Ag Industry News and Events - Page 20

Delegates attending the 2018 National Corn Congress re-elected Bruce Rohwer from O’Brien County to the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Board for a three-year term. Rohwer will join NCGA Directors Chris Edgington of Mitchell County and Kevin Ross of Pottawatomie County on the Corn Board. Ross will serve as first vice president-elect for Fiscal Year 2019.

Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) farmer-leaders convened in Washington, D.C. this week with other corn farmers from across the country to advocate for key agricultural issues as part of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Corn Congress meeting. The Iowa delegation, including ICGA directors and grassroots members, visited 125 Congressional offices, many of which represented areas outside the Corn Belt because it is important that all members of Congress understand the importance of American agriculture and the challenges farmers currently face.

The Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) will hold director elections in Crop Reporting Districts 4, 5, 8, and 9 on Tuesday, July 17, 2018. Iowa corn farmers elect their peers to serve on the ICPB to oversee the investment of funds generated by the Iowa corn checkoff. Voting will take place at their local county ISU extension office for their representation on the Iowa Corn Promotion Board for a 3-year term.

Promoting ethanol to a worldwide audience, yesterday’s 12th running of the Iowa Corn 300 will be one for the record books. James Hinchcliffe brought home his second win at the Iowa Corn 300 taking the lead with just over 40 laps remaining. This year’s race also included many unique aspects showcasing Iowa Corn farmers and the corn-based ethanol that fuels IndyCars.

The Iowa Corn 300, one of the major INDYCAR racing events of the year, will race into the Iowa Speedway on Sunday, July 8. This will be the 12th running of the Iowa Corn sponsored event to showcase the clean-burning, lower cost of ethanol on the fastest short track on the planet!

STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT MARK RECKER

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today the proposed Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO) for the 2019 conventional biofuels requirement at the statutory level of 15 billion gallons under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and in doing so, failed to reallocate the gallons of ethanol exempted through the small refinery process. Considering the EPA’s decision, we will fight to protect the rights of Iowa’s farmers and consumers and hold the EPA accountable.

 Policy development at the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) is a grassroots process. Each year, ICGA hosts roundtable meetings in local communities across the state to gather insight and feedback on priorities from farmer members. The meetings, which will be held on June 25 & 26 and July 11 & 12 this year, allow ICGA members to come together, share a meal, and discuss key issues impacting corn farmers. Policies brought forward and approved at roundtable meetings go on to the Annual ICGA Grassroots Summit on August 24-25 for the ICGA delegates to debate for adoption into the ICGA Policy Book. This process enables the organization to take-action in lobbying for and supporting sound policy development and pro-farmer legislation.  

ISU’s Joseph Polin wins Top Student Poster Competition

A delegation of Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) farmer-leaders, staff and seven Iowa State University students and staff attended the 2018 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference (CUTC) in St. Louis last week to network and see the latest in corn uses technology and research.

Iowa corn farmers know the importance of our state’s water, it’s one of our shared resources vital to growing their crops. That’s why Iowa Corn farmer-leaders want all Iowans to know what farmers are doing to be sure the water our families drink is as pure as it can be. What better way to reach Iowans with this message than engaging people at some of Iowa’s most popular summertime attractions. Iowa Corn launched the “Farmers Care About the Water We Share” effort at this past Tuesday’s Iowa Cubs baseball game where farmers and their families greeted fans with free water bottles, having conversations and directing them to the new iowacorn.org/H20 website.