INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Following the release of a new rural infrastructure study funded by the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn Marketing Council, the two checkoff organizations have launched a joint campaign to share trends, impacts and the need to “UpVest” in Indiana rural roads and bridges.

 

The study, researched by the Indiana University Public Policy Institute, addresses the funding needed to repair Indiana’s rural roads to an acceptable level — a need totaling nearly $6.4 billion over the next 20 years. That level of funding is nearly triple the state’s current financial reserves and quadruple the amount of new money legislators injected into road funding during the 2016 General Assembly.

 

“The new study has helped evaluate the situation so now we know the real cost of fixing the problem,” noted Ed Ebert, senior director of Grain Production and Utilization. “And, awareness of the impact crumbling roads and deficient bridges have, not only on our corn and soybean farmers but also on all rural businesses and residents, should help local communities and state leaders understand the need.”

 

The “UpVest Indiana” campaign shares the newly released research data and asks farmers and rural citizens to share their stories of how important rural infrastructure is to their future. Since 2009, ISA and ICMC have invested checkoff dollars in research of Indiana’s rural roads and bridges as Indiana’s corn and soybean farmers depend on the infrastructure to get their grain from farm to field and field to market.

 

To learn more about the “UpVest Indiana” campaign and to share your story, visit www.upvestindiana.com

 

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — The National Corn Growers Assoc. invites farmers to become a part of the change they desire by actively honing their leadership skills through the NCGA Leadership Academy, part of Syngenta’s Leadership at Its Best Program. Growers must be nominated by their state corn association for either program. Interested members should contact their state associations now for further information and get completed applications in to state offices by the end of May.

 

“Since it began in 1986, Leadership at Its Best has trained strong, confident volunteers who have helped shape the industry through their subsequent work at the state and national level,” said NCGA President Wesley Spurlock.

 

“Having met so many farmers who feel similarly, I know that the desire to give back to their peers motivates an incredible number of farmers to look for service opportunities. NCGA depends upon this grassroots leadership, and I can personally attest that the time and effort dedicated are repaid in full through the incredible relationships built with like-minded individuals.”

 

Open to all NCGA membership, Leadership at Its Best provides training to interested volunteers of all skill levels. The first session, held in August in Minneapolis, Minn., addresses personal communications skills, public speaking and association management. The second session, which will be held in January 2018, addresses public policy issues, working with the Hill and parliamentary procedure. Through this program, participants build the skill set needed to become a more confident public speaker with a solid background in the procedures and processes used by NCGA and many state organizations. Those interested should contact their state corn organization, which will submit nominees for the program. To learn more, visit http://bit.ly/2py9Ydc

 

 

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The wet spring weather may be keeping most corn farmers out of the fields lately, but it shouldn’t keep them from gathering a water sample while tile lines are running.

 

Illinois Corn-backed water testing sites are up and running across the state offering free, confidential nitrate testing for anyone that brings in a sample. The results represent just a snapshot in time of the nitrate concentration. If an estimate of water volume flow is also available, the data can be interpreted to indicate a total nitrogen loss from the drained acreage.

 

“We’re really encouraging our members and all corn farmers to bring in at least one water sample to be tested,” said Justin Durdan, Illinois Corn Growers Assoc. president. “It’s difficult to establish a strategy for nutrient management on your farm if you don’t have any idea where you’re starting.”

  

ICGA supports voluntary best management practices (BMPs) to limit nutrient loss from corn farms. Those BMPs can come from a suite of choices including spring nitrogen application including a post-plant application, cover crops, constructed wetlands, or bioreactors, to name a few.

 

“We know that each farm has individual circumstances and that the farmer is the person that’s best situated to make the strategy for that ground,” Durdan said. “What works for one person in one area probably won’t work the same for someone else, but what we do know at ICGA is that every corn acre needs at least one BMP in order for us to meet the expectations of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy.”

 

A complete list of the Illinois Cornsupported water testing sites is available on the ICGA website at www.ilcorn.org/nutrientstrategy. There is no cost for the testing. The results are not recorded and remain confidential. The testing program is for farm water including water coming from tile lines and other water drainage mechanisms, ponds and streams. It is not intended for well water or drinking water sources.

 

A water sample should be in a volume of at least eight ounces and taken in a clean container, free of any residual  chemicals or detergents. Collect the water sample as close to testing time as possible, or at least within 48 hours, and refrigerated until testing time. Samples may be frozen and thawed ahead of testing day to accommodate schedules or when the tile is running. A complete set of sample collection instructions and a flow calculator can be found on the Illinois Council on Best Management Practices website at www.illinoiscbmp.org/water-testing.