Ag Industry News and Events - Page 23

The fundamentals of any good business model look for ways to increase demand for your product. In Iowa, there is no greater force driving demand for corn than the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB). ICPB represents thousands of Iowa farmers to create an economic climate in which the Iowa corn industry will be successful through market development, research for new uses and educating the public about corn in all forms. 

Nearly 100 Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) members filled the State Capitol rotunda today for the “Iowa Corn Day on the Hill” lobbying event. This delegation included ICGA Board, county leaders and student FFA members from across the state. Their lobbying efforts focused on increasing state coupling of the federal section 179 expensing provision, protecting agriculture in comprehensive tax reform, and obtaining funding for biofuels infrastructure. In addition, farmers took time to thank the state lawmakers who helped pass water quality legislation, Senate File 512, signed into law earlier this session.

As a farmer, I am calling on the Trump Administration to stand on its promise to support a strong Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). The RFS is critical for rural communities across this country, and especially for farmers like myself. There is a pending proposal being floated within the White House to cap the price of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs). RINs are the market mechanism that drives biofuels blending. Any cap or other manipulation of the Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) would not only cripple the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), but also pull corn prices down with it. The Trump Administration needs to hear from Iowa farmers!

STATEMENT FROM ICGA PRESIDENT MARK RECKER

On behalf of Iowa’s corn farmers, I would like to congratulate Mike Naig on his appointment to Iowa Secretary of Agriculture by Governor Kim Reynolds and will be sworn in this afternoon. He will fill the role vacated by Bill Northey, who was nominated by President Trump and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week as the U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation. Northey will be sworn in by USDA Secretary Perdue at the Iowa Ag Leaders Dinner tomorrow evening in Des Moines. 

Farmers Reiterate the Importance of the RFS

Iowa Corn farmer-leaders headed to Anaheim, California this week to take part in 2018 Commodity Classic. The delegation from Iowa consisted of Iowa Corn directors, farmer voting delegates and alternates, Iowa Corn Collegiate Advisory Team members, and grassroots leaders.The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) dominated much of the discussion at Classic this year.

Using Iowa Corn Checkoff dollars to fund research into creating another demand for corn, ICPB holds U.S. patents on a proprietary production method using corn in the industrial manufacturing of a raw material, monoethylene glycol (MEG) used to make bioplastic. For this reason, ICPB’s patented and pioneering process won the first Consider Corn Challenge, a global competition initiated by the National Corn Growers Association to identify new and innovative uses for field corn as a renewable feedstock in the production of sustainable chemicals with significant market demand. Iowa Corn Research and Business Development Committee Chair Pete Brecht accepted the $25,000 cash prize on behalf of the organization at a ceremony held today at Commodity Classic in Anaheim, Calif.

STATEMENT FROM ICGA PRESIDENT MARK RECKER

On behalf of Iowa corn farmers, we congratulate Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey on his appointment by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC). Throughout his distinguished tenure as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, he has been a tireless advocate for Iowa’s corn farmers, and we are thankful to have someone with such a deep agricultural leadership background in this vital position.

Members of the North American Plant Phenotyping Network (NAPPN), an association representing major plant phenotyping centers across the continent, have elected Iowa Corn Technology Commercialization Manager David Ertl to the Executive Board. The goal of the NAPPN is to increase the visibility and impact of plant phenotyping and facilitate communication and cooperation within the plant phenotyping and related communities. Plant phenotyping is the process of measuring and analyzing observable plant characteristics. By bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders within the scientific community, the Network help farmers advance future corn traits and those of other crops.

One of the key pieces in improving Iowa’s water quality fell into place yesterday, as Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed her first bill into law, providing nearly $300 million of dedicated funding for water quality efforts in Iowa over the next 12 years. Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) farmer-leaders joined Governor Reynolds as she recognized them and many others for helping to champion water quality funding legislation through the statehouse.

Iowa House lawmakers passed legislation today, increasing state dollars to improve Iowa’s water quality, mirroring a bill passed by the Iowa Senate during the 2017 legislative session. The bill, Senate File 512, now awaits Governor Reynolds's signature. The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) sees this step as key in supporting the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. This strategy calls for a nutrient reduction in Iowa’s waterways through a practical and technology-based approach involving farmers and both urban and rural Iowa communities.