Let’s face it, not only is America addicted to oil, but our government mandates that addiction which leads to consumers and businesses to relying on imported oil from countries that literally hate us. Hundreds of millions of dollars leave our country everyday in exchange for dirty foreign oil. We have the ability to change all of that and alternatives are available now. Ethanol and other advanced biofuels are ready to continue relieving our nation from that dangerous dependence while creating jobs, energy security and a cleaner environment.

In order to consume our domestic renewable energy, we need vehicles that can utilize those fuels. There are currently around nine million flex fuel vehicles on the road today in the United States which may sound like a lot, but not when you consider that there are 143 million vehicles total. But with a few moves in Washington that trend could be changing.

This week, United States Senators, Maria Cantwell of Washington and Dick Lugar of Indiana introduced the Open Fuels Standard Act which would require that vehicles sold in the United States be able to run on alternative blends like E85 and other liquid fuels. Essentially the bill would start in 2015 requiring that 50% of new vehicles be flex fuel and increase to 80% by 2018. Some American manufacturers will balk at the requirement but those same companies are providing a large number of vehicles to Brazil who’s fleet is 90% flex fuel and the additional cost of production is around a mere $100 per vehicle.

Nobody likes a mandate, but the same could be said when it comes to fuel. American consumers deserve a choice when it comes to filling up at the pump, a choice between clean and domestically produced ethanol or dirty, imported oil. BIG OIL’s monopoly has been around for too long and it’s time to open America’s fuel market up for business.

 “All the ethanol industry has ever wanted was fair access to the market,” said SDCGA Executive Director, Lisa Richardson. “Biofuels can compete with oil if congress can level the playing field.”

Aaaand there off… as combines slowly creep across the South Dakota plains, farmers have begun harvesting their 2011 corn crop. Normally, most farmers would harvest their soybeans prior to corn but this year of course has been very unique in terms of weather and crop maturity. Yet again Mother Nature has again showed everyone who’s in charge.

A wet spring delayed some plantings but a hot and dry July and August pushed the crop progress along nearly catching up to the five year average. The dry field conditions have farmers ready to go as the extremely wet fall of 2009 has not been forgotten. While most fields are not quite ready, there has been some crop taken out and it will be interesting to watch the continued progress as corn harvest continues.

The latest report from USDA shows that as of September 25^th, 2% of South Dakota’s corn crop had been harvested. That progress is equal compared to last year and 2% behind the state’s five year average. 

While combining corn isn’t necessarily a race, most farmers would admit that they’re ready to shift gears and put the pedal down on this fall’s harvest gathering next year’s supply of food, feed, fuel and fiber.

Corn Comments Podcast with Jim Woster.

The emergence and progress of the ethanol industry has clearly benefited the corn farmers and fuel consumers in our state and will continue to for years to come. Moving towards next generation biofuels will be a part of the industries’ continued success and it’s taking place right here in South Dakota.

Gevo and Redfield Energy have teamed up to retrofit their ethanol plant in Redfield, SD to produce isobutanol beginning in late 2012. The plant is expected to produce 38 million gallons per year. A gallon of isobutanol gets better vehicle mileage than that of ethanol and produces the same amount of high-quality distillers grain.

“Isobutanol provides an excellent opportunity to expand our potential markets, improve our profit margins, and create a more predictable and sustainable business.”  said Tom Hitchcock, Redfield Energy CEO.

Ideas into actions, which is what South Dakota agriculture is all about.

Farmers don’t get much credit for growing more and more crops to meet the rising demand for food, feed, fuel and fiber in a world where nearly 16,000 babies are born every hour.

 And they don’t hear much praise for decreasing their use of chemicals or for taking steps to protect the soil and reduce erosion.

These days, it seems like people just want to blame farmers for a number of things, such as high grocery prices and polluted rivers.

The latest criticism is that they’re converting too much grassland into fields of corn and soybeans. That charge was leveled in late August by grassland advocates who gathered in Sioux Falls for a conference.

And when the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department’s annual pheasant count estimated a 46 percent drop in population this year, one of several reasons cited was a reduction in Conservation Reserve Program acres.

Although CRP acres have declined, South Dakota has 1.16 million acres enrolled in the program, ranking 10th nationally. The state ranks second in Fish, Wildlife and Parks program acres with 74,640. It also ranks 10th with 45,800 acres in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, a voluntary land retirement program that protects environmentally sensitive land, decreases erosion, restores wildlife habitat and safeguards ground and surface water.

South Dakota also has 163,310 acres in the Grassland Reserve Program and 8,700 acres in the Wetlands Reserve Program.

To the GF&P’s credit, it did place much of the blame for fewer pheasants on a “brutal winter.”

Lisa Richardson, executive director of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association (SDCGA), said the state’s farmers are doing an exceptional job of taking care of the environment while producing enough crops to meet continually growing needs. Crops and wildlife are both at nature’s mercy.

“Just like the corn crop is affected by the weather, so is the pheasant population,” Richardson said. “We can co-exist. We need nesting habitat, but we also need food.”

South Dakota was bound to have a dip in pheasant numbers one of these years. The pheasant population has been above 8 million for eight consecutive years, numbers that hadn’t been seen since the early 1960s.

No matter how many acres are enrolled in conservation programs or how well conservation practices are followed, weather often is the biggest factor in the pheasant population.

That was the case in the White Lake area this year, said David Gillen, a local farmer and member of the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council (SDCUC) board of directors. In this instance, the biggest culprit was a 5-inch rain about the time that pheasants were hatching, he said.

“Chicks that were a day or two old couldn’t handle that,” said Gillen, who has a lot of prime hunting ground. “I don’t think it’s winter kill, I think it’s the wet weather. Pheasants can’t handle that much cold and wet weather.”

Gillen said a change in CRP acres certainly isn’t to blame in his region, which is one of the state’s prime hunting areas. Most landowners hunt and also open their land to hunters, so they set aside acres that are good for hunting near creeks and sloughs. Most of that land isn’t enrolled in CRP. Land owners also have planted many acres with trees, he said. One downside to the abundance of trees is an overpopulation of deer.

Gillen has very little land in CRP, but has a lot of grassland. He doesn’t receive any federal payments on that land – revenue from pheasant hunting covers the land costs in those areas.

“When they did come out with CRP, it did enhance hunting,” Gillen said. “The hunting businesses in this area have grown so much that there’s less of a need here for CRP.”

Gillen said pheasants like a variety of habitat: corn and soybeans, grass areas, and wetlands with cattails. They like to be in 3 or 4 acres of grass, not full quarters. Pheasant chicks that hatch on a full quarter of grassland are less likely to survive because there’s so much growth that they can’t maneuver. Hens like to take the chicks to the edge of taller habitat so they can get sunshine.

To create additional pheasant habitat and add nutrients to his soil, Gillen planted a crop-cover mixture of peas, lentils and radishes on his wheat ground immediately after the harvest.

The past two winters have been rough, Gillen said. Yet, he believes winter survival rates were fine, particularly on land with shelterbelts. But pheasants don’t do well at finding nests. The nests are sometimes too low, and susceptible to water. A one-inch rain isn’t a problem, but five inches is.

“Weather has a huge, huge impact on the hatch,” he said. “One hen will have 14 chicks if it’s in the right environment.”

Gillen said he’s been seeing various sizes of chicks recently. Some are older and some are only three inches high. Those won’t change color before hunting season.

This article is from the September 2011 issue of South Dakota Corn Talk.

September 18-24 marks National Farm Safety Week. While encouraging safety on the farm is not a new trend, it is a very important one. Farming continues to be one of the most dangerous occupations in the American workforce today. The folks providing our world with an abundance of food, feed, fuel and fiber work around potential hazards daily on the farm. Whether it’s working on machinery, climbing in and out of grain bins or working with livestock, there are risks involved.

Farm safety doesn’t just involve farmers and their families, but also rural communities and the people that live around them. Respecting each other on highways, gravel roads and intersections is key to maintaining safety for all. With harvest time approaching quickly in South Dakota, please use caution with the many combines, semi’s and grain carts traveling down the public roads.

While accidents are bound to happen, farmers can perform the most simple safety practices to prevent injury and even death.

1. Know your machinery inside and out.
2. Do not wear loose clothing.
3. Conduct regular equipment maintenance and inspections.
4. Be aware of your surroundings while operating equipment.
5. Educate your own family on farm safety practices on all parts of your farm.

For more information on this subject, check out the South Dakota Safety Council’s fact sheet on Farm Place Safety.

I would like to end this post by repeating our friend, Jim Woster’s weekly words on Corn Comments by saying, “Farmers be careful in your work, and thanks for what you do!”

 Corn Comments Podcast with Jim Woster.