Idaho is synonymous with potatoes, but more corn is in the ground there these days to support a growing dairy industry.
Even though Idaho and other Pacific Northwest states combined currently make up less than 2% of the nation’s total corn production, scientists with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service are studying soil moisture levels and other field dynamics to help farmers in that area maximize production of the relatively new regional crop.
To do so, they conducted a two-year study at the ARS Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory in Kimberly, Idaho to see if farmers who use conventional tillage and fertilizer application methods could increase corn yields by banding fertilizer with strip tillage instead.
The scientists found that using strip tillage and placing fertilizers 6 to 8 inches directly below the seed increased corn grain yields on the higher elevations–where severely eroded soils were largely devoid of crop nutrients–by 12 percent the first year and 26 percent the second year. This translated into yield increases between 11 and 26 bushels per acre.
Could this be the start of a new Corn Belt? Probably not, but it could mean increasing production in an area of the country better known for potatoes than corn.
As someone who sometimes enjoys cooking almost as much as eating, I was intrigued this morning by a story in the Food section of our local paper about a new book, Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them, And 100 Other Myths About Food and Cooking, by Mark Scarbrough and Bruce Weinstein. I always wondered not about lobsters, but about why one should not cut lettuce with a metal knife., but rather tear it. All pish-posh, they say, and I agree.
The article mentioned another myth I’ve seen a lot, that one should shop the perimeter of a supermarket and avoid the middle. In, fact, it’s Rule No. 12 in Michael Pollan’s book on food rules. Here’s what Scarbrough told a reporter: “I cannot abide that notion,” he says. “The perimeter of my supermarket is stocked with doughnuts and soda. Second, you miss all the brown rice and maple syrup, berries, the real food, part of a balanced diet. If there’s anything in (the book) that absolutely shows my irritation, it’s that myth about shopping the perimeter.”
Mark Bittman of The New York Times is often compared to Pollan when it comes to fastidiousness about food. But Sunday’s article by Bittman I found very interesting, and not just because it dispelled one of the main tenets of the movie Food, Inc. and its supporters, that poor people have come to rely on fast food and overly processed food because it’s all they can afford or have time for.
Bittman revisits the idea here, in a discussion about the Slow Food Movement’s $5 challenge. I like the idea, and at our house we are able to prepare cost-effective meals that have kept my wife, our kids and me pretty healthy and happy. And we sit down for meals together almost daily (or at least have a quorum every night), something everyone agrees is one of the most important things families can do.
From what I’ve seen, even as someone who has lived his whole life in the suburbs, the vast majority of farmers and ranchers feel the same way. They not only love food, but they love to cook. There are some elements to the current food movement that farmers and ranchers can, should, and do embrace; the difficulty comes when you start pushing federal policies that seek (with the best of intentions) to force these ideas (or even some food myths) on all. Cultural change does not require laws that restrict, but rather parents and other mentors who lead by example and encouragement.
After over five years in development the Indiana State Museum has officially opened up “Amazing Maize: The Science, History and Culture of Corn.” The exhibit will run for the next 16 months at the museum in Indianapolis, during which time the city will host two National FFA Conventions and the Super Bowl.
The exhibit highlights the 10,000 year “genetic journey” that is the evolution of ancient maize to our modern day corn. “It’s all about corn,” said Jane Ade Stevens, executive director of Indiana Corn Marketing Council. “Corn, or maize, is one of the most important crops in the world,” she says. “Our civilization was really started in part because of maize.”
Having the exhibit in Indianapolis for the 2012 Super Bowl provides a great opportunity for the exhibit to reach a large audience. “We plan to have farmers here during that time with shirts on that say they’re farmers so that when people come through here for the Super Bowl, farmers are going to be right there in the middle of it,” Jane said.
Through six different sections, the exhibit highlights the 4,200 different uses for corn, features artifacts such as hand-powered farm tools, stone and wood corn grinders, and examples of dozens of different species of corn, leading up to how present-day genetic modifications have improved productivity of the crop.
Amazing Maize is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, Ford Motor Company, Case IH, National Starch, Indiana Corn Marketing Council, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance and Brock Grain Systems.
Brownfield Ag News Indiana Farm Director Meghan Grebner was at the museum for the opening of the exhibit on Saturday and provided the interview with Jane and the photos. Thanks, Meghan!
The 2011 IFAJ Congress is the annual meeting of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists. The program includes multiple farm stops to learn more about agriculture in the host country which this year was Canada. One of our stops was the Hensall District Co-operative. We were welcomed by CEO, Earl Wagner, who gave us an overview of the various business units of the co-operative. The photo shows a display of the types of commodities grown by members and marketed by HDC.
HDC is a diversified farmer-owned Ontario Agricultural Co-operative. Established in 1937, HDC is the largest independent agricultural co-operative in Ontario with 4000 members who elect 10 Board of Directors. HDC employs 300 staff members with annual sales of 328 million.
According to Earl, the crop this year was impacted by weather so that yields are going to be down significantly but still much higher than even recent years. Last year was apparently a record crop in Canada.
One of our group asked him if HDC had gotten into the ethanol production business and he said that they have not. However, they did sell some land a few years ago to GreenField Ethanol who intended to build a plant but to date hasn’t done so. HDC does sell corn and Earl says that the demand for corn for ethanol production has been a good thing. You can listen to my interview with Earl here: Interview with Earl Wagner
NCGA President, Bart Schott, ND corn grower, was a panelist on today’s Food Dialogues, a town hall style discussion via live web stream. Food Dialogues is a project of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA). Schott is secretary of USFRA.
The panel Schott participated in was held in New York and focused on retaining consumer choices in what they eat and what they pay. The panel explored consumers’ need for information at the point of purchase (labeling, restaurant ratings, calories, etc), as well as the safety and health issues related to consumer decision-making and choices. The panelists also discussed the variety of sizes and forms of farming and ranching and its impact on consumer choices made at the checkout counter or when ordering from the menu.
At the beginning of the session, moderator Chef John Besh asked Schott why the price of corn fluctuates so quickly. He says the main driver behind it is the price of oil, the cost of transportation. Other drivers include demand for corn and outside investors buying corn. You can listen to his answer here: Bart Schott Answers Corn Question
Today, guest blogger Dawn Caldwell shares a post on her experience as a farmer and a CommonGround volunteer responding to questions about biotechnology and agriculture.
Of all the things I am; a wife, an employee, church council member, lawn mower, bill payer, grocery getter, cook, friend, aunt, daughter, granddaughter, niece, you get the idea…I feel that one of the most, if not the most important title I hold is that of Mom. Oh believe me, there are definitely days I wonder why God ever entrusted me with two spawn (as they humorously call themselves)! None-the-less, I take my opportunity to be a Mom VERY seriously (with as much humor built in as possible)! Like any mother of teenage “spawn”, I face all of the fun situations (never wanting to pay for their own gas), challenges (two broken cell phones at one time), celebrations (major part in the one-act play & great grades), and heartbreaks (oh the hard choices that have to be made…especially for teenage girls!). And like every other mom, especially moms of athletes, nutrition and food safety come to mind all the time; especially when I’m buying ANOTHER $100 in groceries for the week. Teenage spawn eat a LOT!
Big Eater (Spawn #1)
The Other Big Eater (Spawn #2) and his Dad don't like facing the camera.
Since becoming a CommonGround volunteer, one of the most common questions I get is about the safety of food derived directly or indirectly from GMO grains. After a lengthy conversation with a fellow ag enthusiast recently at Husker Nation (for all of you non-Huskers reading this, that’s the entire area surrounding and including Memorial Stadium in Lincoln where we Huskers like to gather by the droves), I decided I just need to get the info in writing and hope that many, many people read and share what I am about to divulge.
I have to admit, it has been quite some time since I was in a science class daily. So, I had to do some digging and reading to be able to verify what I thought was right and make sure that what I share isn’t just me trusting all that is out there to be used in the wide world of technology.
Let’s begin with what GMO stands for: it is not “Get More Oreo’s”, though this afternoon, I wish someone would – cookies and milk sound really good right now! GMO really stands for Genetically Modified Organism. Do not let that scare you! For perspective, the organism is only the seed, in fact, just a small part of the seed. Now, as for the genetically modified part… When a gene from one organism is purposely moved to improve or change another organism in a laboratory, the result is a genetically modified organism (GMO). It is also sometimes called “transgenic” for transfer of genes. See further explanation of this here. If you read through that article, you will find that genetic engineering is certainly not new! In fact, Bt proteins, a very common GMO in today’s farming, has been used in many organic farms for over 50 years as a microbial pest control agent. A complete article on Bt strains used in organic farming can be seen here.
After all of the reading and questioning I have done to put together this blog post, I am even more comfortable with farmers utilizing GMO technology when raising crops. GMO’s for insect resistance are typically very specific proteins that can affect only the target insect. My take on this: fewer pesticides being applied topically. I think that is a good thing! Of course there are GMO’s for a few other things such as certain herbicides (Round-Up Ready) and drought resistance. I can see wonderful opportunities coming from this technology! For those of you VERY science-minded people, check out this document.
One more thing…the folks developing the technologies and the farmers using them are people just like you, with families and friends and neighbors. We are purchasing food in the grocery store and we are drinking the water from under our fields and pastures. None of us would ever do anything to intentionally harm our food and water supply. GMO’s have been around now for more than 5 decades. We can all rest assured that the dinner we serve our families tonight, whether it is meat from animals fed GMO grains or cereals from those grains, they are as safe and nutritious as ever. And, because of modern farming and technology, there is enough for all of us to have plenty of choices of product when we do our food purchasing.
I know – I can already see the comments coming in… “But it is primarily one or two big companies putting those GMO’s out there and hauling in the mother load financially.” I can tell you – anyone in the world had the opportunity to put forth the time, effort, and risk to do the same work they have done. In any other business, the successful leaders are rewarded, as they should be in agriculture. Is it frustrating being on the purchasing side of the technology? Of course! Am I glad we have the choice to purchase or not purchase that technology? Absolutely!!! This is America, folks. We are supposed to be able to enjoy free enterprise. All of us need to continue working hard to live the life we think is best for ourselves and our families. I am not here to tell you have to purchase food grown with or without GMO technology or any other specific quality or label. I am only trying to reassure you that food in the United States is the safest in the world.
Now, go enjoy a wonderful meal with someone you love. I think we get to enjoy some left over roast beef at our house tonight – probably in the form of roast beef salad sandwiches. YUM!!!!
Like the signs in the stores that read “You break it, you buy it,” southeast Missouri farmers are telling the Army Corps of Engineers who flooded their farmland by blowing up a levee, “You broke it, you fix it.”
The Corps basically wants to put a band aid on the Bird Point Levee, which they blew up in May, sacrificing over 200 square miles of prime farmland and communities to save other downstream cities from potential flooding. The Corps’ current plan is to rebuild the levee to only 51 feet – 11 feet lower than its original height. The river has crested higher than that 12 times in the last 21 years. That’s kind of like rebuilding a house and not putting a roof on it.
“If the levees aren’t rebuilt to their original height, farmers near the levee will have to question whether it makes sense to farm that ground at all,” said Missouri Farm Bureau president Blake Hurst in a recent editorial. “The Corps blames budget constraints for the decision, saying they need an additional 20 million dollars to rebuild the levee to its original specifications. The Corps is holding Missouri farmers hostage to budget fights in Washington.”
At issue is 130,000 acres of prime farmland that has the potential to feed more than one million people a year, not to mention the thousands of jobs that $85 million worth of crops support. Hurst says if President Obama wants to save or create jobs, this is one way to do it. “The President might find that repairing the levee is not only the right thing to do, but also an example of economic stimulus that makes sense,” he says.
Find out more about what can be done to fix this government-made disaster on the “Disaster at Birds Point” website and watch the video below to see just what kind of damage was done. The video was produced by staff members of the St. Louis-based agricultural ad agency Osborn & Barr who have farming and family roots in southeast Missouri,
The first woman officer for the National Corn Growers Association will become first vice president as of October 1 and I had the chance to catch up with her at the 2011 Farm Progress Show.
Pam Johnson, pictured here with NASCAR team owner and American Ethanol supporter Richard Childress, is a farmer from northern Iowa with her husband and two sons. She says the partnership with NASCAR is exciting for corn growers and the ethanol industry. “With NASCAR we’re reaching people outside the Midwest, all over the country from Richmond out to California,” Pam said. “So we are getting the message out to a whole new group of people who need to hear the story told and we think NASCAR’s a great vehicle for that.”
Pam is also happy about NCGA’s involvement with the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and the upcoming Food Dialogues on September 22. “I believe it’s really the right program at the right time because we have found that we have a disconnect between the people on the farm and all of the consumers,” said Pam. “So we want to address that disconnect and we want to do it in a common language that we all resonate with.” She also is excited about the CommonGround program that gives a voice to people, especially women, on the farm.
As for being the first woman officer of NCGA, Pam says she’s no “token.” “I’ve come up through the ranks just like all of the men have done and I look forward to working on the issues.” she said.
In a world of splashy magazine covers and sexed-up headlines, it can be easy to obscure the facts with so-called data. Correlating figures to create data may sounds simple, but in choosing how to present the aggregated collection and conclusions of research, the data suppliers become the gatekeepers to the truth. To effectively assess the validity of the information, it is imperative to know exactly how they paint the picture that colors our perceptions.
In the case of U.S. Department of Agriculture figures on corn usage, government categories are obscuring reality and, in doing so, fueling food-versus-fuel panic based in incomplete information and, sometimes, intentionally obtuse interpretations. Now, the National Corn Growers Association wants to help the public understand what agricultural experts already know- corn used in ethanol production actually creates both feed and fuel.
Notably, this third is not reflected in corn usage data released by the agency. Instead, the total sum is attributed to ethanol with no accounting for the addition of high quality feed products that enter the livestock sector post-production.
“People get a little hysterical about the food vs. fuel,” said NCGA CEO Rick Tolman. “They believe that we are taking corn away from livestock producers.” That’s not the case, however. “The big difference is the pie is growing. Those pieces that have been going for feed and food are still there—they are not any smaller—it’s just that the pie got bigger.”
As in so many cases, the truth calms fears based in a lack of knowledge. Instead of perpetuating the pandemonium, realize that sensationalized stories sell magazines without regard for their impact upon the country. Buying into the mass hysteria only harms both farmers and the industry providing a domestic, renewable, sustainable fuel for the United States. Take a look at the broader picture instead of being blinded by skewed stats.
At the end of the year, the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit is set to expire. Renewing it will take more than a miracle – it will take someone who actually wants to renew it. And, frankly, no one does at this point.
That does not stop ethanol opponents from continuing to call for its demise, as if they’ve missed something altogether or stopped reading the news. Three recent examples:
On August 24, the Green Scissors Project, a “left-right coalition” with apparently no voice of moderation, identified ways the federal government could shave $380 billion from the federal budget over five years. Smartly, they identify numerous subsidies for Big Oil that others, mysteriously, want to ignore. But their $380 billion in proposed cuts includes a major error that accounts for more that 10 percent of their cuts — $38.8 billion that they argue VEETC would otherwise cost between 2012 and 2016.
On September 7, Americans for Tax Reform called on Congress to let VEETC expire. ATR is known for pushing its pledge among politicians seeking office, whereby they promise not to raise taxes. When it comes to tax credits like VEETC, ATR has a clear policy stated on its Website: “Signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge commits signers to oppose changes in tax deductions or credits that increase the net tax burden on Americans.” Could one not rationally argue that allowing VEETC to expire, thereby increasing the net tax burden on Americans, violates that proviso?
And this week, a group of 100 various organizations have called on Congress to, snore, allow VEETC to expire. It’s really an eclectic list, with names like Oil Change International, the Association for Dressings & Sauces and the Safe Lawns Foundation scattered amongst the usual incoherent group of ethanol foes. Someone had to compile this list, and it’s a lot of energy wasted on something that is no longer an issue. MoveOn.org, one of the signers, really needs to … well … move on.
On the other hand, the ethanol industry is moving on – and moving forward in great and smart ways. As Matt Hartwig of the Renewable Fuels Association puts it, “Seeing the tax incentive go away has been the singular mission for these groups. While they are focused on the industry and policies of the past, America’s ethanol producers are looking toward the future. They are putting forward ideas and making investments in technologies that improve yields, increase efficiencies, harness new feedstocks, protect the environment, expand the market for renewable fuels and most importantly, create good paying jobs for hundreds of thousands of Americans from all walks of life.”
Even though Idaho and other Pacific Northwest states combined currently make up less than 2% of the nation’s total corn production, scientists with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service are studying soil moisture levels and other field dynamics to help farmers in that area maximize production of the relatively new regional crop.
After over five years in development the Indiana State Museum has officially opened up “Amazing Maize: The Science, History and Culture of Corn.” The exhibit will run for the next 16 months at the museum in Indianapolis, during which time the city will host two National FFA Conventions and the Super Bowl.
Having the exhibit in Indianapolis for the 2012 Super Bowl provides a great opportunity for the exhibit to reach a large audience. “We plan to have farmers here during that time with shirts on that say they’re farmers so that when people come through here for the Super Bowl, farmers are going to be right there in the middle of it,” Jane said.
The Corps basically wants to put a band aid on the Bird Point Levee, which they blew up in May, sacrificing over 200 square miles of prime farmland and communities to save other downstream cities from potential flooding. The Corps’ current plan is to rebuild the levee to only 51 feet – 11 feet lower than its original height. The river has crested higher than that 12 times in the last 21 years. That’s kind of like rebuilding a house and not putting a roof on it. 
The first woman officer for the 