The Kansas Corn Commission

Let’s Get With It, Kansas!
Use E10 Unleaded!

Corn Commission Rolls Out E10 Campaign
The Kansas Corn Commission’s E10 Unleaded with Ethanol campaign aims at increasing the availability of E10 Unleaded with Ethanol at fuel stations, and to increase consumer demand for the clean-burning fuel. The commission has a variety of tools to spread the word about E10 Unleaded including three informational brochures, labels for fuel pumps, banners for retailers and information on the use of E10 Unleaded for consumers and retailers.

E10 Unleaded with Ethanol--a Natural Choice for Drivers
E10 Unleaded is unleaded fuel with 10 percent ethanol. That ethanol is made in Kansas from crops grown on our farms. It makes the fuel burn cleaner, and that keeps your car running smooth and it keeps our air clean.

E10 Unleaded with Ethanol is available
With E10 Unleaded becoming available in more and more gas stations across Kansas, the Kansas Corn Commission is encouraging drivers to "Get With It, Kansas!" and fill up with E10 Unleaded with Ethanol.

E10 Unleaded is GOOD for your vehicles
Whether your driving a Cadillac, a Ford pickup, a Harley Davidson or lawnmower, you can be confident in using E10 Unleaded with Ethanol in your vehicle. E10 Unleaded is approved by every foreign and domestic automaker. E10 Unleaded is a cleaner burning fuel and helps keep your engine clean and running smooth. In the winter, the ethanol in E10 Unleaded helps to prevent gas line freeze-ups.

E10 Is Just Plain GOOD
Your car’s manufacturer approves the use of E10 Unleaded. It’s good for your vehicle’s engine. What other reasons do you need to use E10 Un-leaded? E10 Unleaded contains 10 percent ethanol, a fuel made from grains grown by farmers right here in Kansas. E10 Unleaded is a clean fuel that reduces toxic emissions. Because ethanol is produced in our Kansas communities, and is made from a renewable resource, using E10 Unleaded reduces our dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels.
E10 Unleaded--Good for your car, good for our air and our environment, good for our farmers and local economies and good for our nation.

Kansas State Fair Gets With It The Kansas Corn Commission provided E10 Unleaded fuel for vehicles used at the Kansas State Fair. The vehicles displayed bright yellow and black signs advertising E10 Unleaded. The text on the signs stated: Powered by E10 Unleaded, Unleaded Fuel with 10% Ethanol. Clean Fuel from Kansas Farms. E10 Unleaded was used to fuel several fair vehicles, the fair water truck, an all-terrain vehicle and 25 golf carts. The fair also recognized the Kansas Corn Commission at grandstand performances.

Commission Elections to Be Held in Western Kansas Districts

We’re coming up on another election year for the Kansas Corn Commission as well as wheat, grain sorghum and soybean commissions. This time, commissioners will be elected for the District 1 (Northwest), District 2 (West Central) and District 3 (Southwest). The commissioners who are currently representing those districts are: District 1--Ted Zielke, St. Francis; District 2--Ron Blaesi, Sharon Springs, and District 3--Donnie Young, Ulysses. Commissioner Blaesi has indicated his intention to not seek reelection and retire from the commission.

TO REGISTER TO VOTE
Registration forms can be obtained at your county extension office; county conservation district office; Kansas Department of Agriculture or any of the four grain commodity commission offices--corn, grain sorghum, wheat and soybeans. You can register to vote for any of the four commodities you have grown within the past three years. You also will be automatically registered if you sign a valid candidate petition form. Go to the Kansas Corn Commission web site at www.ksgrains.com for links to information and an on-line
VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE
To vote in the upcoming election, you must be registered by December 31, 2002.

TO REGISTER AS A CANDIDATE
Candidates must fill out a petition and obtain 20 valid signatures of growers. However, there can be no more than five growers from any one county used to qualify on the petition. Candidates must also fill out the Statement of Substantial Interest form from the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission. Candidate filing deadline is Nov. 30, 2002.

THE ELECTION
Ballots will be mailed January 15, 2003 to growers who have registered to vote in Districts 1-3. Ballots must be postmarked by March 1, 2003. Winners will take office April 1.

Commodity Commission Election Timeline
Nov. 30: Deadline for candidates to file
Dec. 31: Deadline for growers to register to vote
Jan. 15: Ballots mailed to registered voters in Districts 1-3
March 1: Deadline for completed ballots to be returned
April 1: Election results official; winners take office

Corn Commission Partners in Project to Commercialize E- Diesel

A cleaner burning diesel fuel made with ethanol is moving toward commercialization, thanks to a national research alliance that includes the Kansas Corn Commission. The commission funded the project in FY2002. Researchers at the University of Illinois are evaluating engine durability, emissions, compatibility with engines and components, safety and field testing in three John Deere engine families used in off-road equipment. Kansas Corn Commissioner Ken McCauley of White Cloud was at the project’s announcement at the 2002 Commodity Classic earlier this year.

"There are a lot of good reasons we should be looking into E-diesel," McCauley said. "This fuel is already being tested and those tests are showing that E diesel substantially reduces polluting emissions, and performs better than #2 diesel in winter conditions. We are also interested in E diesel as a potential market for ethanol."

With a 10 percent blend, you can expect as much as a 25 to 30 percent reduction in particulate emissions--soot and smoke University of Illinois

Testing has been conducted on semi-trucks, city buses and farm equipment. No mechanical modifications are necessary to use e-diesel, which is a blend of 15 percent ethanol, up to 5 percent blending additive and at least 80 percent #2 diesel. Before e-diesel can enter the market, the fuel has to go through extensive testing. Project collaborators hope to first commercialize the fuel for off-road use with the end goal of entering the full diesel market.

Research

A Closer Look at KSU Corn Research Projects

Short Season Corn Extension-Educational Program in SE Kansas
To take current research to farmers’ fields and show production BMPs and economic benefits for corn production the southeast area of Kansas. Objectives: increase the number of on-farm trials; determine effects of phosphorus placement using different plant populations; determine optimum nitrogen rates on upland short season corn; measure response of short season corn yields to topsoil thickness; evaluate 15 and 30 inch row corn planted with different plant populations.

Corn Dry Milling Performance
Objectives: Assess corn quality characteristics related to dry milling performance from grow-out trials performed by producers in Kansas; dry mill a subset of corn samples from the 2002 crop year and identify the statistical relationship between quality characteristics and laboratory milling; create near infra-red (NIR) calibration for grit yield. Growers wanting to engage in producing and marketing trait specific grains need to select hybrids that possess desirable end-use properties.

Reducing Irrigation Water Needs with High Frequency, Limited SDI
Objectives: determine the effect of subsurface drip irrigation on corn under limited irrigation; evaluate corn yield and water use under SDI frequencies of 1,3,5, or 7 days with a limited irrigation capacity of .15 inches/day; determine the effect of SDI frequency on specific yield components of ears/plant, kernels/ear, kernels/land area and kernel mass; evaluate the potential for advanced irrigation control technologies to increase corn yield under limited irrigation capacity; determine the effect of SDI frequency on soil water depletion patterns; determine the economic impact of varying SDI frequency on corn production under limited irrigation.

Revising KSU Corn Phosphorus and Potassium Nutrient Recommendations
Objectives: KSU is currently revising the current crop nutrient recommendations to provide flexibility for corn growers. The goal of the revised soil test recommendations will be to provide for estimated current year nutrient application rate needs, but also allow flexibility in when and how those nutrients can be applied, keeping within the bounds of environmental stewardship.

Corn Production in Kansas: Extension and Applied Research
Objectives: to educate producers and agribusiness on best management practices of corn production. Conduct applied research based on suggestions, questions from producers and agri-business. Stay current on national and international corn production topics that are applicable to Kansas. Timely communication with producers and agribusiness. Procedures: present information at winter meetings, field tours and training sessions; conduct applied research on producer fields and experiment fields; attend national meetings to obtain the latest research results to be shared with producers and agribusiness; be available for consultation and possible on-farm visits.

Mobile Irrigation Lab-Improved Irrigation Efficiency for Corn Production
Objectives: to complement the Mobile Irrigation Lab team efforts with small group and on-site education and technical assistance to irrigated corn farmers. To develop and distribute physical and electronic water management tools: irrigages, scheduling software, etc. to irrigated corn farmers; to develop a second Mobile Irrigation Lab trailer and Irrigage equipped containers that can be checked out by county extension agents, NRCS or GMD personnel to evaluate center pivot system performance.

Irrigated Cropping Systems to Reduce Irrigation Water Use & Groundwater Depletion
Objectives: Identify crop rotations that can be used with limited irrigation that will reduce irrigation water use while maintaining producer profitability; determine the impact of limited irrigation on crop yield and profitability.

Use of Strip-Tillage for Corn Production in Kansas
Compare the effectiveness of strip tillage to no-tillage and assess the affects of fall versus spring applications of NPK fertilizer on the growth, grain yield and nutrient update of corn grown in strip-tilled or no-tilled rows.

Study Shows Biotechnology Has Value for Kansas
A recent study conducted by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy found that biotechnology could increase Kansas production by over 10 million bushels, improve farm income by more than $52 million and reduce pesticide use by 1.8 million pounds annually.
The report covered biotechnology’s impact on three of Kansas’ primary crops: corn, soybeans and sunflowers. Kansas Corn Commissioner Dan Guetterman, Bucyrus, attended the meeting and said the reduced pesticide use in biotech crops is especially important to growers.
"There are times when a grower has to use pesticides as a tool to protect his crop, and it is important to us that we use those tools properly,"” Guetterman said.

"This study shows that biotechnology can allow us to reduce our use of pesticides by nearly two million pounds," he said. "Not only is that two million pounds of pesticides farmers don’t have to buy, it’s two million pounds of pesticides we don’t have to handle."

Potential Value of Biotechnology for Kansas
(corn, soybeans, sunflowers)
Production Increase:   10 million bushels
Pesticide Use Reduction:  1.8 million pounds
Farm Income:  $52 Million

Commission Works to Increase Understanding of Biotech Crops
As the use of biotechnology grows, the Kansas Corn Commission is working to make sure we protect our corn markets and encourage a greater understanding of biotech corn.

The commission supports efforts of the National Corn Growers Association and US Grains Council to promote the safety of biotechnology with customers in the United States and our export markets.

The commission was a sponsor of the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference (CUTC) held in Kansas City in June. Several of the sessions focused on biotechnology. Speaking at the CUTC was Sylvia Rowe, International Food Information Council, who has been tracking consumer food trends for several years, especially in the area of biotechnology. Rowe spoke at the CUTC on the importance of consumer acceptance of biotechnology. Sharing information is the key, she said
The more consumers know about biotechnology, the more accepting they will be. Her group’s studies show consumers are supportive of technology that allows growers to produce more food on less land, reduce pesticide use and improve nutrition. Biotechnology offers these benefits, she said.

Susan Harlander of BIOrational Consultants gave a food processor’s perspective on biotechnology. She told the audience that biotechnology has much to offer processors and consumers.
The top three selling points for biotechnology are reduced pesticide use, improved water quality through reduced herbicides and reduced mycotoxins found in grain. Consumers will also appreciate and benefit from functional foods that have been enhanced through biotechnology.