CORN

Corn up, prices down

It’s been two years since a devastating drought withered crops in the U.S. and sent the price of corn skyrocketing. Now, U.S. farmers, including those in South Dakota, are preparing to harvest what is expected to be a massive corn crop for the second year in a row, even as the price of corn has tumbled to a level far below where it was a year ago.

By Chris Mueller , July 15, 2014

ND congressional delegation pushes for corn growers bid to host genotyping center at NDSU

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and the North Dakota congressional delegation are pushing to make the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service facility on the campus of North Dakota State University in Fargo the site for the newly formed National Agricultural Genotyping Center. The North Dakota Corn Growers Association are bidding to host the new facility, and Hoeven and the delegation have gotten behind them, writing a letter of support to the chief of the National Corn Growers Association, one of the center’s prime sponsors.

By Sen. John Hoeven , July 01, 2014

Looking back at the corn industry

During the last four years that the 1996 farm bill was in effect, the price of corn remained below the loan rate, dragging all other row crops with it.

By Daryll E. Ray and Harwood Schaffer , June 23, 2014

Satellites aid China crop estimates

The use of satellite data has helped hone estimates of China’s crop production, but the global market still lacks reliable numbers on the country’s grain stocks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief economist says.

By Gus Trompiz , June 16, 2014

China suspends dried distillers grain imports

If the Chinese increase testing of an unapproved biotech trait in corn, farmers in the Upper Great Plains that sell significant amounts of corn and dried distillers grain (DDG) products there will get hit in the pocketbook.

By Mikkel Pates , June 16, 2014

Plan ahead and buy propane early

WILLMAR, Minn. — The Minnesota Corn Growers Association is urging farmers around the state to plan ahead for their propane needs this fall. Due to the reversal of the Cochin pipeline and an increase in U.S. propane exports, propane supplies in Minnesota could be stretched thin if everyone waits until the fall to buy propane.

By Kyle Rozendaal , June 13, 2014

Senators want feds to support biofuels

FARGO, N.D. — U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., flanked by five other Democratic senators, and producer/processors from their states, launched an effort Wednesday to re-up federal support for biofuels.

By Mikkel Pates , May 14, 2014

ND corn growers seek high-tech research facility

The North Dakota Corn Growers Association is working to bring a first-of-its-kind research facility to North Dakota State University in Fargo.

By Jonathan Knutson , May 12, 2014

Corn 'N' calculator released

Dave Franzen, a North Dakota State University Extension Service soil scientist, in late April completed a major recalculation of nitrogen recommendations for corn and posted it on his website.

By Mikkel Pates , May 12, 2014

Peterson hopeful EPA won’t cut RFS

U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson is hopeful that the Environmental Protection Agency will not reduce the nation’s Renewable Fuel Standard by as much as it has proposed.

By Tom Cherveny , March 20, 2014

Biofuel concerns aren’t justified

Bemidji’s school buses performance during this winter’s harsh weather raised some concerns about biodiesel, and the Minnesota’s plans to increase the required biodiesel blend from the current 5 percent blend (B5) to 10 percent (B10) this summer.

By Robert Moffitt , March 17, 2014

Renewable Fuel Standard reality check

The Renewable Fuel Standard has been so successful that the oil industry now sees ethanol as a major threat to its bottom line. Unfortunately, Annette Meeks’ opinion piece, “Ethanol mandate hurts environment,” recently published in Agweek, shamelessly parroted many of the oil industry’s false claims about ethanol and repeatedly cites skewed facts from an Associated Press story that can only be described as a “hatchet job” against the ethanol industry.

By Tom Buis , March 17, 2014

Meeks letter misses the mark

I disagreed with the March 10 commentary, “Ethanol mandate hurts environment,” by Annette Meeks of the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota.

By Ashwin Raman , March 17, 2014

Ethanol mandate hurts environment

Congress has a rare opportunity to finally fix a legislative and financial fiasco: It can and should repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard once and for all. Repeal of the standard would result in a big gain for American taxpayers who have been footing the bill for higher energy and food prices — based on false promises.

By Annette Meeks , March 10, 2014

Expect changes to corn insurance

Corn growers will notice a couple of major changes in crop insurance for 2014.

By SDSU Extension Service , March 03, 2014