Caldwell, where where you today?

[Mark, ncIA]

Me & Crap Game were looking all over for you.  You'd think a good ag journalist like yourself would have made his way over to the Polk Co. Convention Center for all the hubbub.  He even turned down an IPTV Mkt to Mkt interview, saying "I'll hold those comments for SF".

Well, maybe it didn't all happen quite that way; however, it was a pretty interesting day in DSM.  The biofuels industry seems pretty pumped up & they should. 

Lot's of politics today, with the Gov. as one of the headliners.  We missed out on Santorum's talk; but, Newt appears to have some aspirations & definately a pro-ag/biofuel non-candidate when speaking to Iowa distillers.

The mood there today at the IA Renewable Fuels Summit was certainly 180o from the past few.  Investors, Directors, Managers, Auditors, Lenders & even Lawyers I spoke with there today, were all in a good mood & that's certainly a change.

I think the glass is again half full.

[nwobcw]

   I hate  to burst your bubble but in my way of thinking ethanol is a crap shoot.  There's so much either way on the benefits of it.  On 1 way I like it as it paid for kid #2 and #3 to go to college and has helped me sell beans at prices not seen since 1973 and let me a buy a 40 every year.  Deep down I think all this green stuff is a bunch of wortless crap but who am I to argue.

[jrsiajdranch]

Well Mark if I had known you were going I woulda hitched a ride!  I coulda wore my

"Bio fuels are for brain dead left wingers" ball cap

or my Ethonal put the SQQQQUUUUUUUEEEEEEEZZZZEEEE on this dairyman T-shirt! HE HE

Or maybe I shoulda drove and had the ability to show off the bumper sticker on big ford that says "welfare by another name is ETHONAL!

I wouldn't of caused to much of a rucus but I woulda shouted at that two faced Newt Gingrich! 

Maybe you are glad I didn't go?

But enjoy it while it lasts cause this is it's last year. (remeber I said that last year!)

Just remember I am not bitter!

But in all honesty I hope you had a good time.

[k-289]

::Newt was there campaigning---here we go on the liar-liar-pants on fire election games---time really flies "buy"---why does it seem like $$$ is always short except if someone is running for political office---think we need a" campaign for office TAX "--you start paying on it after the amount you spend exceeds the job your running for---look at the $$$$ that California would have got off of the governess race  

[jrsiajdranch]

This deserves post of the week!

[Jeff_a_Caldwell]

Hey, hold on now! Go easy on me! Ha! 

Our ethanol guru on staff, Dan Looker, snuck over there yesterday. I have him a hard time for not being in a huge hurry to see ol' Newt, but he made it over there in time after all! 

So, since I'm a day late and a dollar short (aren't I always?), what was the overall tone of the folks at that meeting, Mark? Was it politics as usual, or was there some good down-to-earth discussion? 

[Mark, ncIA · Accepted solution]

Jeff, I was just ribbing ya.  Got the hackles up on the Anti-ethanol crowd on here, though.

The "feel" over there yesterday seemed to be much like corn farmers, one of cautious optimism.  Out of the fire & back into the frying pan was one of the more memorable industry quotes.  Most agreed there's lot's of policy work to be done, both in DSM & DC; but, the consensus on that front was we might be in an era of grid lock on steroids. 

Not really expecting much from Newt, I was very impressed.  He laid out his vision of national security, bio-tech, agriculture, biofuels, the environment & regulation that was so common sense based, it was a real breath of fresh air coming from a politician.  Even my neighbor Don might have given him a standing O, had he been there.  No teleprompter or podium either, lol.

[Jeff_a_Caldwell]

You must be talking to my wife or something, Mark -- she's always telling me I need to be taken down a peg or two! Ha!

Thanks for your observations on the day. So, do you think $7 or $8 corn would be enough to help chip away at that gridlock? 

Funny you mention those remarks from Gingrich -- I had the chance to listen in when Barry Flinchbaugh came to town last Friday to talk to the Ag Land Investment Expo. He dished out some medicine. Basically said we're going to have to both raise taxes and make spending cuts to get out of the economic fix the country's in, whether folks like to hear that or not. It was a pretty sobering thing to hear, but he's always been pretty politically objective in his remarks, so it was actually sort of refreshing to hear those remarks, though sobering, coming relatively free of political slant. He also touched briefly on biotechnology and similar issues:

-----

"There's this cultural war going on -- some are trying to start a fight and undo progress between the small, organic niche farmer and commercial farmer. This is just plain dumb. It isn't either or. When Barack Obama appointed [Tom] Vilsack [as Secretary of Agriculture], he said the small farmers can feed your community, but only the large farmers can feed the world. I suggest they revisit that statement," Flinchbaugh said. "A world with full bellies will have little terrorism in it. You have to be bullish on that. If you are opposed to biotechnology, you are in favor of starvation and that's immoral! We must base biotechnology policy on sound science, not politics like it's being done now."

-----  

I sure like that "A world with full bellies will have little terrorism in it" remark!

[smokeyjay]

Jeff, appreciate your comments and those of Flinchbaugh on the topics covered.  The challenge will be getting that message through to the folks sitting on Capitol Hill and actually coming to terms with the need to address tax and food policy in a meaningful way.  I'm not a fan of raising taxes, but I have to agree with Flinchbaugh.

Flinchbaugh echoes those remarks made in Iowa in an interview made for the Oklahoma Farm Report back in November.  Link is here to listen:  http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Foklahomafarmreport.com%2Fwire%2Fpodcasts%2Fmedia%2F0192...

[Jim Meade / Iowa City]

"I sure like that "A world with full bellies will have little terrorism in it" remark!"

Reminds me of Joseph Goebbels.

I'd rather see a world with some sense and not so many empty heads full of murderous philosophies.