Darren Cudaback joins the Precision Conservation Management (PCM) team as a specialist in Nebraska. Darren has spent the last 24 years in the ag industry helping producers with marketing programs for Cargill and other farming families. He was attracted to PCM because of the program’s ability to have a positive impact on the environment while also having a positive experience with farmers. He’s excited to help PCM grow and looks forward to any surprises in the future. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren with a little traveling. Something that most people don’t know about him is that he has a license to officiate weddings in all 50 states and has a home brew system that can produce 20 gallons of beer.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has gripped Washington for weeks, easily becoming the city’s marquee issue as we head into spring. Typically, this level of attention is reserved for domestic issues, such as hearings for Supreme Court nominees. Yet, the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson hasn’t attracted anywhere near the attention dedicated to Ukraine. The laser focus on this issue undoubtedly stems from the fact that this is one of the biggest threats to democracy and European stability since the end of the Cold War. The images of the destruction and mass casualties coming out of Ukraine are heartbreaking. For those of us in the agricultural community, the annual challenges of spring planting take on a different meaning when we consider farmers in Ukraine trying to plant crops amid war and a lack of fuel and other inputs. Leaders around the world are working to help Ukraine while also considering how the war will impact their countries. The U.S. is no exception. Corn grower leaders have been working to ensure that farmers and American consumers are able to weather the fallout from the war. Farmers in the U.S. had already been struggling for months to secure and pay for supplies, such as fertilizers, and now the war is worsening the situation by cutting off key import markets from Eastern Europe. That’s why NCGA has increased pressure on the U.S. International Trade Commission to dismiss tariffs on fertilizers from other parts of the world. In addition, we have worked closely with members of Congress on this issue and are appreciative that legislation has been introduced to remedy the problem. We have supported the Emergency Relief from Duties Act S3812/HR7010, which is sponsored by Sen. Roger Marshall and Rep. Tracey Mann of Kansas. The bill would create waivers during emergencies, such as foreign wars, for duties levied on fertilizers by the U.S. International Trade Commission. Additionally, 86 U.S. representatives and senators sent a letter to the U.S. ITC calling for an end to tariffs on fertilizers from Morocco and Trinidad & Tobago. As we work to address the high price of farm supplies, we’re also reminding Congress that corn growers’ increased productivity and efficiency have resulted in higher yields, using fewer resources to meet food and fuel needs to help address rising costs. As Russia’s harmful actions in Ukraine continue and sanctions are imposed, high oil prices have already risen, creating higher consumer costs and threatening U.S. energy and economic security. Higher blends of American-made ethanol in the fuel supply can help alleviate this issue, with ethanol priced an average of 78 cents less per gallon than unblended gasoline at wholesale during March. Blending additional ethanol in the fuel supply will enhance U.S. energy security while reducing emissions and supporting rural economies. Unfortunately, drivers could soon lose access to higher ethanol blends during the summer months due to a 2021 court decision. That’s why we’re calling on the Biden administration to use its emergency authority to allow for the continued sale of E15, often marketed as Unleaded 88, a higher ethanol blend that costs less and reduces emissions. We need your voice along with ours to make this happen. We ask that you write your members of Congress and tell them that you want to maintain access to year-round E15. Your members of Congress need to hear how ethanol is the solution we need right now. As discussions continue about the role ethanol can play in addressing some of the nation’s pressing issues, we’re asking Members of Congress to support the Next Generation Fuels Act. This bill would permanently allow full-market access for E15 and advance low-carbon, high-octane fuels using higher ethanol blends, reducing our dependence on oil in the long run, while protecting public health and improving vehicle efficiency. The situation in Ukraine is dire, and its effects will be felt far and wide. Our political leaders may not be able to mitigate every problem that arises from the war. Still farmers stand ready to help lower costs at the pump while continuing to meet demands for food, feed and exports as a result of our increased productivity and sustainability. As we continue to advocate for farmers and lower prices at the pump, we’re thinking of the Ukrainian people, including the many Ukrainian farmers, who are fighting valiantly for democracy and self-determination. We are inspired by their perseverance and keep them in our thoughts and prayers. Slava Ukraini! Appleton is vice president of public policy and the National Corn Growers Association.
Although we celebrate women in ag throughout the year, March is nationally recognized to dedicate to women’s contributions through history and society. According to stats from 2017 around 30,000 farmers in Illinois are female compared to 67,000 that are male. Around 21,000 female farmers are the full owners and 40,000 of male farmers are full owners. At IL Corn we’ve only had a couple women that have chaired our boards, Theresa Schmalshof from 2000 – 2001 and Donna Jeschke from 2008 – 2009. IL Corn was able to chat with Donna, who was also a recipient of the World of Corn award in this past November 2021 with her husband Paul Jeschke.
In light of St. Patrick’s Day and also for some positive news from across the ocean, IL Corn caught up with a couple of Irish farmers in different areas. Here’s a little bit about their stories. What are Ireland’s landscapes like? Before getting to know some farmers, what would you expect from an Irish countryside? Nicknamed the Emerald Isle because of it’s wide fields of lush green, Ireland is also known for having a patchwork of many different landscapes including mountains, hills, and peat bogs.
The Trend-Adjusted Yield Endorsement has been available to Illinois farmers as a crop insurance endorsement since 2012, making 2022 the eleventh year of its availability. In this article , the University of Illinois FarmDoc team estimates that the net value to farmers is about $12.70 per acre per year over the last decade. The product was sponsored by IL Corn and developed in conjunction with faculty from the University of Illinois prior to 2012. The Trend-Adjusted Yield Endorsement adjusts the yield used in calculating insurance guarantees. Without the Trend Endorsement, Actual Production History (APH) yields are used, which can span a decade or more if a farmer is using a typical crop rotation system. Corn yields have changed considerably over a decade, making the APH yields lower than what a farmer expects to yield on his or her farm.
During Commodity Classic last week, leadership of the IL Corn Growers Association met with a representative of The Mosaic Company. The group discussed fertilizer availability, pricing, and the impact on Illinois farmers. “The world has changed so much in the last month – not much of it good. The impact of fertilizer pricing and availability is a substantial problem for Illinois agriculture and we’re doing what we can do to address it, but without a lot of success,” said Matt Rush, IL Corn Growers Association Vice President. Your leadership asked The Mosaic Company to reconsider eliminating tariffs. Mosaic said that tariffs are not a financial burden to US farmers there are other factors that are causing the increased prices. The Mosaic Company asked that farmers use “real facts” when considering this issue, challenging the point that they have a fertilizer monopoly. The Mosaic Company shared that they only make money one out of every ten years. IL Corn farmers respectfully agreed to disagree and moved on. “Whatever the facts, the problems we’re having with availability, pricing, securing fertilizer contracts, is requiring producers to change their fertilizer application behaviors on the farm which are unfortunately counter to our goal to reduce nutrient loss and clean up our water,” said Rush. Other leaders admitted to applying fertilizer in the fall instead of in the spring, simply to hedge their bets against not having access to fertilizer in the spring at all. Some indicated that their neighbors even noticed the change. One request from IL Corn was that The Mosaic Company offer Triple Super Phosphate in the fall. The product is already offered in the fall in Brazil, but not in the U.S. If available, this product has the potential to reduce nitrogen loss, simply because it can be applied in the fall and does not contain nitrogen. “At the end of the hour, I was convinced that Mosaic wasn’t really listening and brushed off all our concerns. We are trying to make an impact, but we aren’t getting anywhere fast. There is no silver bullet solution,” said Rush.
Late in the evening on March 9, the House passed the Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus appropriations bill. The funding for the Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works – the line item from which lock and dam construction and maintenance funding comes – included an increase of $548 million from FY21 funding, and an increase over the President’s FY22 budget request. Among the Community Project Funding – formerly known as earmarks – for inland waterways construction projects, the Navigation Ecosystem Sustainability Project (NESP) received $45.1 million. NESP prioritizes the locks and dams on the Mississippi and Illinois Waterways that need rebuilt and modernized.
Marketing has been my passion for almost 2 decades, creatively reaching audiences representing different products from real estate to restaurants to retirement financial products. What I haven’t marketed yet is any sort of production agriculture, although landscaping is usually included as an ag industry. Here’s a little about my experience in the ag industry and my first 6 months. The People Farmers are my people and that’s something I wouldn’t have said 6 months ago. I’d describe them the same way I’d describe myself, self-motivated, passionate, born leaders, sometimes funny and darn good-looking. If I say farmer, are you envisioning someone in overalls? That is what I used to see and now I see a person in a suit wearing many different hats. Running a business as a sole proprietor on their own. Building the future for their family or struggling to find affordable health insurance. A person who I’d like to sit down and hear their story, a woman building grain bins or starting a flower side business.
