In this issue:
· NCGA Agri-Industry Council Meets in Washington
· NCGA, Others Grateful for Commodity Futures Trading Oversight Legislation
· NCGA Establishes Farmer-Led Climate Change Task Force
· Meeting to Discuss Mississippi River Lock Project
· NCGA Outlines Key Principles for Greenhouse Gas Legislation
· Farmers Learn Leadership in Washington
· NCGA CEO Stresses Need for Collaboration to Keep Farming Sustainable and Food Affordable
· Production Team Talks Issues in Texas
· Stories From This Week’s Blog
NCGA Agri-Industry Council Meets in Washington
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) officers and senior staff recently met with representatives of 10 leading agribusinesses to discuss vital issues facing agriculture, share information on their companies and sectors, and hear from NCGA about its current initiatives. The Agri-Industry Council (AIC) was established in 2007 to facilitate dialogue between agribusinesses and NCGA to collectively address issues of mutual concern. (More on this story)
NCGA, Others Grateful for Commodity Futures Trading Oversight Legislation
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and 51 other commodity groups and allied organizations have sent a letter to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) thanking them for their efforts on the Derivatives Markets Transparency and Accountability Act of 2009. (More on this story)
NCGA Establishes Farmer-Led Climate Change Task Force
The National Corn Growers Association’s Ethanol Committee has established a task force of corn farmers to focus on climate issues, such as land use change, greenhouse gas emissions, cap-and-trade policies, carbon sequestration and low carbon fuel standards. “There is a wealth of information and research on climate change that we need to gather and communicate to our members and policymakers,” said Steve Ruh, chairman of the task force and a farmer in Sugar Grove, Ill. “We also know there is a need for more research to fill the gaps for policy and legislative initiatives that will help us maintain economic and environmental sustainability. (More on this story)
Meeting to Discuss Mississippi River Lock Project
A public meeting held by representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will give interested parties the opportunity to review and comment on a draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment of the impacts of rebuilding and doubling the length of a 70-year-old lock on the Mississippi River. (More on this story)
NCGA Outlines Key Principles for Greenhouse Gas Legislation
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has joined 11 other agricultural organizations to outline nine key principles that are vital to the farm economy regarding greenhouse gas cap-and-trade legislation. Several proposals have been circulating that would create a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and the principles document will be sent to Capitol Hill in an effort to educate Congress as legislation moves through the two chambers. (More on this story)
Farmers Learn Leadership in Washington
Nineteen farmer-leaders from across the Corn Belt gathered for three days in Washington to learn the ins and outs of our nation’s capital as part of the National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) Leadership Academy, sponsored by Syngenta. For more than 20 years, hundreds of corn industry leaders have benefitted from Syngenta’s “Leadership At Its Best” program.
Following a week-long conference in Greensboro, N.C., last August for media and communications training and other association management instruction, the second phase of the Leadership Academy helped attendees to be the best advocate possible for their communities and their crop. (More on this story)
NCGA CEO Stresses Need for Collaboration to Keep Farming Sustainable and Food Affordable
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) CEO Rick Tolman stressed the importance of collaboration between farm and food interests in opening remarks made last week at a national conference about the sustainability of American agriculture. The conference was hosted by the Field to Market Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, of which NCGA is a member, and two other organizations. (More on this story)
Production Team Talks Issues in Texas
The National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) Production and Stewardship Action Team met last week in Fort Worth, Texas for updates and discussion on issues surrounding sustainability, corn production, transportation, water quality and mycotoxins. (More on this story)
From This Week’s Blog:
· Saluting Ethanol
· Ethanol Producer Defends Farmers’ Ingenuity
· Corn Toilet Paper Wipes Up in Competition
· Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Corn*
· Senators Warn Against “Premature” Decision on Indirect Land Use
· Corn for Biomass Research