Ag Industry News and Events - Page 27

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 2014, 2015, and 2016 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). RVOs are set annually by EPA to dictate the amount of renewable fuel that is blended into the motor fuel supply.  The 2014 and 2015 RVOs have been significantly delayed in their release.

Today, Iowa Corn Grower Association (ICGA) President Jerry Mohr issued the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) release of the final rule defining a Water of the United States under the Clean Water Act.

Since 1978, Iowa corn growers have elected their peers to serve on the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) to oversee the investment of funds generated by the Iowa corn checkoff.  As established by Iowa Code, a portion of the board seats are up for election each year.

Recent lawsuits against seed companies have caused confusion about the role of the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA).  ICGA is not involved in any way with the litigation currently being pursued related to the release of biotechnology events. The plaintiffs in these lawsuits are individual farmers acting on their own behalf and are in no way representative of the position of Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) or National Corn Growers Association (NCGA).  Farmers contemplating joining these lawsuits should seek independent legal counsel to answer questions.

The Des Moines Water Works has elected to pursue expensive and unproductive litigation against farmers and their drainage districts more than 100 miles from Des Moines. Iowa corn farmers are very disappointed in this shift away from a collaborative, results-oriented model that has been the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) gold standard for improving water quality. This litigation will cause scarce resources to be reallocated away from current projects without any guarantee of improving our waters.

Sixteen scholarships will be awarded through the Iowa Corn Future of Agriculture Scholarship program to college students for the 2015-16 school year. 

Iowa farmers, who are members of the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA), participated in the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) 2014 National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC). Twelve Iowans will be recognized at Commodity Classic which takes place this week in Phoenix, Arizona.

Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) delegates joined with other corn farmer members from twenty-six states representing the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) at the annual Commodity Classic meeting in Phoenix, Arizona,  this week. Iowa’s grassroots policy process brought forth 4 resolutions that were accepted by the national delegation on Thursday, February 26, 2015.

Transportation infrastructure is essential for corn growers and Iowa’s economy.  Because Iowa’s roads and bridges are in desperate need of repair, today Governor Branstad signed SF 257 into law, which will provide the necessary funding for the growing maintenance demands. The legislation increases the state fuel tax by 10 cents, directing more than $200 million into Iowa’s Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF), a constitutionally protected mechanism to support transportation infrastructure projects.

A local Crop Fair featuring an array of speakers and exhibits, will help area growers deal with volatility in agriculture, according to event organizers with the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) and Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB).