Four of the five interns will be hosted by national cooperators of NCB: National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) in St. Louis, MO and Washington, D.C., the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) in Denver, CO. The internship program in the NCB office in Lincoln is a year-long internship and has been engaging students for over 25 years.

“The cooperators of the Corn Board are very pleased with the college student interns that come out of Nebraska, which is why they are requested year after year,” said Don Hutchens, executive director for the Nebraska Corn Board. “Our board has observed the educational and career advantages that internships provide and consider internships as an investment into Nebraska’s agricultural future. Plus, it is great work experience for these Nebraska students.”

The NCB office in Lincoln welcomed Lauren Ibach of Sumner, Neb. for a year-long internship. Lauren will be a junior in agriculture education at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. As part of her internship, she will oversee crop progress report placement, contribute to communication and outreach programs and help with education and promotion activities.

The National Corn Growers Association office in Washington, D.C. will host Kyle McGinn of Lincoln, Neb. as their summer intern supported by a partnership between NCB and NCGA. Kyle is a student in at the University of Nebraska-College of Law. He will be involved with a variety of agricultural issues related to environmental regulations, transportation, free trade agreements, biotechnology, ethanol and energy.

The National Corn Growers Association headquarters office in St. Louis, Mo. will host Casey Campbell of Santa Fe, New Mexico as their summer intern supported by a partnership between NCB and NCGA. Casey will be a junior in agricultural education at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. She will be assisting with membership and communication programs, as well as participating in committee meetings.

The U.S. Grains Council will host Bryce Vaughn of Alliance, Neb. as their summer intern supported by a partnership between NCB and USGC. Bryce is a senior in agriculture economics with a focus in public policy and a minor in international studies at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. He will be working with policy, assisting with international trade teams and helping to develop promotions and international relations.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation will host Michael Chao of Lincoln, Neb. as their summer intern supported by a partnership between NCB and USMEF. Michael is a graduate student in meat science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He will be assisting with beef and pork specific projects, as well as promotions and international relationship opportunities.

The Nebraska Corn Board’s market development, research, promotion and education programs are funded and managed by Nebraska corn farmers. Producers invest at a rate of 1/2 of a cent per bushel of corn sold.

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NOTE: Hi-res photos of the interns are available for download at Nebraska Corn Board’s Flickr Page under the “2013 Interns” set.

Soil temperatures as of Sunday were 55 degrees and higher throughout the state. Statewide topsoil moisture levels rated 39% very short or short while subsoil moisture rated 82% very short or short.

As of this week we have 2% of planted corn emerged which is well behind last year’s 52%.

For more pictures visit our Flickr page

Soil temperatures were above 50 degrees in the western two thirds of the state while the rest was still in the high 40′s.

Topsoil moisture supply rated 36% very short or short while subsoil moisture rated 84% very short or short.

To see more Crop Progress pictures, visit our Flickr page.

To follow some of the planting news on Twitter, follow #plant13!

The corn seeds aren’t planted very deeply so as to assure that they can make it through the topsoil.

Near Fullerton, the weather was nice enough that planting was able to begin!

Amazing to think that in five months this seed will become a plant over 6 feet tall!

The Nebraska Corn Board received a $5,000 DuPont Pioneer grant for an iPad for agriculture education project and the board matched these funds for a total of $10,000 to purchase iPads.

From January 1 to February 28, 2013 the Nebraska Corn Board accepted applications for their iPad grant program. Teachers completed an application and then submitted an essay, photo or video explaining why they should receive an iPad for their classroom. In total over 50 applications were received.

Applications were received from across Nebraska including Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, Hastings, St. Edward, Blue Hill, Bertrand, David City, Holdrege, Randolph, Madison, and many more.

“We were excited and overwhelmed by all the applications we received,” said Mark Jagels, District two director for the Nebraska Corn Board. “We know agriculture education is lacking in the classroom and our goal is to reach more students and allow teachers to feel comfortable with agriculture material.”

“Narrowing down the applications to the top twenty was very difficult. It is unfortunate we were not able to award each applicant with an iPad at this time,” said Jagels.

Schools in Kearney, Holdrege, Bertrand, Norfolk, Murray, Curtis, Plainview, St. Edward, Omaha, David City and Crofton will be receiving iPads this fall.

The Nebraska Corn Board will provide a list of agriculture apps, suggest webpages to bookmark, will go into the classroom two times per school year, and will send out a monthly eAgletter as part of the iPad program. If your school would like to be added to the monthly eAgletter, email ncb.info@nebraska.gov.

Several videos that were part of the applications can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCobSquad

LINCOLN, NE

“Farmers make this multi-billion dollar investment every spring in the hope of producing more corn per acre, as they strive to improve every year,” said Kelly Brunkhorst, the Nebraska Corn Board’s director of research.

Good prices are the market signal for more corn acres, yet planting numbers can change depending on springtime weather. Last year’s March estimate, for example, was higher than previous years’ planted acres which came in at 10 million acres, the most since 1933.

Nationally, USDA said farmers intend to plant 97.3 million acres this year, up slightly from last year’s 97.1 million acres. If realized, it will be the most planted acres in the United States since 1936 when an estimated 102 million acres were planted.

“On the top of farmer’s minds is getting this year’s crop into the ground, but the below normal temperatures and lingering drought will probably delay this year’s start to the planting season,” Brunkhorst said.  “This is completely opposite of the situation farmers faced last year.”

Historically in Nebraska, farmers begin planting in mid-April and wrap up as quickly as possible in May.

On average, farmers spend about $280 per acre to get the crop in the ground and off to a good start, based on estimates calculated by the University of Nebraska Extension. Multiplied by the 9.9 million acres USDA estimates Nebraska farmers will plant this year; provides the nearly $2.8 billion investment by the state’s corn farmers. That figure does not include land costs, labor or equipment – it’s purely inputs like seed and fertilizer.

“Those are the things farmers buy every year from their cooperative or other companies,” Brunkhorst said. “If you figure a 2.5 multiplier, the full economic impact of planting reaches some $7.0 billion. Yet the economic value of that crop is even greater, when harvested and that corn is converted to meat, milk and eggs, ethanol, distillers grains, bioplastics and more. Corn is the foundation for all of that, so getting the crop in the ground and off to a good start this spring is critical. Then it’s up to the weather through the growing season to harvest.”

USDA today also reported corn stocks, or the amount of corn in storage in Nebraska and across the country. Nationally, stocks as of March 1 were 5.4 billion bushels, down 10 percent from last year.

In Nebraska, there were 589.7 million bushels in storage as of March 1, 14 percent less than a year ago. Of that, 285 million bushels were stored on farms, and 304.7 million were stored off-farm.

The agricultural awards pay tribute to outstanding representatives of Nebraska’s grain elevator, livestock, and ethanol industries. Additional recognition goes to a member of the Nebraska media and to recognize overall achievement in agriculture.

The Ag Achievement Award annually honors those who have supported and expanded Nebraska agriculture over the long term. This year’s award was presented to two recipients: State Senator Tom Carlson of Holdrege and Rick Leonard, research analyst for the Agriculture Committee of the Nebraska Legislature.

Senator Carlson was instrumental in helping pass the legislation that allowed the corn checkoff rate in Nebraska to increase to a level that is better aligned with the current state of the corn industry and with the challenges and opportunities that exist for Nebraska corn farmers. Carlson has also been a leader in exploring ways to help commodity checkoff programs and other agriculture organizations in the state work more efficiently and cooperatively.

Leonard conducted the critical background work required to introduce legislation in support of the corn checkoff revision. He was also involved in the interim study that looked at changes in the structure of the Nebraska Corn Board and continues to be engaged in the legislative process in this regard.

The Elevator Industry Appreciation Award was presented to George Hohwieler, CEO of Aurora Cooperative, headquartered in Aurora, Nebraska. Hohwieler was recognized for his company’s commitment to agriculture and to the development of young people in agriculture. He was also supportive of partnering with Nebraska corn farmers for the Red Cross grain donation program. With this, he supported sending two of his board members with the Corn Board to Japan for relief efforts and a Nebraska corn-fed beef trade mission after the earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

The Livestock Industry Appreciation Award was given to Willow Holoubek, organizational director for the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN). Holoubek has been a champion for animal agriculture in Nebraska, helping consumers appreciate the value of the livestock industry in the state—and supporting efforts to expand livestock production in Nebraska.

The Ethanol Industry Appreciation Award was presented to Seth Harder, plant manager at Husker Ag, LLC of Plainview, Nebraska. He was recognized for his leadership in working with retailers to install flex fuel pumps in northeast Nebraska and for his involvement and engagement in ethanol advocacy groups on both a statewide and national basis.

The Media Appreciation Award was presented to Robert Pore of the Grand Island (Neb.) Independent. Pore was recognized for his commitment and depth of understanding of agriculture and biofuels issues—and his ability to effectively communicate these stories with the general public.

The Nebraska Corn Board is responsible for investing the corn checkoff dollars contributed by Nebraska’s 23,000 corn farmers and managing programs focused on market development, research, education, and promotion.

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Editor’s Note: Below is additional information about each of the award recipients. Pictures can be found on http://www.flickr.com/photos/necornboard/under the “2013 Meetings and Awards” set.

AWARD RECIPIENT BIOS

Senator Tom Carlson
A native of Holdrege, Nebraska, Senator Carlson was elected to the Nebraska Legislature in 2006 to serve Nebraska’s 38th legislative district and re-elected in 2010. He received his bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Northern Colorado and his doctorate from the University of Iowa.

He is a financial advisor currently, with a career path that has included positions as a college professor, football coach and baseball coach.

Senator Carlson is the 2nd vice chair of the Midwestern Legislative Conference and serves on the executive committee, economic development committee and the innovations selections committee of that body as well. He is a national committeeman for the Nebraska Federation of Young Republicans. He has also served on the Holdrege District 44 school board.

He and his wife Margo have three children and four grandchildren.

Rick Leonard
Rick Leonard is a twenty-five-year veteran of the Nebraska Legislature’s staff, beginning as a legislative aide to former state senator Lowell Johnson in 1988. Since February 1996, he has served as Research Analyst for the Agriculture Committee under the Chairmanships of Senator Merton “Cap” Dierks, Senator Bob Kremer, Senator Philip Erdman, Senator Tom Carlson and current chair, Senator Ken Schilz. Rick’s career in legislative government began as a member of the Washington, D.C. staff of former Congresswoman Virginia Smith from 1986 – 1988.

Rick received a B.A. in Political Science from Kearney State College in 1986, and has taken advanced coursework in paralegal studies and Community and Regional Planning at Nebraska Wesleyan University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. During 1998 and 1999, Rick also provided research support as a graduate assistant for the Nebraska Groundwater Foundation through the UNL Water Center for the Foundation’s participation in the Water Sector Analysis Team of the first U.S. National Assessment of the Impacts of Global Climate Change completed in 1999. Excerpts of his work are included in the final report of the Water Sector Analysis Team and he is also co-author of an article on the topic of climate change published in the April, 2000 edition of the Journal of the American Water Resources Association.

Rick graduated from Wheatland High School in Perkins County in 1979. His parents, Dick and Betty Jo Leonard, at one time lived on and managed a farming/ranching operation near Elsie, Nebraska and later operated the grain elevator in Elsie.

George Hohwieler
George Hohwieler is the president and CEO of Aurora Cooperative in Aurora, Nebraska—a position he has held since 2002. A native of Chester, South Dakota, he received his bachelor of science degree in animal science from South Dakota State University and a masters of business administration from the University of Nebraska.

After graduating from South Dakota State, Hohwieler began an 18-year career with Sandoz/Novartis/Syngenta, working in seed production, corporate administration, and special projects.

Hohwieler has served on various civic, church and school committees and task forces. He and his wife, Nancy, have three sons.

Willow Holoubek
Willow Holoubek serves as the Executive Director for the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN). Through her work, Willow strives to continue to raise consumer awareness and trust in Nebraska farmers and ranchers and the food they grow. Her mission is to promote and support responsible livestock development and retention in Nebraska.

Born and raised in the Sandhills of western Nebraska, Willow has deep roots in agriculture. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in animal science from the University of Nebraska and is a graduate of the Nebraska Leadership Education/Action Development (LEAD) Program (Class XXVI). Willow and her family operate a grain and livestock farm near David City where they raise purebred Angus cattle, corn, soybeans and dairy quality alfalfa.

Robert Pore
Robert Pore is a general reporter with an emphasis on agriculture for the Grand Island (Nebr.) Independent, joining that newspaper in 2003. He was born in San Francisco and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He received his bachelors degree in English/Journalism from Northwest Missouri State University.

Prior to joining the staff at the Independent, he spent ten years with The Plainsman in Huron, SD. He has also worked for newspapers in Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Arkansas. Pore has been the recipient of numerous local, state and national press honors.

Seth Harder
Since 2006, Harder has been the general manager of Husker Ag, LLC, a 75-million-gallon ethanol plant in Plainview, Nebraska. Prior to becoming general manager, he served as production manager and plant manager. He also worked as a plant trainer and start-up technician for ICM of Colwich, Kansas.

Prior to joining Husker Ag, Harder was employed by Kuester Hay Company, building and operating a private two million gallon-per-year ethanol plant. He currently serves as president of the Association of Nebraska Ethanol Producers. He is executive director for Laurel BIO Composites, which manufactures biocomposite fillers from dried distillers grains; and is a board member for Wood Solutions, a sawmill/wood shaving company in Osmond.

He holds an associate degree in agriculture from Northeast Community College and a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Wayne State College. Harder also serves as a curriculum advisor for Northeast Community College in Norfolk.

Nebraska’s corn farmers invest a half-cent per bushel of corn in the Nebraska corn checkoff program. These funds are managed and invested by the nine-member Nebraska Corn Board, who are corn farmers themselves. Farmers’ checkoff investments in market development, research, education and promotion have leveraged Nebraska’s strength in corn production into economic vitality all across the state.

In recent years, Nebraska corn checkoff investments have increased in the area of consumer education and communication. “Growing global demand for food, feed and fuel has raised the profile of agriculture,” said Tim Scheer, a St. Paul, Nebraska, farmer who serves as chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board. “As a result, it has become critically important for those of us in agriculture to tell our story in order to combat the myths and misinformation that are being circulated by groups and individuals who have an anti-agriculture agenda.”

In addition to Nebraska-focused communications programs, Nebraska corn checkoff dollars support a number of consumer outreach programs that involve collaborations with other state and national agriculture organizations to better leverage checkoff investments. These initiatives include:

• CommonGround, a national effort which features women in agriculture having conversations with female consumers about farming and food.

• U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, a coalition of more than 80 agricultural organizations nationwide focused on engaging with consumers regarding food production, stewardship, and food safety.

• Farmers Feed US, a program led by the Center for Food Integrity that connects farmers and ranchers with consumers through the Internet.

• A major NASCAR sponsorship, which has raised the profile of American ethanol as a clean-burning, renewable, domestic fuel source.

In addition to consumer education initiatives, Nebraska corn checkoff dollars are invested in research and market development programs designed to expand the use and value of Nebraska corn in the areas of livestock production, biofuels and new uses for corn. “Nebraska corn checkoff dollars helped get the ethanol industry established and bring jobs and economic development to rural Nebraska,” Scheer said. “We remain focused on growing demand for biofuels as well as on research related to the next innovations in biofuels and other uses of corn that can replace petroleum-based products.”

Supporting the state’s livestock industry is also a key component of Nebraska Corn Board investment as checkoff dollars support research and promotion of Nebraska’s beef, dairy, pork and poultry industries. A particular emphasis is placed on the use of distillers grains (a co-product of ethanol production) in livestock rations. “With distillers grains, we are able to provide a high-quality feed product for our livestock customers while also producing a renewable domestic fuel for America,” Scheer said. “Ethanol production transforms corn into fuel, food and feed.”

Nebraska corn checkoff dollars also go to support the efforts of the U.S. Meat Export Federation and the U.S. Grains Council, organizations focused on building export markets for corn, corn products and corn-fed red meat. “While domestic use of corn has been on the rise, we cannot ignore the fact that the majority of the world’s population lives outside the United States,” Scheer added. “As other nations improve their standard of living, they will need more protein, grain and fuel. Nebraska can be a global leader in meeting this demand—and we can build economic vitality in our state as a result,” Scheer said.

For more information on Nebraska’s corn checkoff program, visit www.nebraskacorn.org.

The Nebraska Corn Board’s market development, research, promotion and education programs are funded and managed by Nebraska corn farmers. Producers invest at a rate of 1/2 of a cent per bushel of corn sold.

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The board will address regular board business and consider funding requests.  The meeting is open to the public.  A copy of the agenda is available by writing the Nebraska Corn Board, PO Box 95107, Lincoln, NE  68509, or calling either 402/471-2676 or 800-NECORN1.

The Nebraska Corn Board’s market development, research, promotion and education programs are funded and managed by Nebraska corn farmers. Producers invest at a rate of 1/2 of a cent per bushel of corn sold.

District #1 Counties of Butler, Saunders, Douglas, Sarpy, Seward, Lancaster, Cass, Otoe, Saline, Jefferson, Gage, Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee, and Richardson (Note: David Nielsen, the current District 1 director, has indicated that he will pursue reappointment.)

District #4 Counties of Knox, Cedar, Dixon, Dakota, Pierce, Wayne, Thurston, Madison, Stanton, Cuming, Burt, Colfax, Dodge, and Washington (Note: Bob Dickey, the current District 4 director, has indicated that he will pursue reappointment.)

District #5 Counties of Sherman, Howard, Dawson, Buffalo and Hall (Note: Tim Scheer, the current District 5 director, has indicated that he will pursue reappointment.)

Appointments to the board for Districts 1, 4 and 5 are made by the Governor. Any candidate for appointment may place his or her name on the candidacy list by filing a petition with the Nebraska Corn Board. Qualified candidates include those individuals who are citizens of Nebraska, are at least 21 years old, have been actively engaged in growing corn in Nebraska for a period of five years, and derive a substantial portion of their income from growing corn. Board members who currently represent these districts are also eligible to re-petition.

Petitions may be obtained by writing the Nebraska Corn Board, P.O. Box 95107, Lincoln, NE 68509-5107 or by calling (800) 632-6761 or email janet.miller@nebraska.gov. A candidacy petition must carry the signatures of at least 50 corn producers from that district. All petitions must be received by the Corn Board no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 17, 2013. Faxed copies do not qualify.

Robert White, director of market development from the Renewable Fuel Association, will be the presenter. He will give an overview of the steps necessary to offer E15, which is approved for 2001 and newer vehicles, equipment options, considerations and configurations, and blender pumps 101. In addition, the federal infrastructure tax credit and other incentives to assist with installing blender pumps will be discussed.

“There is a lot of misinformation about blender pumps and E15 such as requirements for ethanol plants and fuel retailers that is coming from various sources. This meeting is necessary to get the right information to the right people,” said White. “We want to see more blender pumps and more E15 available in Nebraska.”

David Merrell, District 7 director on the Nebraska Corn Board, said, “Over 70% of the vehicles on the road can use E15 but the ethanol infrastructure isn’t available right now. The Nebraska Corn Board is pleased to take a leading role in ethanol infrastructure and E15 development.”

This stakeholder’s meeting is sponsored by the Blend Your Own (BYO) ethanol campaign. BYO is a campaign funded by 12 corn producing states including Nebraska, the Renewable Fuels Association, and the American Coalition for Ethanol to promote ethanol and install blender pumps across the country.

For more information about this meeting or to reserve your seat, contact Kim Clark, director of biofuels development for the Nebraska Corn Board at kim.clark@nebraska.gov or phone, 402-471-2676.