Ag Industry News and Events - Page 24

Industry and government officials from more than 15 countries in the Western Hemisphere are meeting this week at the Ethanol Summit of the Americas to discuss current and future opportunities for ethanol in the region.

A U.S. Grains Council (USGC) trade team of Chinese buyers of corn and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) visited Iowa this week. The delegation composed of representatives from China’s leading feed mills and importers, whose imports account for nearly all of the nation’s corn imports.

A U.S. Grains Council (USGC) trade team of Korean grain buyers, researchers, scientists, end-users and government officials visited Iowa last week as part of a learning journey to get in-depth information about the U.S. ethanol industry. This team’s visit included stops at the Iowa Corn office, Jolene Riessen’s family cattle and row crop farm, Quad County Corn Processors ethanol plant in Galva, Golden Grain Energy ethanol plant in Mason City, and Denny Friest’s row crop and hog farm in Radcliffe. They also met with representatives from Kum & Go and the American Lung Association to learn more about ethanol.

STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT
MARK RECKER

We would like to thank Senator Ernst for introducing the CREAATE ACT, a bill to increase investment in two federal U.S. Department of Agriculture programs vital to U.S. agricultural exports, the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program. These initiatives support the promotion of corn in all forms in international markets.

To help haul in this year’s harvest, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed into effect today a proclamation granting a temporary 60-day weight limit exemption for trucks on Iowa roads. The 2017 Harvest Weight Proclamation specifically increases the weight allowable for shipment of corn, soybeans, hay, straw and stover, by 12.5 percent per axle (up to a maximum of 90,000 pounds) without the need for an oversize/overweight permit.

A trade team from the Taiwan Feed Industry Association visited Iowa this week and met with Iowa Corn leaders as part of a Goodwill Mission to build contacts between Taiwanese agricultural leaders and Iowa farmers and suppliers. As part of this mission, the delegation met with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) and U.S. Grains Council (USGC) in taking part in a signing ceremony held today.

Kent Corporation is committing $8 million, the Iowa Corn Promotion Board $4 million and Sukup Manufacturing Co. $2 million in support of a new Iowa State University educational and research facility for feed milling and grain science.

The Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board are proud to partner with Learfield on behalf of both Iowa State University and the University of Iowa Athletic Departments for the title sponsorship of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series™. One of the first events in the in-state rivalry series is the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series volleyball game which will take place on September 8 in Iowa City followed by the football game happening on September 9 at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa with kickoff at 11 a.m. Central.

STATEMENT FROM CHAIRMAN KURT HORA

On behalf of Iowa’s 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.