Posted By Cindy December 31, 2009
The U.S. Grains Council recently announced the winner of their 2009 Harvest Photo Contest is David Nienhiser who submitted photos of the corn harvest at his family’s farm in Chapin, Ill. David won a free registration to the Council’s 7th International Marketing Meeting and 50th Annual Membership Meeting in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Feb. 13-17, 2010.
There were 178 photos submitted in the Harvest Photo Contest and lots of them are really great. Check them all out here.
Posted By Ken December 31, 2009
The Grocery Manufacturers Association and its anti-ethanol cadre has developed yet another attack Web site, with the usual misinformation about corn and ethanol production. Just consider these statements from their home page:
Myth: “Producing more corn ethanol could threaten air quality in many communities, destroy millions of acres of forests around the world, and increase emissions of greenhouse gases. In particular, plowing up forests to grow more corn could increase farmland runoff, expanding low-oxygen dead zones that hurt commercial fishermen.”
Fact: We don’t need to destroy forests around the world because we’re growing more corn per acre. That’s a big part of the push for higher ethanol blends in the first place — we have more corn for all needs, not less. Check out NCGA’s strategic plan for information on expanding corn production without absorbing more acres.
Myth: “Diluting gasoline with more corn ethanol could divert more than half of America’s corn crop from food and feed to fuel, increasing the cost of feeding livestock and poultry and the cost of making food. Higher food prices disproportionately impact low-income Americans.”
Fact: According to our strategic plan, by the year 2020, we expect to be able to produce 17 billion bushels of corn, of which only 4.75 billion will be used for ethanol. That will only be 25 percent of the total corn supply (18.8 billion bushels) that year.
Myth: “Thousands of jobs and farms were lost when feed prices more than doubled in 2008. Adding more corn ethanol to our gasoline will increase feed prices again.”
Fact: There is general agreement among those who know these things that ethanol demand had little to do with the 2008 increase in the price of corn. Corn now costs less than in 2007, but more corn is going into ethanol production. Many other factors conspired to run up the cost of corn.
Posted By Mark December 30, 2009
New Years Eve is rapping at the door so it seems appropriate to offer-up a resolution of some sort for 2010. So here goes…I intend to be more thankful for having the good fortune of living in the United States, and I intend to do a better job of sharing my reasons for this sentiment.
I challenge you to do the same with all the people in your circle either physical or digital. Start each day by saying thanks. The habit does wonders for your mental attitude and how you approach the day. It might also have your friends wondering what well you are drinking from and asking if they can share.
For most Americans we have plenty of reasons to beat back the little cynical voice in our heads including three major reasons called breakfast, lunch and supper. Drake University Professor of Law Neil D. Hamilton noted recently in the Des Moines Register that, “No matter our circumstance, we are better off than most people. The 1 billion facing hunger and starvation and the second billion living on $2 a day represent a third of the world.”
However, with the steady string of naysayers, quasi-experts, and self-serving national media telling Americans the sky is falling it would be easy to start each day depressed before the first cup of coffee is consumed. In reality the kinds of things we seem to attack – from our food production techniques, diets, environmental issues – are often just symptoms of our relatively easy lifestyle.
We are a lucky nation because our basic physiological needs of food, shelter, water and air are met handily which provides us an opportunity to move on to other pursuits like safety needs, love-affection, belonging and the need for esteem. (This largesse of time also provides opportunity to pursue destructive and negative behaviors that I won’t go into here.)
As Hamilton of Drake U also said, “fortunately, our (US) economy and farms are stronger, but our relative advantages shouldn’t delude us into thinking we are immune or without responsibility. We must find solutions to the world’s food future.”
There is no arguing with his logic but the good news is I think we are headed in a positive direction in U.S. agriculture. We all need to do a better job showcasing what is right with America’s farms. We need to continue to make improvements however we must make them while looking through a lens that both feeds the world and assures the continued success of those that make this possible.
“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day” ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce
Posted By Cindy December 30, 2009
The final USDA crop progress report on this year’s harvest released last week showed that 95 percent of the nation’s corn crop was finally harvested, just a few days before Christmas. Illinois was on par with the national total, reporting five percent of the crop left in the field.
I saw some of that corn this week during a visit to northern Illinois, around Kankakee and St. Anne. Some of it is still standing well, but some of it got hit pretty hard by a storm that blew in last week with up to 40 mile an hour winds.
I also talked with a couple of farmers in the area, both of whom said they will be very glad to see 2009 come to an end. Jim Wade of Clifton says he just finished harvest two weeks ago but it wasn’t as bad as 1967 when he was still had corn in January. Wade still won second place in the Ridge Till Non-Irrigated category for Illinois in the National Corn Yield Contest with a yield of 260.841 on his contest plot.
Meanwhile, Ron Hansen of Kankakee told me that he still has about 300 more acres of corn to finish up, but it is still standing pretty well. “With the cool summer, it’s done some things that I’ve never seen in my lifetime,” Hansen said. “Like not maturing the corn and beans like normal so we are caught with this real late wet corn – but we are having good yields.” As to when he will get the rest of his crop out of the field, Ron said he just doesn’t know.
Posted By Cindy December 27, 2009
For some insane reason, California has become the trendsetter for the nation, especially when it comes to environmental regulations. The ethanol industry is trying to stop that from happening in the case of the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) which could become the model for other states and the nation, despite the fact that it is based on flawed science and questionable constitutionality.
It was almost three years ago that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an Executive Order setting Low Carbon Fuel Standard, with a bright green and yellow corn themed flex fuel vehicle figuring prominently in the background. Ironically, the LCFS developed by the California Air Resources Board could ultimately prohibit the use of corn ethanol to fuel FFVs in the state.
According to a complaint filed on Christmas Eve in the Federal District Court of Fresno by the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy, the measure violates both the Supremacy Clause and the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
“The LCFS erects new regulatory obstacles to ethanol, frustrates the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, and threatens the nationwide market for domestic ethanol,” says a joint statement issued by the two organizations. “Additionally, by closing California’s borders to corn ethanol from other states, the LCFS will change how corn is farmed and ethanol is produced all over the country. The Commerce Clause specifically forbids state laws that discriminate against out-of-state goods and that regulate out-of-state conduct. The LCFS imposes excessive burdens on the entire domestic ethanol industry while providing no benefit to Californians. In fact, in disadvantaging low-carbon, domestic ethanol, the LCFS denies the people of California a genuine opportunity to clean their air, create jobs, and strengthen their economic and national security.”
Even if this standard is not adopted by other states or nationwide, it will still affect the rest of the country by the impact it could have on corn farmers. Hopefully the constitution will prevail.
Posted By Cindy December 27, 2009
Captain Cornelius delivered an early Christmas for Judy Koons of Webster City, Iowa who was the grand prize winner this month in the Iowa Corn Fed GameDay DriveAway campaign. Her name was drawn to win a victory red, 2009 Flex-Fuel Chevy Silverado at the Iowa vs. Iowa State basketball game December 11 in Ames.
The Iowa Corn Fed GameDay DriveAway was part of a GameDay partnership that included the Iowa and Iowa State football, basketball, and wrestling seasons. Consumers could enter the drawing from July 10 through November 21 for a chance to win the 2009 Flex-Fuel Chevy Silverado. Other prizes awarded included $500 cash and a year’s worth of ethanol blended fuel from Kum and Go.
“We’ve reached thousands of people with the Iowa Corn Fed GameDay DriveAway promotion,” said Shannon Textor, director of market development for the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) and the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA). “Ethanol use was just one benefit featured in the program, which included food and feed uses for corn and messages about corn’s importance to Iowa’s economy, environment and energy independence.”
Posted By Mark December 23, 2009
I regularly hear people discuss the pros and cons of various farming practices – yes, they all have them – but one thing that baffles me is the inability of some in the organic camp to see room for diversity and consumer choice. It is all or nothing, regardless of the limitations of organic production. It’s good to have passion regardless of pursuits. I have an un-abiding love of our oceans and marine life, Harley Davidson bikes, and all kinds of music.
But blind zealotry is unproductive, frankly unrealistic, and often dangerous. Learning that lesson the hard way is fine on some topics. You screw up and you can say oops or never mind and move on. However, when it comes to the persistent attacks on our food production system by well-off, well fed elitists, the consequences can be horrendous.
“If the whole planet were to suddenly switch to organic farming tomorrow, it would be an ecological disaster,” said Michael Mack, chief executive of Syngenta. “Organic food is not only ‘not better‘ for the planet, it is categorically worse.”
Mack recently told the New York Times that organic farming takes up to 30 percent more land than non-organic farming for the same yield. This presents a bit of s conundrum considering world population is expected to grow by 3 billion more people in the next 40 years.
Barring a major world war or a pandemic, populations are going to grow by 150 people every minute. In the time it took to write this blog another small city of homo sapiens has taken root on this earth. One would think it is a good thing this current generation of farmers – with the help of hard work, innovation and technology – have doubled corn yields. But not if you listen to these free-range radicals. (more…)
Posted By Cindy December 22, 2009
Snow is pretty when you don’t have to go out and work in it!
This photo is a card available from FarmGifts.us. They have a nice collection of farm-themed Christmas cards, if you are looking for any. It’s really not too late – remember, there are twelve days of Christmas!
The way the forecast looks, there could be a white Christmas just about everywhere this year. Personally, I prefer a “white sand” Christmas, which is currently the view outside my window here in Panama City Beach. We will be heading back home for the holiday, but enjoying it while we can!
Hopefully, everyone will have a safe and peaceful holiday season. Peace on Earth to all!
Posted By Mark December 21, 2009
If you farm or if you eat you will be affected by a lovely body of water many of us will never see called the Chesapeake Bay. This is because “The Bay” as it is known affectionately is being used as a test case or a template for how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will deal with watersheds across the nation. Unfortunately, those pushing the agenda blame many of the Bays woes on agriculture.
So, although this largely political fight will take place on the east coast, the ramifications are real and they may soon come to your city, town, village, burg and farm.
We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Virginia Grains Producers Association for taking the lead in this fight. The primary concern regarding the EPA process is the lack of complete data about current implementation of conservation practices already in place. The shortfall of real information significantly skews water quality reports and results in misleading pollution load reduction assignments for any one sector.
In recent testimony before the United States House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, Molly Pugh, executive director of the Virginia Grain Producers Association (VGPA), stressed the actions growers have taken and are taking to be responsible stewards of their natural resources.
First and foremost, environmental goals cannot be addressed without assessing the effect on farm profitability. “VGPA has committed to working with all our partners including environment and government partners to achieve our region’s environmental goals and long-term farm profitability,” Pugh said in written testimony. “Our growers are committed to environmental stewardship and making their operations as efficient as possible. Reducing soil erosion, improving field efficiency of nutrient use and improving water quality are all goals that make our growers more profitable and improve the quality of the land on which they depend.” (more…)
Posted By Cindy December 21, 2009
Once again, corn growers increased the number of entries in the National Corn Yield Contest and even though there were no record-setting yields, they were still as much as double the average.
This year was the 45th year for the contest sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association and the number of entries totaled nearly 7,000 – up 3.5 percent from last year.
All 24 winners in eight production categories had verified yields averaging more than 300 bushels per acre, compared to the projected national average of 162.9 bushels per acre. Winning yields topped out at 346.0156 bushels per acre, which is lower than last year, but still pretty darn good considering the weird weather we’ve had!
I would be curious to know what the winning yields were the first years of the contest, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere on-line. Maybe some NCGA person could find those numbers and let us know. I would think it couldn’t have been more than maybe 150 bushels at the most, since average yields about that time were under 100 bushels per acre.
National winners will be honored during the 2010 Commodity Classic in Anaheim.
