Jay Hakes, author of “A Declaration of Energy Independence,” says American Energy Independence means energy security, energy abundance and energy self-sufficiency.

Energy Independence is a civilization changing idea, like freedom, one that should be thought of much like we think of our national independence—our liberty, which is both an ideal and a physical reality. Energy Independence can and should be pursued with the same patriotic spirit that fought for, won and sustains American democracy and freedom.

The phrase “Energy Independence” is a slogan embodying an idea that resonates with the character of America—it is a call for return to economic balance and protection from vulnerability created by over-dependence on petroleum to fuel our cars, trucks and airplanes—it is a public outcry voiced by citizens demanding government leadership in energy production, distribution, security and fuel choice.

In a timely commentary for the holiday, National Corn Growers Association CEO Rick Tolman says we should ask ourselves this weekend what more we should we be doing to assure our energy independence.

This Independence Day we should be resolute and re-commit ourselves to making the right choices for America. We can pursue a strategic national initiative that will lead us to energy independence — and put America back in control of its destiny. We can start by looking for ethanol fuel at the pump. It is readily available as a 10 percent blend and E85 is becoming more common – as are the flexible-fuel vehicles that can utilize this clean-burning fuel.

So, Rick says, “at the family barbecue or fireworks this weekend, tell your friends and family to do their part by using ethanol. Ask them to encourage their elected officials to continue to support using increased blends of this proven American fuel.”

And may God continue to bless our nation with liberty and justice for all.

“With the 60-day comment period extension, EPA seeks to provide the public adequate time to provide meaningful comment while finalizing and implementing the standards in a timely manner,” the agency stated in a release.

More information and instructions on submitting comments on the rule, which was mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, can be found here on the EPA website.

Meanwhile, the comment deadline is coming up quickly on the waiver to increase the allowable ethanol blend level in gasoline to 15 percent. The National Corn Growers Association is calling farmers and ethanol supporters to the National Corn Growers Association is asking farmers and ethanol supporters to send in comments about their own experiences with ethanol.

“Many of us own boats or other vehicles or equipment that use small engines and have experienced great performance with no concerns about ethanol-blended gasoline,” said NCGA president Bob Dickey of Nebraska. “Especially on a modern farm, there are so many different types of engines that require gasoline — and gasoline mixed with corn-based ethanol means fewer greenhouse gas emissions, more American jobs and more energy independence.”

NCGA has information about how to submit comments to EPA on the E15 issue here. The comment deadline for this waiver is July 20.

Truth is nationwide, food prices continue to trend downward. Retail food prices at the supermarket decreased slightly for the third consecutive quarter, according to the latest American Farm Bureau Federation Market-Basket Survey. The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare a meal was $46.29, down about 2 percent or $1.12 from the first quarter of 2009. Of the 16 items surveyed, 10 decreased, five increased and one remained the same in average price compared to the prior quarter.

Overall, the average price for the market-basket of foods declined $3.10 or about 6 percent over a year’s time. Retail egg prices dropped 26 percent, milk decreased 22 percent, chicken declined 19 percent and bacon was 11 percent lower compared to a year ago.

Funny, but oil prices are down too.  Maybe sun spots are causing these imaginary higher food prices? I guess that asking for a public apology from GMA would be too much? How about a compromise and put a sock in it!

Korff, who is vice chairman of the Missouri Corn Growers and chairman of the National Corn Growers Association Biotechnology Working Group, took part in a United Nations food security meeting and discussion on June 12 in St. Louis.

“Beginning with a description of my family’s farming operation, I explained how technology has made corn production more efficient and stabilized yields,” said Korff. “Technology has reduced the amount of herbicides and pesticides needed, requiring less energy per bushel produced, thus reducing our carbon footprint.”

Korff shared facts and figures about how advances in precision farming and biotechnology have helped U.S. farmers produce more food on less acreage and stressed that it can help other countries do the same. “I believe biotech has been fully tested and is safe for consumption. It is allowing farmers to produce a more secure, abundant and affordable food supply,” he said. “As education and awareness spread, technology, and more specifically, biotechnology will be the answer to feeding our rapidly expanding world population.”

Vice President Joe Biden, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, and Federal Communications Commission Chair Julius Genakowski kicked off the “rural road trip” today in Pennsylvania, announcing $4 billion in loans and grants to bring broadband internet service to rural communities. Other stops are planned in Alaska, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.

During her interview, Michelle asked the president about renewable fuels. “Obviously, I come from a farm state - Illinois - and ethanol has been a big boon for a lot of rural communities,” he said. “But we also are recognizing the key for us is to move into the next generation of biofuels, how can we use wood chips and refuse and switchgrass and how can we improve the efficiency of first generation biofuels. Farmers are going to be critical to that entire process.”

Michelle also asked President Obama about a number of other issues, including the climate change bill, whether farmers should be concerned about increasing regulations, and how the government might be able to help the livestock industry.

Listen to Michelle’s entire interview with the president here:

Recently, DTN interviewed the increasingly infamous Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” who is also featured in the new documentary Food Inc., and the resulting article drew a considerable amount of attention and criticism from the Ag community.

So much so that Urban Lehner, Editor and Chief of DTN, felt compelled to write a column explaining why the Ag-Centered media outlet would provide a forum for such a food heretic.

In his own words, “When DTN writes about such people as Michael Pollan whose views are contrary to those of the majority of our readers, it isn’t because we think all their views are correct. It’s because we think such people have the power to shape the political environment in which agriculture will operate in the future.” Lehner said. “Pollan’s views certainly aren’t those of most Midwestern commercial farmers. Among other things, he sees corn as an agent of evil, responsible for much of what’s wrong with the modern American diet. But when those farmers call him an idiot they make the classic mistake of underestimating a formidable opponent.”

Lehner likened the running of Pollan’s comments to the same reason DTN weathermen predict stormy weather…forewarned is fore-armed. Having been exposed to Mr. Pollan’s message as well as its’ effect on consumers and more importantly on decision leaders in Washington, D.C., I can guarantee you the threat of his growing influence is real.

“The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” the New York Times best seller written by Pollan, is swallowed by many well-reasoned consumers as foodie gospel. DTN and Urban Lehner deserve the industry’s gratitude for alerting us to the hurricane on the horizon. His advice that farmers all should read his book is solid. If you don’t want to contribute to Mr. Pollan’s personal wealth buy a copy and share it with friends…lots of friends.

The June 30 Acreage Report from USDA NASS estimated corn area planted at 87.0 million acres and soybeans at 77.5, for a combined total of 164.5 million acres.The corn area was above market expectations by 2 to 3 million acres. Few anticipated this because of another rocky, wet planting season in a few critical areas.

After the last few years people should be catching on to several things:

1. Farmers are a patient lot, capable of herculean bouts of sustained work…and yes, they have large and modern equipment.

2. Modern seed technology has changed the rules of crop production making it capable of withstanding later planting and the vagaries of weather and insect onslaughts like never before.

3. Farmers love to plant corn. They like the planting and harvesting process itself, the multiple marketing possibilities offered by food, feed, fuel, and other industrial uses.

Granted, many farmers will have a tough year and the crop is not in the bin but with a prospect of a 1.45 billion carryoverthe picture looks a whole lot brighter.

Analysts are calling the report bearish for corn futures, according to Dow Jones, which quotes Country Hedging analyst Sterling Smith saying, “We do have a monster crop out there.”

Analysts said the report showed that the USDA underestimated acreage in its March planting intentions report. The trade has for weeks been expecting a loss of corn acreage of 1 million acres or more, although in recent days there has been increased talk about a more modest reduction or even an increase.

For soybeans, USDA says farmers have planted a record-high 77.5 million acres, up 1.8 million acres from last year and up 1.5 million acres - almost two percent - from the March estimate. Despite the increases in both crops, total U.S. crop area is down 1.2 percent from last year.

The corn crop is also doing better than last year in some of the major states. The Iowa Corn Growers Association reports that crop conditions are far better than last year. “According to the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, nearly all corn planted in Iowa has emerged with 81% of the crop rated excellent and an average height of 37 inches- well above “knee high by the 4th of July.” The extended weather outlook seems favorable for near-perfect corn growing weather.”

Progress in the states where corn planting was delayed by wet weather is behind normal, but the crop is still in good shape. Illinois and Indiana are reporting the crop running a little slow but the condition is rated around 60 percent good to excellent.

The blunder occurred when Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) asked Ms. Oge, who is responsible for regulating all emissions within the United States, about the indirect land use issue. “It’s my understanding that the EPA’s Renewable Fuels Standard 2 methodology assumes that for every acre of soybean crop that is used to produce biofuel, an equal acre of ground is used in the Brazilian rainforest to replace that acreage, is that correct?” asked Schock.

“Obviously we know that it takes about 64 acres for a gallon of soy biodiesel,” she begins, and then corrects herself, even more incorrectly. “It’s actually the opposite. It takes 64 acres for corn ethanol and over 400 acres for a gallon of biodiesel.”

It’s hard to believe this was just a simple mistake. She has the numbers right, but they are transposed and for the wrong crops! One acre of soybeans actually makes 64 gallons of biodiesel and one acre of corn makes over 400 gallons of ethanol. The big problem here is that she said this during testimony before the United States House of Representatives’ Small Business Committee, which does include a fair number of corn state representatives like Schock, but a good number of folks from places like New York, Pennsylvania and Arizona who could very well now believe that it takes 64 acres of corn to produce a gallon of ethanol. That’s well over 10,000 bushels of corn - which will actually produce about 25,000 gallons of ethanol!

This is seriously scary stuff. This lady is responsible for regulating all emissions within the United States! Regardless of whether the international indirect land use change methodology as proposed by EPA is adopted, everyone in the agriculture and biofuels industry should be concerned about the bureaucrats who could potentially regulate them out of business some day. We should be very afraid.

Watch this YouTube video, with commentary, put together by someone in the ethanol industry. It has already been viewed over 1200 times. Send it to everyone you know.

I went to go see Food Inc. last Friday, even though I do not believe that one must see a film in order to criticize it. Often, the film’s producers give one enough information to make a prudent decision. And there was plenty of evidence going into Food Inc. to know that it played a little fast and loose with the truth.

For instance, one corn grower who is quoted throughout the film on issues related to corn says that 30 percent of the U.S. land mass is planted in corn acreage. Well, there are 2.3 billion acres of land in the United States, of which approximately 442 million acres is cropland of one sort or another, according to the USDA. In 2008, corn growers planted 86 million acres in corn.

The film’s producers loved the sound bite, and had some beautiful footage to show how big a corn field can be. They even put this false factoid into their press kit. But it would have been so easy to check first.

Writing in The New York Times, columnist Nicholas Kristof raved about the film, but found one stat hard to swallow. Were there really 50,000 food inspections in 1972 and 9,164 in 2008? Apparently, not.

Problems such as these reflect a willingness on the part of the producers to accept without questioning any stat thrown out by their obviously biased sources without questioning them. The two biggest entities attacked in the film, Monsanto at one side and the livestock industry at the other, have done a terrific job refuting many of the claims made in the film that pertain to them. I will let them answer for themselves.

What gives Food Inc. emotional power is the quality of its anecdotes. What will give it real power to effect change, however, is its truthfulness. And there, it’s more than a little lacking. Sometimes, the facts do get in the way of telling a good story.