Cobcast: Inside the Grind with the National Corn Growers Association

The NCGA National Corn Yield Contest is an annual tradition that dates back to 1965.

But in that time, no one has had quite the sustained success as Charles City, Virginia’s David Hula, who has won the contest with record-setting yields on four separate occasions.

In this episode, we talk to David about his formula for success, which includes a combination of precisely-targeted fertilizer applications and a blend of strip-till and no-till.

Plus, we discuss the unique environmental challenges he faces as he works tirelessly to preserve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and how his farm traces its historic roots back to a time when growers planted a dead catfish with their corn seed. 

150 years of experience, at the very highest levels of the agriculture industry, was on display at the Commodity Classic Executives Round Table a few weeks ago.

As leaders from the five Commodity Classic presenting organizations, these five executives have their fingers on the pulse of the agriculture world and the iissues that affect farmers.

Panel members included:

Together, we discussed policy, supply chain, sustainability, infrastructure, biofuels, precision ag, the next Farm Bill, and just about every other issue facing the ag industry today.

And in this episode, we bring you that discussion in its entirety.

The Mississippi River transports 60 percent of American corn and soybean exports to market. The massive barges that ply America’s waterways are more cost-effective than any other form of transportation, and also play a role in getting vital inputs to growers.

And yet, much of the infrastructure that makes this possible hasn’t been updated since the 1930’s… until now.

In this episode, we talk about a key win for the NCGA and other groups who have spent decades pushing Congress to act on this critical infrastructure problem.

Joining us are Jim Tarmann, the managing director with Illinois Corn Growers, and Tracy Zea, the president and CEO of the Waterways Council, which is an association dedicated to advocating for a modern national system of inland waterway infrastructure. 

We discuss how we got to this point, what it means for growers in the Midwest, and what comes next.

Chip Flory is sometimes called the Voice of Rural America.

Host of the AgriTalk radio program and podcast, he brings ag news, policy updates and expert insights to a network of more than 135 radio stations across the U.S.

So in this episode, we flip the script on Chip, interviewing him at the National Corn Growers Association booth on the show floor at Commodity Classic.

Plus, we finally settle, once and for all, who’s the biggest music buff—Chip Flory or NCGA CEO Jon Doggett—with a classic rock trivia contest for the ages. 

Heightened tensions in Eastern Europe have dominated the news lately, as Russia seems poised to invade Ukraine.

As a result of this and other global flashpoints, the unstable geopolitical climate is creating uncertainty in the world of agriculture, and growers are already feeling the effects.

So in this episode, we’re talking to Colonel Mark Purdy, the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Aimpoint Research, about how food security is vital to national security.

We’ll sort out the context of the showdown in Eastern Europe, explore scenarios for what’s likely to happen, and provide some insight about what this could mean for growers here in the U.S.

Most importantly, we’ll revisit how food power is vital to national security in the U.S. 

Last year was a mixed bag of news for the nation’s corn growers.

Corn prices climbed, but so did input costs. News about supply lines, infrastructure and politics came fast and heavy.

And 2022 is giving every indication of continuing on that chaotic, breakneck pace.

So in this episode, we check in with NCGA President Chris Edgington to hear how all these big national news stories have impacted his operation in Iowa, what lessons he learned in 2021 and what growers need to know to thrive in 2022. 

Bipartisanship is how things get done in Washington, and what holds us together as Americans. So how’s that going in our nation’s capital?

“Things are not good, from a bipartisan perspective right now,” Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson from South Dakota tells us in this episode.

And Democrat Abigail Spanberger from Virginia agrees.

As members of the bipartisan “Problem Solvers’ Caucus,” these two Congresspeople have developed a reputation for trying to work together instead of tear one another down.

But they can’t do it alone. And so in this episode, they join us once again to discuss how Americans can help bring compromise back, and why it’s important for the corn industry AND the nation.

With harvest season winding down, NCGA members are observing another fall milestone—the induction of a new NCGA president, Chris Edgington.

Administratively speaking, NCGA’s “new year” began on October 1.

And, hailing from St. Ansgar, Iowa, Chris has been sworn in to lead the organization in the year ahead.

So in this episode, we’re going to get to know him a little bit better… his operation, what drives him to lead, and what he sees as the biggest hurdles that growers face in the year ahead. 

After a long day in the field, there's no reward like a tender juicy corn-fed cut of steak.

And it's made all the sweeter by the fact that the US beef industry is one of the largest consumers of American corn.

So, in this episode, we're going to talk to two beef industry leaders, Collin Woodall from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and Nicole Erceg from Certified Angus Beef, about how corn growers can be good partners to the beef industry, what it means to meet modern consumer expectations, and how you might be cooking your steaks wrong.

As Nicole notes, sustainability is a team sport. And with consumer expectations evolving year in and year out, close partnerships between corn growers and beef producers are more important than ever before.

Colin shared his favorite recipe for Grilled Cowboy Steaks.

And Nicole invites you to:

·        Access more than 500 chef-tested recipes at CertifiedAngusBeef.com

·        Follow Certified Angus Beef Test Kitchen on YouTube for recipes, how-tos and technique videos

The Field of Dreams is an iconic movie for baseball fans and corn growers alike, and the image of an idyllic baseball diamond set amongst the Iowa corn stalks has endured now for decades.

But this summer, the NCGA had the opportunity to be part of Major League Baseball’s plan to bring baseball back to that field in Dyersville.

And on this episode, we’ll relive the event with Ron Kittle, former White Sox outfielder and 1983 AL Rookie of the Year, as well as NCGA President John Linder.

Together with Jon and Dusty, they'll revisit the planning that made this special event possible, share stories from game day and explore Ron's career in Major League baseball. Plus, John Linder shares the tale of his run-in with actor Kevin Costner at the game itself.