“We owe ethanol producers in this country a debt of gratitude because we’re paying less at the pump because of what you do,” Vilsack said, noting that prices are about $1 less than they would be without ethanol.

Vilsack also thanked ethanol producers for providing jobs, contributing to a record trade surplus in agriculture and helping to increase net farm income. “In 2011, net farm income for the first time exceeded $100 billion,” he said. “Even adjusted for inflation, this is the best farm economy we’ve seen in four decades and one of the principal reasons is because you all have figured out this new value-added opportunity called renewable fuels.”

Vilsack said getting 15% ethanol in the marketplace will do even more for our national economy and energy security. “If we’re worried about the Straits of Hormuz, if we’re worried about Iran, one way we can be less stressed about this is getting E15 in the tanks of cars across this country,” he said.

The secretary did caution producers that they need to do all they can to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard. “Make no mistake about this. Just because it’s in the law doesn’t mean it will always be in the law.” Vilsack says the success of the ethanol industry has gotten the attention of the oil industry which is trying to modify or eliminate the RFS. “We need to make sure we maintain the Renewable Fuel Standard. It is important to the security of this country that we move toward that 36 billion gallon mark.”

Listen to or download Vilsack’s great speech here: Secretary Tom Vilsack at 2012 National Ethanol Conference

Looking forward to seeing the Secretary again later this week at the Commodity Classic in Nashville.

Many stop reading the story here, assuming that through massive donations Gates will provide the cash needed to revolutionize farming in the developing world.  A closer look turns up a more interesting, nuanced viewpoint, one which requires public recognition of the amazing technologies American farmers use today.

In short, supporting the Gates Foundation’s fight against hunger does mean supporting the use of advanced farming techniques including genetically-engineered seed varieties.

While Mr. Gates may not have always been known for his ability to fit-in or follow the “cool” crowd, he changed the world around him for the better by having the intellect to analyze a situation fully, evaluate each facet meticulously and act accordingly even when doing so required courage.

As he turned his attention to the plight of global hunger and malnutrition, Gates encountered a wealth of information on possible farming practices.  Most consumers in the United States have access to a great deal of the same sources today because of Microsoft innovations he fostered decades ago.  Instead of unquestioningly buying into bogus arguments cloaked in a soft, fuzzy, nuevo-hippie, organic wool sweater, he delved into the science.

What he found was that to feed our world’s growing population we need to use the most productive, innovative techniques available. To grow more food using fewer resources and creating less waste, we need the rapid-paced developments brought about by biotech engineering.  Using what many consider a “dirty word”, Gates outspokenly promoted wide-spread public acceptance of biotechnology.

Afterward, when reporters questioned him during a roundtable, Gates refused to back down encouraging doubters to “go out and talk to people growing rice and say do they mind that it was created in a laboratory when their child has enough to eat?”

Pragmatic and effective, Gates sees what many do not.  He sees that failure to embrace agricultural advancements directly impacts the ability of farmers to achieve their potential productivity.  At the same time, feeding the world requires them not only to meet it but to push beyond its current bounds.

Join the real, active movement to end hunger by embracing Gates’ message.  Farmers, scientists and their allies are working hard to create change with palpable results that fill empty bellies and nourish real people who are really hungry right now.  Have the courage to be like Bill.  Billions of lives depend on it.

“If we’re going to be a dynamic progressive, productive country we have to have our own source of energy at a reasonable price,” Hastert said during an appearance at a GROWMARK, FS System event in East Peoria this week. “Whether it comes from Iran or Iraq or Saudi Arabia or Nigeria or Venezuela – those are countries that we don’t necessarily have the ability to trust.”

Hastert is adamant about the importance of renewable fuels and ethanol in particular. “We need to use ethanol,” he said. “I fought for ethanol from the time that I was in Congress for 15 years and finally got through the Ways and Means Committee along with a guy named Nussle from Iowa and we got ethanol with the tax credits so it could be a viable product. If we sit back and don’t do anything about it, we’re going to lose it.”

Listen to Speaker Hastert’s comments about ethanol during his address: Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert

I also had the opportunity to interview Hastert after his address and he expanded on his comments about the importance of domestic energy production to agriculture. “I always believed that farmers were best off when they sold more than a commodity, if they could sell something that has value-added,” he said. “When you look across our corn fields in the Midwest and see one out of every four rows of corn that goes to ethanol, you know that you’re securing a price that farmers can put a crop in the field and make a living.”

That ties in with what the former speaker thinks will happen in the next farm bill. “I think you’ll see some of the subsidies that farmers have grown to rely on are going to be gone just because of the shortage in the budget,” Hastert said, noting that he has two farms himself. “What we need to do in the farm community is to make sure we keep those markets for our products that we have and can be independent of government subsidies.”

Hastert served as Speaker of the House from 1998 to 2007, the longest-serving Republican Speaker in history.

Listen to the interview here: Dennis Hastert Interview

Now, through simple, concise facts, the National Corn Growers Association is helping sweep aside the clutter and show that corn is, and always has been, a quintessentially American crop, fueling innovation and national growth.

A new NCGA-developed timeline, available both online and as a supplement to the 2012 World of Corn, shows how corn played an integral role in the development of the Model T, the clean air movement and feeding our forefathers as they established the country.  With additional information on production trends that increase yields and sustainability simultaneously and fun facts about corn, this poster-sized infographic makes finding the facts about corn both easy and enjoyable.

Take a minute to stroll through the history of corn in America by clicking here and gaze out at the golden fields that fed and inspired history.

The discovery, by a team of USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists and university colleagues, could potentially help plant breeders build disease-resistance traits into future corn plants.

The researchers examined 300 corn varieties from around the world to look for those with resistance to the three diseases in order to determine which genes underlie disease resistance. When they tested the lines for resistance, they found that if a corn variety was resistant to one disease, chances were favorable that it was also resistant to the other two.

The researchers applied a statistical analysis technique called “association mapping” to identify regions of the genome associated with variation in disease resistance. According to Balint-Kurti, the scientists knew there was a strong correlation between resistance of one disease and the other two. They postulated that some resistance genes conferred resistance to two or more different diseases, and they identified a gene that seemed to confer multiple disease resistance.

This gene, a GST (glutathione S-transferase), is part of a family of genes known for their roles in regulating oxidative stress and in detoxification. Both of these functions are consistent with a role in disease resistance.

Read more from USDA-ARS.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced its decision to the FCC this week that the LightSquared plan to build a nationwide 4G broadband network would impact “both general/personal navigation and certified aviation GPS receivers.” NTIA said the latest round of testing showed there is “no practical way to mitigate the potential interference at this time.”

As a result, the FCC is revoking the conditional waiver which was granted last year and required LightSquared prove the interference problems could be fixed before moving forward.

The Coalition to Save Our GPS is pleased with the move. “The FCC has acted appropriately by declaring that its non-interference condition has not been satisfied and that LightSquared will not be permitted to move forward with its proposal to build a nationwide high-powered terrestrial network in the mobile satellite band,” says a statement from the coalition which is made up of a wide variety of industries and companies – from agriculture and airlines to construction, manufacturing and transportation. Agricultural interests involved include the Agricultural Retailers Association, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, National Agricultural Aviation Association, and farm equipment and technology companies like Ag Leader, John Deere, and New Holland.

National Corn Growers Association President Garry Niemeyer of Illinois says they have been monitoring this issue closely on behalf of farmers who rely on GPS technology for crop production. “Expanded internet access is important to our members but not when it compromises the use of high-precision GPS equipment,” he said.

Despite the ruling, LightSquared is not giving up just yet. “This was not a decision based on science or technology but was a politically motivated decision fueled by special interest groups in the GPS and telecom industry,” said LightSquared backer Philip Falcone in a statement. “There are solutions to this problem that can and will address the needs of the GPS community.” The Wall Street Journal reports today that Falcone and other investors have hired a team of lawyers to consider possible litigation over the FCC ruling.

It is interesting that the hedge fund billionaire behind this venture is crying foul and blaming “special interests” from stopping the plan from going forward. Those “special interests” include first responders, airlines, mariners, civil engineering, construction and surveying, agriculture, and everyday consumers in their cars and on handheld devices. Falcone appears to be most concerned about the hedge funds that own some of LightSquared’s $1.6 billion of loans. Kinda seems like a pretty narrow range of special interests on that side.

As Niemeyer notes, internet access is very important to farmers and others in rural communities, but this proposal was being rushed through the regulatory process without properly determining potential unintended consequences, until the coalition was formed in March of last year to make sure that was done.

There’s no need to have to choose between GPS and broadband internet. With careful planning, we can have both.

Dr. Below talked about his seven wonders of corn yield research at a recent meeting of growers pursuing the dream of consistent maximum yields. He says of the seven factors, only one is really beyond the control of growers. “The largest factor affecting corn yield is obviously the weather,” he said, adding that his research has assigned a value of 70+ the impact of weather on bushels per acre.

On the other hand, Below says good fertilizer nitrogen management can have almost as much impact as weather and it’s the one that farmers have the most control over. “70 bushels is the current average for getting it just right,” he said.

For much of the Corn Belt, 2011 was one of those bad years for weather, but we still saw some good yields. “The weather worked against us in 2011 and we were geared up to grow 300 bushels right out of the ground. It looked pretty good,” he said. “If our management had not made yield by the third week of June, we were pretty well done.” Still, over at his research plots in Illinois, Below says they managed to get better yields with high tech management. “Even under those poor conditions, by managing from the very beginning and planning for high yields, we managed to eke out an extra 26 bushels in a bad year,” he said.

Dr. Below has been researching how to get higher corn yields for a couple of years now and even has a website about the “7 Wonders of Corn” and this coming year is will be doing some complementary research on soybeans. With no nitrogen component to soybeans, there will only be six wonders for soybean success.

Listen to my interview with Dr. Below here: Dr. Fred Below Interview

I remind myself everyday how lucky I am to work for farmers. The world of agriculture is like a family to me, and I have built some very strong relationships within my state and across the nation. The exciting part is that my family continues to grow.

For the past year, I have been witness and huge nurturer of a sprouting seed called CommonGround. Farm moms and women are becoming empowered to talk about life on their farms and how they are working to raise safe, nutritious, ethical and environmentally-responsible food. And for the first time in my career, I am working with young, vibrant ladies who represent all facets of food production!

From Shana Beattie who raises corn, soybeans, alfalfa hay, beef cattle, 8 million pounds of pork and her four children alongside her husband on a 100+ year old farm in Nebraska to Mary Courtney, who raises vegetables for local customers through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in Kentucky. She and her husband bought a new farm and are working to support their two young children with one on the way. Linda grows organic produce and crops to enable a livable return on their small farm and Ashley farms several thousand acres of grain in which her family is able to support 14 families by providing jobs in their community. Did I mention they voluntarily participate in an environmental certification program? The best part is that they all support each other.

As a mom of two, I embrace the concept of CommonGround: being able to have a conversation with my peers. I have learned so much by listening to these ladies, and I feel better than ever about making a trip to the grocery store. I also know that I want to support local farmers like the Courtney’s, because I have a connection with them, and I know that getting produce closer to the source tastes better. And… wait for it… I no longer look at organic food as some evil marketing scheme trying to dupe me out of my money. It takes a lot of work to comply with certification standards, and a farmer willing to do that should be paid more for his or her labors.

There is room on my table and in my refrigerator for it all, and I can feel good about what I am feeding my family. I have developed trust in my farmers because they are willing to be open with me about why they choose to grow my food in the manner that they do. They are also willing to listen to my concerns and tell me if they can do better. That is meeting on CommonGround, and I am proud to support the movement.

My plea to my readers is that the next time you hear of a food issue in the news or from a fellow friend who may not get their knowledge first hand, seek out one of these fabulous ladies and just ask. You can find them at http://www.findourcommonground.com/. Bookmark it! You can also find many of my farmer friend’s blogs by clicking on the tab at the top.

Follow Jennifer at www.facebook.com/foodmommy and www.twitter.com/foodmommy.

At the Grammy Awards this year, Chipotle cashed in on this trend releasing a two-minute commercial decrying the evil of modern animal agriculture.  Willie Nelson, long known to be a fan of a different type of farmer, strummed and sang to a Coldplay tune as cartoon images of a farmer and sweet little cartoon piggies drifted across the screen.

Personal repulsion to the insufferably self-aggrandizing, overly-produced, pseudo-intellectual impersonation of actual pain that underlies Coldplay’s music aside, the commercial plays upon the tendency of people to project what they want onto what they see.

Without a word, the ad strums along with melancholy nostalgia.  The pictures show that many animals now, yes, live in barns.  The sweet little cartoon pigs are shown actually locked behind a jail cell door like criminals. The farmer debates medicating himself, as shown through a thought bubble with a pill inside, or releasing his pigs back into pastures and blue sky with chickens running about too.

Luckily, it isn’t an actual depiction of how tender piglets might fare in a cold Iowa winter or how chickens do interact when left to their own devices.  Instead, it is the same sort of wishy-washy, rose-tinted vision that most people would like to be true, despite the many difficulties with the realities of such a situation. If you are already projecting an actual message for Chipotle, it isn’t a stretch to willfully block out the fiction underpinning the situation.

Instead of buying into the portrayal of agriculture in the commercial, Nebraska farmers and ranchers fought back by showing the amazing story of the livestock industry in a commercial of their own.  With solid information presented by actual human beings, the ad stands in stark contrast to Chipotle’s.  Unlike its counterpart it offers a forthright message too – Farming is ethical. Learn about it and become a fan.

As a public, we should applaud this effort.  Unlike the fast food giant, the farmers and ranchers of Nebraska trust that an informed public will see how amazing agriculture actually is today.  They stand behind their production practices and invite those outside of the industry to learn more.  They do not create a dream world with sappy music and emotionally evocative drawings.  They treat thinking adults as such rather than signing them a lullaby.

So become a fan.  Farmers work hard every day to produce a wide-variety of healthy, quality food options for us to enjoy.  So many in fact, that it would be easy to avoid Chipotle, demonstrating an unwillingness to accept their uninspired brainwashing, in favor of a those other options until they hit a less condescending note.

BTW: If you want to know about the actual Chipotle, the one that they obscure through this kind of advertising, check out past reporting from Corn Commentary here.

NCGA Director of Development Tim Brackman (right) says the meeting is a crucial part of the planning efforts for the organization. “It allows us to meet with the state staff as well as farmer leaders and recruiters who are out there in the trenches,” he said.

Brackman says NCGA membership continues to grow. “I’m pleased to report that while many of the associations out there are experiencing flat or even declining membership, our numbers continue to remain strong. In fact, this past year in August, we hit an all-time membership high of over 37,000 members,” he said.

Listen to an interview with Tim here: NCGA's Tim Brackman

The program featured a variety of topics for member services, including use of social media, something that Grower Services Action Team chairman Brandon Hunnicutt of Nebraska knows a little something about. “This is the key with the up and coming generation,” he said. “You’re going to reach out to them on Twitter, on Linkedin, on Facebook, or whatever the next one is.”

Brandon says it’s a great way to stay in touch with growers and others all over the country and he should know. You can follow Brandon, who is Chairman of the Nebraska Corn Growers Association and a fifth generation Nebraska farmer, on Twitter – @cornfedfarmer.

Listen to an interview with Brandon here: Brandon Hunnicutt interview