In The News

Aug 29, 2023

Key Issues: Farm Policy

Author: Colleen Willard

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) expressed disappointment with the revised Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule that was issued today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers.   “U.S. corn growers are disappointed by EPA’s revised WOTUS rule,” said NCGA President Tom Haag. “The agency failed to open the process to public comment and engagement, which would have been extremely valuable. Instead, the agency has released a rule that does not fully respect the holdings from the recent U.S. Supreme Court case on WOTUS. ”    EPA released the revised rule after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Sackett v. EPA earlier this summer that narrowed the scope of the Clean Water Act’s jurisdiction by, among other things, a unanimous decision that “significant nexus” was unlawful.

Aug 29, 2023

Key Issues: Production

Author: Glenn Nice

Content provided by Glenn Nice, University of Wisconsin-Madison   The University of Wisconsin-Extension will be hosting a Spot Spray Technologies Extension Zoom Webinar on Wednesday, September 6 from noon to 2 p.m. CT. It will address the use of novel technologies with real-time camera-based weed detection systems for site-specific weed management (aka spot spraying) such as the Blue River Technology John Deere See & Spray Ultimate, One Smart Spray (Bosch-BASF joint venture), and the Greeneye technology. Each technology accounts for spatial variation in weed density by spraying foliar herbicides only on areas with weed infestation (“green-on-brown” for burndown PRE-emergence applications and “green-on-green” for foliar POST-emergence applications).   The goal is to generate awareness and address agricultural stakeholder questions regarding these novel technologies. This FREE technical webinar is being organized by Rodrigo Werle and Glenn Nice, University of Wisconsin-Madison;...

Aug 24, 2023

Author: Stacey Stiens

Fields-of-Corn.com, the official photo contest of the National Corn Growers Association (NGCA), is set to relaunch on the first of September. Along with a new look built to showcase the rich history of visual storytelling comes a more robust interface for entry. The reboot comes just in time for the tenth photo contest.   “Fields-of-Corn.com site will house voting for the first time with higher reliability than we had through social media in the past,” said Graphic Communications Manager Beth Musgrove. “With a shared vision for a better experience for photographers, voters, and end-users, the developers assigned to the original 2014 contest were eager to return and take the site to a higher level.”   Open to all, NCGA invites photographers to help tell the story of farming field corn in America. Through this contest, NCGA seeks high-resolution photos to document the rich history of growing corn, captured from seed to harvest as well as the tenacious families that grow it....

Aug 23, 2023

Key Issues: Production

Author: Colleen Willard

National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Tom Haag testified today before an Environmental Protection Agency Scientific Advisory Panel about the importance of atrazine to corn farmers. “NCGA commends the scientific and risk-based analysis and conclusions of the EPA in this reevaluation of the 11 atrazine studies identified by the 2012 Scientific Advisory Panel as calling for further review to assess the effects to aquatic plant communities,” Haag noted in the testimony. “NCGA points to the conclusions in the white paper, which continue to affirm scientific evidence which supports the safe use of atrazine while protecting the vital aquatic plant communities and their related ecosystems.” The purpose of the SAP is to seek feedback on the draft white paper, Examination of the Microcosm/Mesocosm Studies for Evaluating the Effects of Atrazine on Aquatic Plant Communities, which is being submitted to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act SAP for peer...

Aug 17, 2023

Key Issues: Trade

Author: Bryan Goodman

The U.S. Trade Representative today requested a panel formation under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement over Mexico’s decision to ban imports of biotech corn used for human consumption. Leaders at the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) said they are highly supportive of the move. “Mexico’s decree, which runs counter to scientific findings and is in direct violation of USMCA, is negatively impacting American corn growers,” said NCGA President Tom Haag. “U.S. officials have exhausted every avenue trying to resolve this conflict and are left with no other choice but to turn to a third-party panel in hopes of quickly rectifying this issue. We are deeply appreciative of USTR for standing up for America’s corn growers.”   If USTR’s request is granted, a group of objective experts will be empaneled to hear the case and make a final determination based on the commitments both parties signed as part of the free trade agreement.   The dispute stems from a 2020 decree by Mexican...

Aug 15, 2023

Author: Stacey Stiens

Want to be part of an annual National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) tradition that dates back to 1965? Well, there is still time to enter the National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC) and be part of its history-making. With ten classes—nine standard and one new Nitrogen Management pilot, the contest has options for growers willing to accept the NCYC challenge!   “Our family has taken part in the Corn Yield Contest for more than 25 years, and the last five of those being in the strip-till category,” said Maryland grower and 2022 NCYC First Place Winner (Class E) Andrea Rigdon. “We have also been utilizing cover crops for the last 15 years to improve soil health and provide nutrients back to our crop. Growing corn successfully requires trial and innovation . . . and the contest is one way to test out improvements and best practices.”   Don’t miss your chance for Innovation + Dedication = Personal Success! The 2023 entry period officially closes this Wednesday, August 16. Harvest...

Aug 14, 2023

Key Issues: Sustainability

Author: Stacey Stiens

The farmer-led, farmer-driven initiative offers cost-share programs and technical assistance to farmers in 20 states who plant cover crops for three years.   Farmers in 20 states can now enroll in cost-share programs through Farmers for Soil Health. This corn, pork and soy commodity initiative, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, establishes financial and technical assistance for corn and soybean farmers who adopt cover crops. The focus is to bring money directly back to farmers, where sustainability is happening at the farm level.   Participating farmers who plant cover crops will receive payments to help transition totaling $50 (spanning three years) per new acre of cover crops planted. These payments of $2 per acre are available for up to 600,000 acres of existing cover crops. Eligible farmers will participate in measurement, reporting, and verification to highlight progress toward the goal of...

Aug 1, 2023

Author: Gaylen Holloway

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) announced today the hiring of Jennifer Sharkey as Membership Operations Manager. In this role, Sharkey will be responsible for implementing and administering NCGA’s Customer Relationship Management System and will play a key role in membership recruitment and retention strategy.   Jenn brings over 16 years of experience in association membership, chapter management, and database management. Jenn’s focus on member management and customer service has allowed her to use those skills to support members at the national and chapter level. Most recently, Jenn led a team of staff during an association-wide migration to a new database and has spent the last 3 years molding and updating the database to meet the association’s needs as well as training and guiding staff.    "We are thrilled to have Jenn join our team," said Gaylen Holloway, Director of Member Insights and Engagement. "Her experience and expertise in membership management will be...