn, and Director of Development Tom Slunecka will travel throughout the EU with representatives of USGC on a biotechnology fact-finding mission. Stops include the Netherlands, France, and Spain
• June 3-5 NCGA Chairman Lee Klein, President-Elect Fred Yoder, Corn Board member Kyle Phillips, Director of Public Policy Hayden Milberg, and Director of Communications Mimi Ricketts will be in Kansas City for the NCGA/CRA Corn Utilization & Technology Conference

ST. LOUIS OFFICE

WASHINGTON D.C. OFFICE