Even as media reports bemoan rising food prices, foodie elitists don’t get the picture. An ongoing poll on msnbc.com seems to shows that many people still do not understand that GMO crops allow farmers to grow enough food to feed the world’s growing population in an affordable manner.
Early this afternoon, over 77 percent of voters responded that they would prefer GMO foods be labeled. While a request for information is not shocking, many of the comments posted are. With cries to ban all GMO based upon false, misstated science and uninformed to fabricated anecdote, the wave of snobbish respondents demonstrates their lack of understanding. Frankly, the comments show that they do not understand farming, the science behind food safety and show a genuine lack of concern for their fellow man who cannot afford to tool over to Whole Foods for organic kale every Sunday.
The poll is still open, so time is left to show that reasonable citizens support scientifically-proven, safe crops that help feed the growing population. Simply click here and leave a comment showing that people in the know still have common sense and compassion.
In response to an Environmental Working Group article on our CommonGround program, NCGA Corn Board member Pam Johnson sent along this response:
As a woman who sits on the board of the National Corn Growers Association, I am offended by your blog post about our CommonGround program with the United Soybean Board. In your obvious cynicism you ignored that one of the great results of this new program will be the identification, recruitment and training of women to speak out for agriculture – and teaching them key skills that can help them become leaders in their communities and industry organizations. We recognize the need for more women leaders and are taking action and actually doing something about it.
Frankly, I have enjoyed my important role at NCGA, where I am treated with respect as an equal partner in this organization and as I work nationally and internationally on agricultural issues. In addition to my board position, I have served on the NCGA Finance Committee and chaired the Bylaws Committee and previously chaired the NCGA Research and Business Development Action Team. In my home state of Iowa, I am a director of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and former chairwoman of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. In addition, I am president of Iowa Corn Opportunities and a member of the U.S. Grains Council Biotech A-Team.
In the end, it is naïve and simplistic to look at the number of board members who happen to be female and say women have no power. But if you are going to play with numbers like that, you may be interested to know that at NCGA, one of the three chief executive officers in our recent history was a woman. That’s 33% of our CEOs. Likewise in your focus on how organic agriculture is controlled by women, you conveniently ignored that women also helm the National Association of Wheat Growers and the Corn Refiners Association. And when it comes to our state corn associations, several are run by women – South Dakota, Michigan, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Farm women work hard alongside farm men, and we need to stop focusing so much on these divides between men and women, large and small farms, and conventional and organic agriculture. We all have more than enough challenges in what we do. The level of cynicism and disdain for the farm women of CommonGround expressed in your post does nothing to help anyone.
No doubt that water use issues are among the biggest challenges facing agricultural producers nationwide, but particularly in states where water is at a premium. That’s why corn growers are getting more pro-active in states like Texas.
The Texas Corn Producers rolled out a new public information campaign recently, with the message that water conservation goals can be achieved without severe restrictions on irrigation that would damage the economy of Texas High Plains.
“Agriculture brings billions of dollars into the economy of the Panhandle and South Plains every year and is the main driver of economic growth in the region,” said David Gibson, Executive Director of the Texas Corn Producers Board. “Through research and development of new technology, we are finding ways to grow more crops with less water. This means we can conserve water for future generations without sacrificing economic growth today.”
The campaign includes televised public service announcements, a 10 minute video and a new website, www.WaterGrowsJobs.org, with the slogan “Water grows our economy; let’s make it last.”
Corn stocks may be a little tight right now, but National Corn Growers Association CEO Rick Tolman thinks that is probably a short term situation.
“Still our biggest challenge is that we can overproduce the market,” Tolman said during an interview after his presentation at the National Ethanol Conference on Monday. “Farmers respond to incentives, there’s an incentive right now to produce. I can guarantee we’ll have a big crop in 2011.”
Tolman makes that confident prediction after an informal survey of the NCGA farmer board members, who are mostly ahead of the game right now as far as being ready for spring planting, compared to where they were a year ago. “We had a great fall, farmers got their crop out of the field, they did their fall tillage, they did their application of inputs. We’re coming into the season in about as perfect a condition as you can have,” he said, adding that odds favor significant yields in 2011 and a larger carryover in 2012.
Rick also gives a preview of the upcoming Commodity Classic in this interview:
Commodity Classic is getting closer, and while there will be plenty of things to do at the trade show and all of the learning center sessions; we don’t want you to forget to invite your family along to enjoy the sites of Tampa. Each year at Classic we arrange some great Tours for you and your family. These tours have been carefully for selected so there is a little something for everyone to enjoy.
We have also added a list of Area Attractions that are within a short distance or cab ride from the convention area for you to explore. The Restaurant guide will show you a map along with your hotel so you know just how far you are from the tasty selections of the local cuisine.
We look forward to seeing you and your family at Commodity Classic and we hope you enjoy all that Tampa and Classic has to offer this March, see you soon!
It’s time for American Ethanol to take the stage at the Daytona 500 this weekend! It will be NASCAR history as every car will be powered by Sunoco Green E15 – a blend of 15 percent American ethanol. This fuel change, which will become standard for all three NASCAR series this year, represents a shift in professional racing toward a more sustainable, environmentally friendly, domestic fuel source. The National Corn Growers Association, both as a direct partner and through American Ethanol, is helping use this opportunity to educate all Americans about the value of ethanol for our nation’s economy and energy security.
At the National Farm Machinery Show this week in Louisville, KY, the American Ethanol car was on display in the Kentucky Corn Growers booth. On hand to talk about the partnership was Dennis Duchene who works for the Richard Petty Driving Experience. He’s a NASCAR guy and as you’ll hear, a cheerleader for American corn growers.
After the winter we have had so far, everyone is anxiously awaiting spring about now. For farmers, Commodity Classic is just the place to get ready for warmer weather and planting season.
One of those details that growers have to be thinking about now is refuge requirement compliance and the National Corn Growers Association have developed a way to make that a little easier with the Insect Resistance Management Refuge Calculator. This handy tool is both easy to use and represents the latest products available to determine how to comply with varying and often complex regulations.
“The calculator is a great jump forward for helping growers stay compliant,” said NCGA president Bart Schott. “We have been working on this tool for several years and are glad that we can share this type of tool with our growers.”
Listen to an “Off the Cob” interview with Bart, and Director of Biotechnology and Economic Analysis Nathan Fields, discussing the importance of this tool for growers.
NCGA staff will be demonstrating the calculator at the organization’s Commodity Classic booth this year, along with information about other programs including the American Ethanol- NASCAR partnership, CommonGround and potential legislation for 2011. If you have not registered for Classic yet – hurry up! The deadline is Friday for on-line registration. Hope to see you there!
The speech that Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich gave at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Summit last month is still stirring the ethanol pot. I was there for his address and I can tell you that it was absolutely brilliant. He had that crowd mesmerized, for sure.
Since he is considering a run for president in 2012, Newt is news, so his address was covered and caught the attention of many in the national media, including the Wall Street Journal. He has been called lots of nasty names, like “Professor Cornpone” and “Newt the Prostitute”. You can always count on the anti-ethanol crowd for ad hominum attacks in lieu of actual facts.
The fact is that Newt made lots of sense, especially when it came to the need for all new vehicles to be Flex Fuel capable. “There is ZERO reason for the auto manufacturers not to produce flex fuel cars and there is zero reason to tolerate their resistance and I think that ought to be the minimum demand for national security reasons, but also for consumer choice,” he said. “Why shouldn’t the consumer have the right to choose the fuel they want to use in a car that can use any kind of fuel?”
The Wall Street Journal, offended by Newt picking on one of its numerous editorials attacking ethanol, proved total ignorance on the issue of FFVs.
In his Iowa speak-power-to-truth lecture, he even suggested that the government should mandate that all new cars in the U.S. be flex-fuel vehicles—meaning those that can run on an ethanol-gas mix as high as 85%—as if King Corn were in any danger of being deposed.
Yet there are currently dozens of flex-fuel models on the market, and auto makers already get a benefit if they sell them, via the prior fuel-economy mandates that did so much to devastate Detroit. The problem is consumers rarely want to pay more for flex-fuel cars when they get 25% to 30% fewer miles per gallon with E85, according to Energy Department data.
The problem is, the WSJ apparently doesn’t understand that making a vehicle flex fuel capable costs $100 or less (far less than most other federally mandated vehicle changes) and – more importantly – consumers can still use regular gasoline in them if they so choose. “Choose” being the operative word here.
After taking heat over his comments for a week, Newt responded to his critics in a letter to the WSJ editor. “I have supported measures to increase domestic energy production throughout my career in public life,” he writes, as he noted in the Iowa address right off the bat. “When (he and Gov. Branstad) first worked on this, hard to believe, 27 years ago – they were talking about it as gasohol.”
Newt also noted in his letter that he is for “increased domestic energy production of all forms” – which he also noted in his Iowa speech. Listen to it for yourself – it is not just brilliant, but common sense as well.
Fans across the country are getting ready to spend this Sunday rooting on the Packers or the Steelers with friends. While they enjoy one of the biggest sporting events of the year, they will enjoy hoagie sandwiches, chili, pizza and maybe a beer. It takes more than just players to make these annual Super Bowl celebrations possible, it takes farmers.
Listening to office banter or chatting with friends, party goers excitedly discuss the menu nearly as much as the matchup. What do most of the perennial favorites have in common? Corn.
From buffalo wings to beer, corn makes the game day feast possible. Serving as both a livestock feed for the sausage and pepperoni on the pizza and as an additive that gives Miller Lite its refreshing taste, the foods we enjoy while celebrating depend upon the abundant, affordable corn crop our nation’s farmers provide every year.
So this year, take a second during the pregame show to think about what the hard work of U.S. corn growers does for you. The nation may be divided on which team to back this Sunday, but everyone can cheer on America’s family farmers. So give a cheer for the team that gives it 110 percent by remembering that U.S. agriculture is working hard for you.
Maybe even try a pre-game warm up by learning more about U.S. corn farmers by clicking here.
With many folks stuck inside because of snow and ice, the farm world was abuzz on social media Tuesday about another great installment of the Oprah Winfrey Show where she yet again tells us how we really should live our lives. This week, she apparently wants us all to be vegans.
Well, that’s just nice. I wonder how Godiva feels about the Queen of Conspicuous Consumption, who once had her studio set made entirely of fancy chocolate?
And then there are Anna and Christina, whose show on cooking appears on the Oprah Winfrey Network (Called OWN). In today’s episode, our perky and intrepid young cooks have fun with fat:
“There are many low-fat cookbooks on the market, but Fat is a cookbook that actually promotes eating animal fats like lard and butter. Watch as Anna & Kristina’s diets REALLY go out the window when they do a thermometer test involving deep-frying a bunch of chocolate bars!”
The 
Corn stocks may be a little tight right now, but 
Commodity Classic is getting closer, and while there will be plenty of things to do at the trade show and all of the learning center sessions; we don’t want you to forget to invite your family along to enjoy the sites of Tampa. Each year at Classic we arrange some great 
It’s time for 
One of those details that growers have to be thinking about now is refuge requirement compliance and the 
Since he is considering a run for president in 2012, Newt is news, so his address was covered and caught the attention of many in the national media, including the Wall Street Journal. He has been called lots of nasty names, like 