In The News

Aug 30, 2022

Author: Cathryn Wojcicki

As farmers ready their combines to roll, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) reminds them of one important step  – submitting yield results of their contest entries in the 2022 National Corn Yield Contest. While harvest may seem a ways off for some, we ask that harvest results be submitted no later than two weeks after harvest or by the contest deadline of November 30 to be included in the 2022 rankings.   The contest winners will be announced on December 14.   Enter your harvest results online, click here.   NCGA challenges you to take advantage of this opportunity to explore new ideas and production technologies while gleaning knowledge to enhance your future yield potential. Winners will receive national recognition in publications, such as the NCYC Corn Yield Guide, as well as other awards from participating sponsoring seed, chemical and crop protection companies.  winners will be honored at Commodity Classic in Orlando, Florida in March of 2023.   Contact NCYC...

Aug 25, 2022

Key Issues: EthanolFarm Policy

Author: Bryan Goodman

The California Air Resources Board today approved standards for model-year 2026 and later vehicles. In response to this development, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) released the following statement:   “California regulators missed an opportunity to allow for more innovation and broaden low- and zero-emission solutions, additive to electric vehicles, to maximize emissions reductions while improving equity for consumers. As NCGA told regulators during the rulemaking process, constraining the vision of a zero-emission future prevents the state from tapping into the immediate and affordable environmental solutions that come from replacing more gasoline with low-carbon and low-cost ethanol, in both current and new vehicles, including new plug-in hybrids. Ethanol is on a path to net zero emissions, and NCGA will continue to work with and urge California to use all the tools in its toolbox as it addresses climate change and cuts harmful tailpipe emissions. As recent...

Aug 23, 2022

Key Issues: EthanolFarm PolicyHigh-Octane Low-Carbon

Author: Bryan Goodman

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA is now accepting applications for $100 million in competitive grants to increase the sale and use of higher blends of biofuels like ethanol. The funding, made available through USDA’s Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program, will help more fuel retailers and distributors offer consumers lower-cost and lower-emissions fuels, like E15 and E85, by sharing the cost to expand infrastructure such as pumps, dispensers and storage tanks.    “Higher blends of ethanol, like E15 and E85, are homegrown fuels that save consumers money at the pump while cutting emissions and improving the nation’s energy security,” said Iowa farmer and NCGA President Chris Edgington. “That is why corn growers applaud USDA for investing in additional infrastructure to help more retailers reach more consumers with clean, affordable biofuels.”    USDA will provide cost-share grants of up to 50% of total eligible project costs and expects...

Aug 22, 2022

Key Issues: Farm Policy

Author: Bryan Goodman

  The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is in the process of surveying growers on key farm issues. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) encourages growers to complete the following upcoming surveys:   Now – through Early September… 5 NASS’s Conservation Practice Adoption Motivations survey No one knows the story of conservation in U.S. ag better than farmers and ranchers. Don’t miss your chance to tell that story! Respond to USDA NASS’s Conservation Practice Adoption Motivations Survey by Sept. 5. Survey data will guide the implementation of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service programs in the future. Respond online at www.agcounts.usda.gov.   In the mail… September Grain Stocks Report Grain Stocks Report survey is in the mail. Survey data help the industry evaluate export potential and calculate supply of the crops available for the marketing year. You can respond securely online at www.agcounts.usda.gov. This survey collects...

Aug 18, 2022

Key Issues: Trade

Author: Julie Busse

    The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and state corn growers are partnering to host an upcoming trade school event in Omaha, Nebraska.   The event in Omaha is sponsored by NCGA, USGC, Iowa Corn Growers, the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, South Dakota Corn, and the Yeutter Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in cooperation with host Green Plains. This event is on Friday, August 26 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and is free to attend.   The agenda will cover the benefits of trade, current hot button issues, regional trade topics, and key updates pertaining to policy initiatives and market development efforts. Participants will walk away from the event being able to talk about how trade policy and market development lead to sales.   Trade school started in 2016 and has been held in a number of states since then. You can register and learn more about the events here.  

Aug 16, 2022

Key Issues: Farm Policy

Author: Bryan Goodman

President Biden today signed a bill into law that addresses issues ranging from health care to the environment and includes new funding to encourage agricultural conservation programs and advance biofuels.   “Through this legislation, Congress and the administration recognize that farmers’ voluntary climate-smart agricultural practices are an important part of addressing climate change,” said Brooke S. Appleton, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) vice president of public policy. “We are also particularly pleased to see Congress and the administration acknowledge that low-carbon biofuels like ethanol are needed to help decarbonize transportation and improve energy security.”   The law allocates $19.9 billion in funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture’s conservation programs and $1 billion for additional conservation technical assistance. These allocations include:   $8.45 billion for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program $6.75 billion for the Regional...

Aug 15, 2022

Author: Gaylen Holloway

Corn growers from across the country gathered in St. Louis, Mo. for the first session of the National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) Leadership Academy.   “This year’s Leadership Academy class had participants from 11 states, all dedicated to personal development for the advancement of our industry,” said Lowell Neitzel, Chair of the Member and Consumer Engagement Action Team.   Attendees completed an intensive session on excellence in leadership, polished their professionalism and presentation skills, completed media training, and networked with fellow industry members.   “Leadership Academy aims to enhance corn growers’ personal leadership skills, improve their abilities to serve their state organizations, and equip them to be advocates for the corn sector,” Neitzel said. “It’s important for us to build the next generation of industry leaders.”   The second session of the program will be held in Washington, D.C. in January 2023 where participants will learn the ins and...

Aug 11, 2022

Author: Cathryn Wojcicki

The National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC) is nearing the August 17 entry deadline. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) challenges you to participate and be a part of its history.   “Our crops in Nebraska have been through a lot this year, but there are still some pretty good-looking fields. That’s why we’re encouraging you to challenge us in the National Corn Yield Contest,” said Andy Jobman, a farmer who chairs NCGA’s Stewardship Action Team. “I’m sure you’ve got some great fields on your own operations, and the deadline is quickly approaching. So, fill out the entry form and be a part of the contest in 2022.”   Entry closes August 17, 2022. All harvest forms will be due by November 30. Contest winners will be announced on December 14.   Winners will receive national recognition in publications, such as the NCYC Corn Yield Guide, as well as other awards from participating sponsoring seed, chemical and crop protection companies. All winners will be honored at Commodity...

Aug 10, 2022

Key Issues: Sustainability

Author: Stacey Stiens

Last week, members of National Corn Grower Association’s (NCGA) Corn Sustainability Advisory Group (CSAG) came together in Philadelphia. NCGA formed the CSAG in 2019 to proactively drive U.S. corn’s sustainability story and to build consumer trust and to grow competitive market demand. Eighteen months after its formation, in June 2021, members of the group—largely corn farmers from across the U.S.— launched the U.S. Corn Sustainability Goals and the first U.S. Corn Sustainability Report. CSAG members were involved at every step of the process and made all decisions, including setting U.S. corn’s 2030 environmental sustainability goals.   Since the launch of the report and goals, the advisory group has grown and now includes grower representatives from NCGA’s Ethanol, Market Development, Member & Consumer Engagement, Sustainable Ag Research and Stewardship Action Teams; 2 state staff and the 5 national staff leads for each of the four Action Teams; plus, an ex-officio member from...

Aug 9, 2022

Key Issues: Research

Author: Savannah Peterson

University of Georgia Bioinformatics doctoral student, Corey Schultz has focused on finding way to improve yields by understanding how corn interacts with beneficial microbes. Through the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Research Ambassador program, Corey has recognized farmers’ concerns and learned how to proactively communicate research results.   With a saturated market of beneficial-bacteria products, Corey began to realize that different corn lines reacted differently to the same microbes. This concerning realization led Corey to study both how microbes affect corn and how corn affects microbes.   “I used three different growth-promoting microbes on a variety of genetically-diverse corn lines in the greenhouse. I found variable growth promotion among the different types of corn, with some corn lines showing improved growth above ground, some below ground, and some not responding at all,” shares Corey, concluding that the best way to tailor microbes depends on the...

Aug 8, 2022

Key Issues: Farm Policy

Author: Bryan Goodman

The Senate on Sunday, voting along party lines, passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.   The bill, which includes domestic energy incentives and other provisions aimed at reducing carbon emissions, would provide significant investments for agriculture, including over $20 billion in funding to support farmers’ implementation and expansion of voluntary on-farm conservation practices and $500 million to provide greater market access for higher blends of biofuels.    “We appreciate Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and the other members of the Senate Agriculture Committee who worked to include provisions in the legislation that will support farmers as they provide solutions that address climate change,” said Brooke S. Appleton, vice president of public policy at the National Corn Growers Association. “From cleaner, low-carbon fuels, like ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel, to on-farm practices that improve soil health, corn growers are on the front lines of the fight to cut carbon...

Aug 2, 2022

Key Issues: TradeFarm PolicyProduction

Author: Dusty Weis

Two key players who argued their case on behalf of NCGA discuss the win and what it means for farmers.   Over the last several years, tariffs and trade have been a major pain point for growers.   But this summer, the NCGA has helped bring home a huge win for America’s farmers in a recent International Trade Commission case involving proposed tariffs on imported Urea Ammonium Nitrate fertilizers.   So in this episode, we'll talk to Andy Jobman, a Nebraskan corn farmer, and Jared R. Wessel, an attorney with Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C. These two played major roles in arguing NCGA's case at the ITC hearings.   Andy and Jared will discuss how they argued their case, why this win was so important, and what the industry needs to do next to continue to fight unnecessary trade restrictions.     DIRECT SHARE LINK: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/ncga?selected=PDM7121861421   TRANSCRIPT   Andy Jobman: The fact that CF industries said that farmers aren't their...

Aug 1, 2022

Key Issues: Research

Author: Savannah Peterson

Matthew Runyon is a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign and is a part of the National Corn Growers Association's (NCGA) Research Ambassador Program. After seeing how drought affected his family’s farm, Matthew sought to find sustainable ways to improve yield during dry times.   Matthew focused his research on aquaporins, which are proteins that help facilitate water movement, as well as other small molecules like CO2, between plant cells. By characterizing mutants with altered aquaporin expression profiles, Matthew hopes to change water-use efficiency (WUE) and photosynthetic parameters.   “In principle, overexpressing CO2-permeable aquaporins should increase the rate of carbon uptake,” shares Matthew. “This will reduce the amount of time the stomata need to be open to allow CO2-rich air to enter the leaf, consequentially reducing the amount of water transpired.”   Matthew’s research is divided into two pieces. First, he is studying...