NCGA Warns Of Competitive Losses Because Of Poor River Infrastructure ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has sounded the alarm regarding this country's inadequate river infrastructure. The competitive edge the U.S. holds in world com mar kets is seriously threatened and lost in the dust if correc tive measures aren't taken soon, according to members of an NCGA transportation task force which recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Argentina to examine that country's improved com production and marketing capacity. "In a short time, they're going to be the tail that wags the dog if we don't get our infrastructure up to snuff," said task force member Greg Guenther, a corn grower from Belleville, 111, referring to the $650 million upgrade of Argentina's barge system on the Parana River, the Argentinean equivalent to the Mississippi River. "They have 2,200 miles of river sys tem with not one single lock. They don't have three-day waits to move 15 barges through. It's a superhighway to them." lowa corn grower Glenn Moeller, task force chairman, described Argentina's river infrastructure improvements as enthusiastic. "It was a wake-up call to American agriculture and the U.S. as a whole as to the competitive edge we could soon be losing," he said. The comprehensive pro gram undertaken by the Argentine government and shippers includes dredging to make way for larger ocean Art Byers Mercersburg (717)328-2992 Renaissance Nutrition Inc. Roaring Spring 800-346-3649 William). Parsons Pennsylvania Furnace (814) 692-4681 Douglas Bieda Clarksburg (412) 459-6311 Milos Sinan Home (412) 397-4044 Gregory Yocum Blairs Mills (71 7) 349-2611 Curtis A. Brant Harrisonville (717)987-3962 Yachere Mobile Milling Rockwood (814) 926-3493 going grain-hauling vessels and updating plants and ter minals along 250 miles of the Parana. "The issue for U.S. com growers is the need to improve our river transporta tion system to move grain efficiently," explained John Green, NCGA's director of production and education. "In Argentina, we're seeing a river system that allows them easier and cheaper access to the oceans." Attitude, said task force member Mike Randall, a com grower from Dell Rapids, S.D. is a major contributing factor in Argentina's success ful river upgrade programs. "They're willing to do what it ST. LOUIS. Mo. When historians take a lode back at 1997 one conclusion will be clear. This had been a banner year for NCGA recruiting ef forts. The official tally in late October set a new record, go ing beyond the 30,000 mark to a record high of 30,360 mem bers. “Busting 30,000 has been something we’ve all been working to accomplish for a long time,” said Mountain Lake, Minn., corn farmer Richard Peterson, chairman of NCGA’s Field Services Com mittee. Peterson points to efforts made by state associations as the primary reason for the new NCGA record. ‘There was lots of hard woik put in by many state recruiters and they deserve tremendous credit for making it happen,” ‘•V " NCGA Passes 30,000 Membership Milestone Solutions In The 2801 114-day RM A new NatureGard'” hybnd, adapted to the eastern Corn Belt, with outstanding yields and protection against ECB from the NGBtl gene An attractive, moderately tall plant type with very good standabihty and drought stress tolerance 2598 106-day RM An exceptionally high-yielding hybnd with protection against European com borer from both native tolerance and the NGBtl gene Very responsive to top-management inputs including high fertility and irrigation. Excellent season-long plant health. JOE EMANUELE MARK KIMM DUANE DORMAN MARTY REICHARD (412)468-6533 (71 7) 626-2907 (71 7) 726-7200 (717)840-9509 Call your nearest sales representative for early order and other discounts available. takes to so that the river ben efits agriculture, and that's what we should be striving for in this country." Task force members also noted a federation of five South American countries dedicated to the development of the Parana River. In addi tion to Argentina, money for this development comes from Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, and Brazil. "I think that this fact-find ing mission has given us a valuable firsthand view to take to Congress to try to impress upon them the importance of upgrading our river transportation infra structure," said Guenther. he said. Most notable, accord ing to Peterson are states like lowa, with the largest numeric increase and Kansas, with the highest percentage increase. Peterson has been chairman of the NCGA Field Services Committee for the past two years and was re-elected at the August board meeting to again serve in this capacity through 1998. He takes his NCGA recruit ing job seriously and leads by example in September, he re cruited 27 new members. “I figure if the chairman can’t get new members, he can’t expect others to do so.” Peterson said. State associations have de vised different techniques to enhance their recruitment ef forts. The lowa Com Growers Association uses the “divide and conquer” method. Most of lowa’s counties have an organ ized county association. From let Sales Managers Mycogen Corn Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 24, 199&-Paga 19 "It's imperative that the NCGA and com growers of the United States personally learn the extent of these events (in Argentina) to help us in our lobby efforts," noted Green adding that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying the infrastructure on the upper Mississippi River, where many of the locks and dams are outdated and ill-equipped to handle the region's transportation needs. "We have encouraged the Corps to complete their navigation study and then move quickly on improving and upgrading these locks which are in terrible condi tion and a hindrance to navi gation," he said. The Corps of October to the end of March, a group of part-time staff field representatives helped recruit ers in the counties by serving as sources of information and ideas as well as extra arms and legs. “Our field reps serve as liai sons between membership staff and county recruiters,” said Ray Hansen, lowa’s director of grower services. “The reps go to meetings and generally help the county association mem bers feel like they are more in I (DdMSH fiil WMQ PENNSYLVANIA MASTER CORN GROWERS ASSOC., INC. ed Solutions . In The Seed Engineers study is due in late spring or early summer, 1998. While the NCGA has taken a lead in pushing for improvements in the U.S. river infrastructure, the issue is not just an agricultural one, according to Guenther. "The fact that it's perceived to be (agricultural) is a trib ute in a sense to the ag com munity," he said. "The NCGA and state com grower organi zations have been way ahead of the curve in recognizing the need to improve our transportation infrastruc ture, but there are a lot of other commodities besides corn that move on the river. touch with our office. This helps a lot.” This year one lowa county held an unusual call-a-thon, us ing cellular phones. “Recruit ers would make calls on their cell phones while they were driving to a farm and tell the fanner, Tm on my way over and we really hope you’ll re new your membership’,*’ Han sen said. “Usually by the time they got there, the farmer would have the check already written out.” Farmersville Seeds Ephrata (717)656-2508 John Stump Bernville (610) 488-1965 Ed Werner Northampton (610) 262-6552 Kenneth Bittner Cermansville (610) 767-4017 Ralph Daugherty Brogue (717)927-6084 Charly Shutts Williamsport (717) 745-3539 Elimsport Welding Shop Allenwood (717)547-2476 Eddie Budman Hughesville (717) 584-3188 Zeaqer Farms Danville (717) 437-2067 OR (717) 437-2798 Dorman Machine Mill Hall (717) 726-7200 “a '
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