It’s World Food Prize week in Des Moines, IA and there are a variety of activities taking place surrounding this annual event. The National Corn Growers Association is sponsoring one of them – the Global Farmer To Farmer Roundtable which is organized by Truth About Trade & Technology.
Believing that farmers must work together on a global table to expand access to technology in agriculture to all, Truth About Trade & Technology (TATT) – an American based non-profit formed and led by farmers who support access to technology, including biotechnology, and freer trade – will host an Annual Global Farmer to Farmer Roundtable. The event will be each October in conjunction with the World Food Prize Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
Each year, up to 20 farmers from around the world will gather together and participate in the invitation-only event. Working in conjunction with the World Food Prize Symposium, these farmers will share their personal experiences as they discuss current issues in agriculture, including access to technology, trade barriers and other matters relating to the future of international agriculture and food production.
I’ll be attending this event which takes place today and tomorrow and provides updates with interviews of the participants. This morning the agenda kicks off with a Global Virtual Town Hall session on the campus of Iowa State University. This is part of the Biodiversity World Tour put on by Croplife International.
The Export Exchange 2010 is taking place in Chicago, IL. This event brings in international buyers and U.S. suppliers of DDGS and coarse grains. The attendance has met if not exceeded expectations. There are nearly 500 attendees, with about 180 of them coming from another country and there are 33 countries represented.
On hand is the President/CEO of the National Corn Growers Association, Rick Tolman. I asked Rick what he thought about the conference and its importance to the industry. Rick says it’s critically important and that the DDGS export market is one of the bright spots in the industry.
Our dependence on foreign oil has a cost. It is an enormous cost and the drain on our nation’s economy creates all kinds of issues for our society that nobody wants to talk about. And the oil companies least of all.
Big oil spends millions annually attempting to give alternative sources of energy a black eye, while some few in that industry see benefits and are investing in things like ethanol production. But most are avoiding engaging in a real dialogue regarding consumer’s future fuel needs, growing environmental concerns, and our national security.
It’s not really a stretch to find a motivation considering the enormous profits these multi-national oil giants have squeezed from Americans as a result of their absolute control of the market. Former CIA Director R. James Woolsey has been a big ethanol supporter for one primary reason – it diverts dollars to US energy producers otherwise being sent to the Middle East for imported oil.
He says $3-4 billion of the $160 billion we send the Saudi’s every year ends up with the “bad guys.” We subsidize our enemies with every barrel of oil that we import.
We now appear to be days away from an announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the approval of up to E15 (15% ethanol mixed with gasoline) in our cars. The blend has been thoroughly tested for motor vehicles yet the anti ethanol forces such as big oil and some curious minions like the Grocery Manufacturers Association (the cheap corn fan club) are asking people to write President Obama asking him to stop impending EPA approval of E15.
Groups such as FollowtheScience and Energy Citizens are really nothing but fronts for organizations like National Petrochemical & Refiners Association and the American Petroleum Institute.
Large numbers of Americans strongly supports the EPA’s approval of E-15 for motor vehicles mainly based on their positive experiences with E10. EPA has the information it needs to act. So if you want to counteract the naysayers email the president and tell him “yes, for tested and proven E15.” Or call the White House at 202-456-1414.
U.S. ethanol production currently eliminates the need for 98.6% of Venezuelan crude oil imports, or 95.7% of crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia. It is representative of 55.6% of total Persian Gulf crude oil imports. I’d say the ethanol industry has provided a good start to negating the National Security risks associated with our dependence on foreign oil.
In an editorial today, National Corn Growers Association CEO Rick Tolman talks about efforts to label E-15 fuel as “untested” and cites a number of research reports that find higher blends well-tested and safe for vehicles. It’s time for the EPA to say “Yes” to tested E-15.
This guest blog comes compliments of Darin’s Ramblings and farmer Darin Grimm.
Please note this is a rant, I hope it doesn’t detract from the quality I want to bring to this blog, but it’s my thoughts this morning, so I’ll share.
I’m tired of seeing the constant bashing that corn gets in social media or even pop culture today. I grow corn, and I’d like to try to explain a bit why I do.
You see, each year, I make choices of what I wish to plant. The freedom is mine, as someone trying to make their living off the land, I tend to be interested in crops that might generate the income I need to raise my family. I could plant papayas, lilacs, or even green beans, but I don’t. Unfortunately, the Kansas weather is what it is, and there’s folks around the world that can raise those things much better/more affordably than I can. We can raise corn here though, because we can (at least most years).
I hear how subsidized corn is.. I wish folks could understand, looking back on the last three years of financials on our farm, we have received some subsidies, I would love to debate that issue some day, like most centrally planned government programs, the farm bill that delivers those subsidies leaves a lot to be desired, but that’s not the point of this post.. The point is, I could have grown pretty much whatever crops I wanted the last few years, and my subsidy check from the government would have been EXACTLY the same. My farm received no subsidies for planting corn instead of another crop.
I hear all the time from the environmental crowd how destructive corn is there. Well, probably THE most important environmental resource on our farm is the soil. I’d invite anyone to come visit, esp. after a heavy rain, bring your mud boats, we can walk some fields and I can show you the tremendous soil conservation benefits of corn residue vs. other crops. Not only does it keep the soil from washing/blowing, but the massive residue provides the building blocks for improving organic matter, a key component of soil health.
Having said all that, let me say this. I’d love to find another crop to grow. Preferably one that let us spread the workload out a bit, gave us more to do say in the summer, and help alleviate the stress of trying to do everything in the spring/fall. I actually hoped wheat could fill that role, unfortunately there’s less and less wheat being planted in northeast Kansas. If you think that’s because somehow that “massive corn lobby” has swindled a bunch of Kansas farm folk into planting a crop we don’t want to… Uugg, thanks for having so much confidence in us, but please read this post again.
For those that have the perfect “system” of how to change all this, so I can grow papayas, lilacs, green beans, or whatever your wonder crop is, lets have that discussion.. here in the comments, Twitter, Google Buzz, wherever you prefer. But I’ll tell you my bias going in.. Markets bring excesses, they swing too far at times, but I’m pretty confident this thing called the market does a pretty good job of telling me if and when I should be growing corn.
Remember when social media was the shared black & white TV at the coffee shop? Whatever happened to college kids avoiding extra work? Since when did young farmers become social activists, bloggers, and even models for national advertising campaigns? It’s a brave new world and it couldn’t come too soon.
Don’t get me wrong, I have spent much of my adult life working with and for farmers, and they make unbelievable sacrifices. Managing large and complex businesses and constantly improving farming techniques, raising families, and most are pillars of their local communities. Church board meetings, school board meetings, and even volunteer fire department gatherings might well be a Farm Bureau meeting or a Corn Grower conclave.
But what is happening today is almost revolutionary. Once content to take care of business in their own backyard, today’s rural youth and young farmers seek to carry on the aforementioned legacy of civic responsibility but they are also stepping up to become citizens of the world.
Modern communications have helped to assure city limits are largely arbitrary. Your “community” is limited only by your imagination. Social media tools like Facebook,Twitter and You Tube have kicked open the door to the world, and timing couldn’t be better.
Consumers have never been so removed from (and in some cases afraid of) their food supply and this window to the world provided by social media allows people to look into your life and vice-a-versa. Dialogue ensues and with it, hopefully, better understanding and rapport.
Success stories about those who have made the leap (see blogger link above) are getting more common and as a result these once lone voices are amplified. I came across a perfect example today. College student Kelly Rivard (@kmrivard on Twitter) pursued an internship with a commodity group to help her efforts to eventually land a job in Ag communications. The internship included starting a blog. The internship ended but the blog is alive and well.
Recently it was picked up by a Fox affiliate that services people in much of Central Illinois, including four large cities. Because it is web-based the audience is really unlimited. Blogs by these 20-something college students and YouTube videos by FFA’ers with flip cams are capturing their love for one of our most critical industries and sharing it with the masses.
Another good example is Kurt Hora shown in the accompanying photo. This young farmer from Iowa grows corn and soybeans, raises hogs and has a young family to fill his days. Lots of responsibility, and yet he took time to be a part of the Corn Farmers Coalition project this year in order to put a face on family farmers, to give his fellow farmers a voice, to spread key messages consumers need to know.
Examples abound. A new generation of voices is speaking out for agriculture and they are using every tool and opportunity available. This bodes well for the future. If you would like to know more check out Seven Secrets to Successful Social Media Farming.
Ribeyes and bacon and wings oh my! In case you missed it, today is World Vegetarian Day, the annual kick off of Vegetarian Month. The effort even has a web site to try to convince you of the benefits of the practice of going meatless.
There they say vegetarianism helps to create a better world because vegetarian diets have proven health benefits, save animals’ lives and help to preserve the Earth. I won’t debate the obvious holes in this sweeping litany of benefits but rather just say since when did my hamburger become a social issue?
They are even offering prizes of up to $1,000 to try to go meat free for a month. The web site comes complete with sign up cards to give to your friends. Have to admit I stopped and thought about it for a second. That much scratch would buy a lot or pork chops and filets.
Some people agree with a few of these vegetarian contentions and continue to eat meat for the simple reason that meat is good and provides pleasure at a very fundamental level.
Personally, I have the physical tools from teeth to the appropriate omnivorous body parts to eat meat and two millions years of experience in my genes so I think I will spend my energy trying to eat the balanced diet nature intended including meat and more fruits and vegetables.
It’s World Food Prize week in Des Moines, IA and there are a variety of activities taking place surrounding this annual event. The National Corn Growers Association is sponsoring one of them – the Global Farmer To Farmer Roundtable which is organized by Truth About Trade & Technology.
I’ll be attending this event which takes place today and tomorrow and provides updates with interviews of the participants. This morning the agenda kicks off with a Global Virtual Town Hall session on the campus of Iowa State University. This is part of the Biodiversity World Tour put on by Croplife International.
