Corn yield contest harvest form due date extended

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — With harvest continuing across the country, the National Corn Growers Assoc. (NCGA) will now accept online harvest forms for the 2017 National Corn Yield Contest until Dec. 1 at 4:30 pm CST.

Entrants are asked to report within two weeks of their final yield check or by Dec. 1 now, whichever comes first. The online harvest form is available to both farmers and seed representatives using the same login process as the initial entry form. Login does require submission of the entrant's NCGA membership number.

For access to contest information and a detailed list of the entry and harvest rules, visit www.ncga.com/upload/files/documents/pdf/ncyc/2017-NCYC-Entry-Harvest-Rules-04.28.17.pdf

Scholarship opportunities for ALP Class 18 members

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) and Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC) will offer partial tuition scholarships for full-time Indiana soybean and corn producers who are accepted to participate in the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program (ALP) Class 18.

“Agriculture, Indiana’s largest industry, plays a profound and overriding role in every phase of Indiana life. The development of effective agricultural leaders and spokespersons is one of our greatest keys to progress,” said Tom Griffiths, ISA chair and a farmer from Kendallville. “It is important that we make this investment to ensure strong farmer leadership for now and into the future.”

ISA and ICMC will contribute up to $1,000 per farmer accepted into the program. The ALP is designed to guide Indiana’s promising leaders to new levels of leadership skill and to a heightened awareness and understanding of the issues facing their industry.

“Having well-rounded, engaged farmers is key to the success of not only organizations, like ours, but of our industry as a whole,” said David Gottbrath, ICMC president and a farmer from Pekin. “Encouraging more corn and soybean farmers to participate in this program helps us grow farmer-leaders who will hopefully become more involved in helping move our organizations forward in the future.”

ALP is administered by AgrIInstitute, Inc. It selects up to 30 individuals to participate in the two-year program. Each class represents a diverse group of agricultural and rural community representation. Tuition for this program is $5,000 per person. Applications for the upcoming class must be submitted with a postmark date of Jan. 12, 2018.

For additional information, contact ALP Executive Director Beth Archer at 317-745-0947 or beth@agriinstitute.org or ISA and ICMC Education and Training Director Hannah Vorsilak, at 317-644-2791 or hvorsilak@indianasoybean.com

Derivatives industry joins to launch education resource

CHICAGO, Ill. — At the recent FIA Expo, the largest gathering of futures market participants in the world, futuresfundamentals.org was launched to provide information and curriculum for learners of all levels to understand the role that derivatives markets play in the global economy and everyday lives.

With initial support from the Futures Industry Assoc., CME Group, National Futures Assoc., the Institute for Financial Markets (IFM) and CME Group Foundation, futuresfundamentals.org will be a leading online resource for derivatives education, providing interactive tools, a trading simulator and curricula for a wide variety of audiences.

"We now have a resource for market users, policymakers, educators and students, as well as the general public, to better understand how risk management markets work and why they matter to all of us, every day," said Walt Lukken, president and CEO of FIA, the leading global trade organization for the futures, options and centrally cleared derivatives markets.

"We are making this investment, along with the Institute for Financial Markets, to help tell that story, generate understanding of the impact we have and develop the next generation of market users. We hope other industry participants will join this effort."

Futuresfundamentals.org provides the following:

•Get the Basics: An introductory unit that helps professionals and students learn Futures 101 – how the marketplace, futures and options work. This covers topics such as the relationship between supply and demand and the concept of risk.

•See the Impact: Tools to discover how familiar tasks like buying food or gas, or obtaining a mortgage, are affected by futures markets. The section also provides a brief introduction of hedging and speculating.

•Explore the Marketplace: A closer look at what makes futures markets tick – from participants and key processes to policies and protections facilitated through clearing houses.

•EconEssentials: A resource for educators that provides free materials that integrate seamlessly into the classroom, including online modules and coursework to understand managing risk when buying a car, getting a student loan or starting a part-time job.