Friday, January 15, 2010


In this Issue:

  • KyCGA Signs Letter to EPA in Support of Atrazine

  • KyCGA participates in NCGA Priority & Policy Conference

  • KyCGA CORE Program Under Way

  • Final Day to Register for Kentucky Commodity Conference

  • Kentucky family wins national Young Farmer & Rancher Achievement Award

  • FSA Announces Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP)

Special Note Regarding our Member's Family and Haiti Earthquake:
Julia Sprague, of Union Co., was in Haiti during the earthquake this week. Thankfully, she and the five others on their medical mission were unhurt and have left Haiti this afternoon on a US military flight. Bill and Julia Sprague ask for your prayers for the people of Haiti as they face this disaster.

This week at KyCGA

KyCGA Signs Letter to EPA in Support of Atrazine

On Thursday, KyCGA signed on to a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson that reinforced the belief that the scientific weight of evidence shows atrazine to be both safe and effective and that it is the best kind of tool that farmers can have. The letter was generated by the Triazine Action Network in response to a report, sent to Jackson by the Land Stewardship Project and Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) and a small number of organic farmers, citing that Syngenta studies on the safety of atrazine are flawed and not provided with complete disclosure. PANNA also asked that any Sygenta study or any other study in favor of atrazine be discounted or removed from consideration. KyCGA will continue to monitor the reevaluation of atrazine and support efforts that will enable its continued use for our growers.

Corn Leaders Collaborated on 2011 Priorities
KyCGA Voiced Top Priorities for NCGA

 

The National Corn Growers Association's Priority and Policy Conference took place this week in St. Louis and included a vigorous discussion of priorities for the national organization, as proposed by state leaders for NCGA in 2011.  The list of recommended priorities focuses on communications, environmental regulations, ethanol market expansion, the Farm Bill, grassroots activism, livestock and poultry, and transportation. 

 

"This is a great opportunity for states to discuss their own priorities for national while gaining insight into why other states place value in different areas," said NCGA President Darrin Ihnen, a grower from Hurley, S.D. "The priorities as discussed here will also be considered by the Corn Congress.  The Corn Board will consider recommendations from both bodies when finalizing the NCGA priorities for 2011.  The priorities are of vital importance to the organization as they help guide organizational business plans and staff actions over the course of the year."

KyCGA Communications Director Jennifer Elwell attended
the NCGA Priority and Policy Conference and presented
Kentucky's top state and national priorities to grower
leaders from across the country.

 

Members of the NCGA Resolutions Committee - presidents of the state checkoff organizations and grower associations, members of the NCGA Corn Board, and chairs of NCGA's action teams and committees - also considered proposed resolutions for consideration by the Corn Congress delegates in March. 

 

Ihnen noted that there were strong trends present among the priorities that the states recommended.

 

"There was a strong consensus among the state representatives that NCGA should focus on ethanol market expansion, communications and combating environmental regulations that could be harmful to corn growers," he said. "NCGA updates organizational priorities every year to ensure that we are focusing our attention on the issues currently concerning our stakeholders.  As we increase and create opportunities for growers, we need to continually ensure that we are all on the same page."

 

KyCGA CORE Program is Under Way

This week, KyCGA began its 2010 Crop Observation and Research Education (CORE) program by providing its inaugural class with advanced agronomy education at the Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park.

In this initial two-day session, John McGillicuddy (MC Agronomics) engaged the participants in an intense soils discussion, and he provided tools to help them adjust factors within their operations to increase bushels.

KyCGA program director Adam Andrews said that the CORE program not only allows farmers to learn from the industry's top experts but also from each other, which can be an invaluable experience.

Additionally, Andrews said that the dialogue and fellowship will continue as the session topics evolve. Session II will focus on precision farming and will be held the week of the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville.

The 2010 KyCGA CORE Farmer Program is comprised of six 2- to 3-day sessions that are keenly focused on maximizing long-term farm viability through intensive crop management. Seventeen farmer members are participating this year.

Final Days to Register for the Kentucky
Commodity Conference
January 22, 2010 - Holiday Inn University
Plaza, Bowling Green

View the agenda, hotel information.

OTHER NEWS

 

LARUE COUNTY COUPLE WINS NATIONAL CONTEST FOR AGRICULTURAL EXCELLENCE

In our Winter issue of the Kentucky Corn Grower, we told you that KyCGA members Aaron and Ashley Reding, of LaRue County, were the winners of the Kentucky Farm Bureau 2009 Outstanding Young Farm Family contest. We just learned that the couple was the winner of American Farm Bureau Federation's Young Farmer and Rancher Achievement Award. The Redings won a Dodge truck for being named the winners, beating out more than 40 other state winners.

The Redings have a large scale row crop operation and are heavily involved with various agriculture groups. They are directors of LaRue County Farm Bureau and Aaron is president of the Kentucky Soybean Association. They have three children, ages 9, 4 and 1.

The Redings are the second Kentuckians in four years to win the prestigious award. John and Jill Mahan of Fayette County, also KyCGA members, were selected at the 2007 annual meeting.

The Redings said they were stunned by the honor. "We are really overwhelmed," said Aaron. "It is a tremendous honor to compete against top-notch people from throughout the nation. We were stunned when they called our name. We certainly didn't expect to win."

Congratulations, Aaron and Ashley!

KENTUCKY FSA STATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANNOUNCES BCAP IMPLEMENTATION

Eligible Facilities should begin Applying for BCAP Qualification Online

John W. McCauley, State Executive Director for the Kentucky USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), announced that biomass conversion facilities may begin to apply for qualification under the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). This allows producers or owners of eligible material who sell to these facilities to apply for matching payments under the collection, harvest, storage and transportation (CHST) component of BCAP.

"BCAP will provide financial assistance to owners of eligible material who deliver the material to qualified biomass conversion facilities that use biomass to produce heat, power, biobased products or advanced biofuels," said John. An eligible material owner may be eligible for a matching CHST payment for eligible material delivered to a qualified biomass conversion facility which will be paid at a rate of $1 for $1 per dry-ton equivalent received from a qualified biomass conversion facility, not to exceed $45 per dry-ton equivalent. An eligible material owner may receive payments for a period of two years. The purpose of the matching payments is to assist biomass producers with the CHST cost of delivering biomass to a qualified biomass conversion facility.

Biomass conversion facilities may become "qualified" by signing an Agreement with FSA state offices. The Agreement generally provides the framework that facilitates the making of CHST matching payments to eligible material owners or producers who plan to deliver biomass to that facility. After a biomass conversion facility becomes "qualified" by signing an Agreement with FSA, eligible material owners or producers, who market eligible material to that biomass conversion facility, must apply for the CHST matching payment program at their 7 nearest FSA county office before the eligible material is delivered. County offices will validate payment requests information under the terms of the Agreement with the qualified biomass conversion facilities.

Currently, applications are taken for expected deliveries through March 31, 2010.

Visit www.commodityclassic.com to view the full agenda and to register.

Registration is now open. Early Registration Deadline is January 20.

See what growers are doing for the industry nationally.

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