CfrUncMtar Farming. Saturday, April 30, 1994 ST. LOUIS, Mo.—Com grow ers, though busy with Held work, are showing support for ethanol and a potential 500 million bushel market for the crop they are plant ing. “Since com farmers all across* the country are now either in the field or getting ready to go, we thought it would be ideal to let the President know just how import ant this ethanol market is by send ing seed tags from the farm with a handwritten note,” said Pete Wen strand, an Essex, lowa com farmer and president of the National Com Growers Association (NCGA). By June, the U.S. Environment al Protection Agency (EPA) is ex pected to issue a final rule on the Renewable Oxygenate Require ment (ROR) of the Clean Air Act’s Reformulated Gasoline (RFC) program. The RFG pro gram requires major urban areas to reduce carbon monoxide levels to acceptable tolerances. Under ROR, the Clinton Administration is proposing that 30 percent of the oxygenates required in reformu lated gasoline come from renew able fuels such as ethanol. NCGA estimates ROR may generate ad ditional demand for ethanol re quiring as much as 500 trillion bushels of com. 'This is a unique opportunity to expand consumer demand for ethanol,” said Pete Wenstrand. “It’s critical that com growers ful ly demonstrate their support for die ROR initiative. Even at this late date, ‘big oil’ and petroleum Com Growers Help To Secure interests would love to derail etha nol. Already attempts are being made to ‘water down’ or eliminate the ROR. Com growers aren’t go ing to let this happen. Ethanol, a renewable fuel with proven en vironmental benefits, has earned the right to compete fairly in the marketplace.” NCGA, along with 24 state-af filiated com grower associations and numerous other farm organi zations, is sponsoring a seed tag drive. From Minnesota to Missis sippi, com growers plan to flood the White House with com seed tags bearing* words of support for ethanol. Many of the messages point out that each bag of seed com represents more than 750 gal lons of ethanol. Farmers are encouraged to send notes that say something like, “Mr. President, the seed from this bag will produce 750 gallons of renewable ethanol. We support your proposal, don’t let us down.” Or. “Mr. President, each tag repre sents about 300 bushels of com. Renewable ethanol provides a market for that com, please don’t let us down.” Com growers are encouraging agribusinesses to support the seed tag drive. In lowa, elevators are displaying posters urging farmers to participate. Also, seed compan ies are alerting their customers to the pressing need to support ethanol. “The Clinton Administra tion needs to know farmers are monitoring progress on the ROR initiative even during the busy The Solution to l",£ Bottom Unloader NSfII ffßWß**- from the Unloader Expert Your Jamesway Dealer has loads of information—including an in-depth video—about Big Jim 8.U.C.5., the Bottom Unloader Conversion System by Jamesway See how you can get faster unloading, increased capacity, better quality feed and reduced p; "'»»■ w r *• - a&fjliAs' planting season.” said Wpnstrand. Also, Congress is leahiing the “good word” about ethanol. On April 18. NCGA, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Na tional Farmer’s Union are co sponsoring an ad ii\ Washington, DC’s “Roll Call” newspaper. The Bottle ALBANY, N.Y. One of the key players in the fight for the original bottle bill is saying that the unreclaimed bottle deposits should be used for solid waste management and water quality initiatives. The 23,000-member New York Farm Bureau believes that the unreclaimed S-cent bottle deposits estimated to be more than $7O million a year—should be used to fund county recycling programs, landfill closures, and the state’s non-point source pollution control program. “Reducing the waste stream through local recycling efforts and funding non-point source pollu tion programs are important envir onmental priorities that should be addressed,” said NYFB President Charles Wille. “Farmers are this country’s original environmental ists and believe strongly in pro- Ethanol’s Future ad reminds legislators that ‘Re newable,’ (the ‘good word’ in the Renewable Oxygenate Require ment), provides substantial bene fits including economic security, support for American agriculture, cost effectiveness and safety, more American jobs and cleaner Bill Backer Urges Use Of Deposits tecting the environment for future generations. That is why Farm Bureau has been so pro-active in areas like recycling, water quality and reducing ag chemical usage through integrated pest management” According to Wide, ‘The unre claimed S cent per bottle deposit monies have been lost since the Bottle Bill was signed into law over a decade ago. It would not only be advantageous but appro priate that these dollars be used to help fund solid waste management and water quality efforts through the newly-created Environmental MARYLAND SHEEP & WOOL FESTIVAL MAY 7 & 8 - Howard Co. Fair Grounds HENRY H. HARTMAN 2300 Black Rock Road, Hanover, PA 17331 717-637-3741 FAX 717-633-5051 air. In addition to the seed tags and the ad, NCGA leaders are sending President Bill Clinton a personal letter expressing appreciation for his longstanding support for ethanol and emphasizing the cru cial need for a strong ROR initia tive. Protection Fund. “Farm Bureau has long fought for a pay-as-you-go approach for addressing the state’s most press ing environmental concerns like solid waste management and water quality,” said Wille. “We led the fight against the 1990 Environmental Bond because it would have sent the state deeper in debt.” SSsV leadership for a growing planet Look For Us At The sell We inducts Metis In USAI mudh Wille went on to say that Farm Bureau is pleased that Governor Cuomo is fighting to get the unre claimed bottle deposit refunds for the protection of our environment.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers