The overall quality of the 2012 U.S. corn crop is high and improves upon last year's very good marks across a range of test factors, according to the U.S. Grains Council's Corn Harvest Quality Report 2012/13. Total U.S. corn production fell in 2012 due to the worst drought in decades, but despite the drought, this year's crop showed a year-over-year improvement in average text weight, protein levels, and density, as well as lower moisture and BCFM than the 2011 crop. The full report is now available at www.grains.org.

This is the second year for the Council's Harvest Report. The Harvest Report assess the quality of the U.S. crop as it is delivered from farms to local elevators, the first step in entering international marketing channels.  It will be followed in April 2013 by the second annual Corn Export Cargo Quality Report, which assess quality at the point of export.

The Council produces the reports so global importers will have access to reliable and comparable data from year to year, with samples being gathered and tested using transparent and consistent methods. "With an increasingly competitive global market, the availability of accurate information is in the long-term best interest of U.S. farmers, exporters and international buyers," said Erick Erickson, USGC director of global strategies. "We received a tremendously positive response to the inaugural reports from international buyers, so certainly there is a need for this type of information."

For the harvest quality report, samples of U.S. corn were gathered from 12 states that combined are the source for 99 percent of U.S. corn exports. Tests conducted on the samples cover grading factors like test weight, physical factors such as stress cracks and other items such as moisture, protein starch, oil and mycotoxins.

"The samples tested demonstrate that this year's U.S. corn crop, while smaller due to the drought, is of outstanding quality overall," Erickson said.

Data indicates the average test weight for the 2012/13 crop was 58.8 pounds per bushel, an increase over 2011 and more than 2 pounds per bushel above the grade limit for No. 1 U.S. corn. At the same time, broken corn and foreign material (BCFM) was lower, as were the number of damaged kernels. Moisture, at 15.3 percent, was also lower than last year.

"Protein numbers were generally higher, starch was marginally lower and oil content was unchanged," Erickson said.

The frequency of stress cracks, which indicate the relative susceptibility of kernels to break up during handling, are up marginally (from 3 percent last year to 4 percent this year), which could be an indicator that the crop will be more susceptible to breakage during handling, information that may turn up in the Corn Export Cargo Quality Report in the spring.

Erickson noted that the Council's Corn Harvest Quality Report 2012/13 only assesses the quality of the current U.S. corn harvest as it enters merchandising channels, as quality can be affected by further handling, blending, storage conditions and other downstream factors.

The full report is available at the U.S. Grains Council website, www.grains.org, and from the Council's international offices.

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The U.S. Grains Council is a private, non-profit partnership of farmers and agribusinesses committed to building and expanding international markets for U.S. barley, corn, grain sorghum and their products. The Council is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has nine international offices that oversee programs in more than 50 countries. Financial support from our private industry members, including state checkoffs, agribusinesses, state entities and others, triggers federal matching funds from the USDA resulting in a combined program value of more than $28.3 million.

The U.S. Grains Council does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation or marital/family status. Persons with disabilities, who require alternative means for communication of program information, should contact the U.S. Grains Council

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to focus on lowering Russian barriers to U.S. agricultural products including beef, pork and poultry during a trip to Russia next week.

"U.S. farmers deserve to be treated fairly by our international trading partners.  You have an opportunity next week to continue advancing that case for our farmers," Grassley wrote to Under Secretary Michael Scuse of the Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Scuse will lead a mission to promote U.S. agricultural exports to Russia, Dec. 3 to Dec. 7.  Representatives from the states of Idaho, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Kansas, as well as 23 American companies, will attend.

Grassley said the United States has missed key opportunities to address Russia's unscientific barriers to U.S. agricultural products including beef, pork and poultry.  A prime opportunity was prior to Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization.  As Congress moves closer to allowing Russia to have Permanent Normal Trade Relations status, the Obama administration needs to keep the pressure on Russia to eliminate safety standards not supported by sound science, Grassley said.

As the U.S. Department of Agriculture notes, agricultural trade between the United States and Russia is significant.  The two-way trade was valued at roughly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2012, with American farm exports accounting for 97 percent of the total.  Last year, U.S. beef, pork and poultry exports collectively ranked second only to aircraft engines in total U.S. export value to Russia.

The text of today's letter is available here.  A June letter to President Obama from Grassley and 33 other senators on Russian barriers to U.S. agricultural products is available here.

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - Nov. 20, 2012 - The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) is proud to welcome Farm Bureau employees to new roles this fall.

Jim Gardner has been named IFBF chief financial officer and controller, following the retirement of Jim Christenson.  Gardner will be responsible for directing all financial and technology affairs of the federation; including finance and accounting, information resources and community resources. He will serve as a member of the IFBF executive team and represent the federation on the affiliated companies' benefits administration committee.

Gardner has been a member of the Farm Bureau family since 1996, serving as the finance and accounting manager. He has worked extensively with the county Farm Bureaus and spearheaded the new county accounting system. He serves as a member of the Insurable Risk, Investment and Exempt Hay committees.

Prior to joining IFBF, Gardner served as audit manager with Meriwether, Wilson and Co., P.L.C. in West Des Moines. He currently serves as treasurer of the Iowa FFA Foundation Finance Committee and chairs its finance committee.

Gardner has also served on the boards of directors of the Iowa Farm Bureau Foundation Council, Dallas Center-Grimes Youth Football, First Presbyterian Church in Grimes, Valley Apparel Co. in Cedar Rapids, and the Wakonda Christian Church in Des Moines.

Gardner became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1987 and earned his bachelor of arts degree in accounting from the University of Northern Iowa.

IFBF also welcomes a new staff member to the organization's field service team. Jeremy Coyle has been named Regional Manager for region 11, which includes the counties of Boone, Dallas, Greene, Polk and Story. Coyle will work with county officers, committees and members to help develop and carry out program activities, organize and assist with the annual membership campaign and supervise the operation of county Farm Bureau offices in the region.

Coyle grew up on a grain and livestock farm near Pisgah in western Iowa.  He is a graduate of Iowa State University where he majored in journalism and mass communications with an electronic media emphasis. Coyle joined IFBF in 1997 and served as the senior producer/writer.

Aaron Siskow joins the Marketing and Communications staff as producer of digital multimedia services. Siskow comes to the IFBF with nine years of experience in the video and digital multimedia field. He was most recently the senior multimedia developer for Farm Bureau Financial Services.

Siskow has extensive experience in writing, producing and directing video and digital multimedia communications. He is the winner of an Iowa Motion Picture Award of Excellence for Lighting Design and the winner of a Research Excellence Award for his outstanding research accomplishments in Iowa State's graduate program.

In his new position, Siskow will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of IFBF's video/digital multimedia services including the creation of IFBF's multimedia presentations, video and television and radio content, helping to share agriculture's story to our members and all Iowans.

Siskow grew up in Sheffield and is a graduate of Iowa State University, where he studied journalism, earning a bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees.

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