NEWS Ohio’s Country Journal Nicholson to oversee OCWGA


BYMATT REESE The Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers


Association (OCWGA) proudly announced that Tadd Nicholson will serve as the new executive director. In his new role, he will also manage two of Ohio’s check-off programs, the Ohio Corn Marketing Progrm (OCMP) and the Ohio Small Grains Marketing Program (OSGMP). Nicholson has 19 years of experience as part of the Ohio agriculture industry and has served OCWGA for eight years, previously as its director of government and industry affairs and most recently as its interim executive director. “I look forward to extending my


role for OCWGA because I really believe in its purpose and mission,” Nicholson said. “We represent the best interests of Ohio’s grain farmers and I’m going to work to ensure that our organization’s legacy continues to be successful.”


Nicholson will jump right into his


new duties by addressing a number of important issues for Ohio’s corn and wheat growers. “There is a lot of speculation on how


many acres of corn are going to go out there and we’re about to find out. It will be a big year for corn production in the United States and Ohio is no exception,” he said. “We’re looking at how to deal with the water quality issues that all of Ohio agriculture is dealing with. We’re taking that very seriously and investing in the science of that to better prepare Ohio grain farmers for this. We’re also looking at how to build a more sustain- able ethanol industry because it is such an important market for corn and all of agriculture as we move down the road.” Looking ahead, profitable Ohio crop


production will depend on a number of factors. “The success is going to depend on all markets,” Nicholson said. “We need a


E15 takes another step forward The U.S. Environmental Protection


Agency (EPA) approved the first appli- cations for registration of ethanol for use in making gasoline that contains up to 15% ethanol — known as E15. Ethanol is a renewable fuel that can be mixed with gasoline. “Our nation needs E15 to reduce our


dependence on foreign oil — it will keep gas prices down at the pump and help to end the extreme fluctuations in gas prices caused by our reliance on fuel from unstable parts of the world,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. “This announcement strengthens the ethanol industry’s efforts to innovate and continue to deliver domestically- produced and affordable alternatives to foreign oil.”


For more than 30 years ethanol has been


blended into gasoline, but the law limited it to 10% by volume for use in gasoline- fueled vehicles. Registration of ethanol to make E15 is a significant step toward its production, sale, and use in model year 2001 and newer gasoline-fueled cars and light trucks. “American consumers may soon have


some much deserved relief at the pump,” said Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association. “States in the Midwest have begun to address their regulatory requirements and perhaps as early as summer we could see E15 at fuels stations in the Heartland of America. The future for consumers, ethanol producers and this country has just gotten a little brighter, a little stronger.”


To enable widespread use of E15, the


Obama Administration has set a goal to help fueling station owners install 10,000 blender pumps during the next 5 years. In addition, both through the Recovery Act and the 2008 Farm Bill, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Agriculture have provided grants, loans and loan guarantees to spur American ingenuity on the next generation of biofuels. This action follows an extensive techni-


cal review required by law. Registration is a prerequisite to introducing E15 into the marketplace. Before it can be sold, manu- factures must first take additional meas- ures to help ensure retail stations and other gasoline distributors understand and implement labeling rules and other E15-


Insecticide ban proposed for the future of bees During the past decade, Ohio State


Susan Mariner, a third generation


backyard gardener from Virginia, has launched a campaign urging the EPA to ban the sale of a class of Bayer insecti- cides called neoniconitoids that could be tied to the major decline in the bee population across the United States. “The EPA needs to step up to pro-


tect the environment and the bees who provide essential pollination for much of the nation’s food,” Mariner said. “As a mother trying to pass on the tradition of backyard gardening, my family has already seen an alarming decline in the wild bee population.”


University Extension entomologist Ron Hammond has been highlighting the need for growers to be careful when applying foliar insecticides to their crops because of the potential for harming bees that might be foraging for nectar if the crop or nearby plants are in bloom, and to manage their applications carefully to reduce the possibility of drift. The neoni- cotinoids in question are a relatively new class of insecticides related to nicotine found in tobacco. “In field crops, their main use is as


seed treatments, and includes the insecti- 6 Ohio’s Country Journal • ocj.com • Mid-April 2012


related requirements. It is also important to note that the EPA


is not requiring the use or sale of E15. Ethanol is considered a renewable fuel because it is generally produced from plant products or wastes and not from fossil fuels. Ethanol is blended with gasoline for use in most areas across the country. After extensive vehicle testing by DOE and other organizations, EPA issued two partial waivers raising the allowable ethanol vol- ume to 15% for use in model year 2001 and newer cars and light trucks. E15 is not per- mitted for use in motor vehicles built prior to 2001 model year and in off-road vehicles and equipment such as boats and lawn and garden equipment. Gas pumps dis- pensing E15 will be clearly labeled so con- sumers can make the right choice.


successful ethanol market, we need suc- cessful exports around the world and a strong livestock industry. We need a bal- ance with this and that is going to be part of the task ahead.” Prior to joining OCWGA, Nicholson


was the general sales manager of ABN Radio and TV/Ohio’s Country Journal and before that he worked for the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association/Ohio Beef Council. “Tadd has the knowledge base


required for this position and is already familiar with our members and industry,” said Mark Wachtman, OCWGA president. “Based on the impact that he has already made, I know that we’ll accomplish even more with his direction.” Nicholson has traveled nationally and


internationally on behalf of OCWGA, OCMP and OSGMP to engage in events and meetings as an advocate for agricul- ture promoting opportunities and the


Tadd Nicholson (left) talks with Congressman Bob Gibbs in Washington, D.C.


long-term sustainability of Ohio’s grain farmers and industry. He has been inti- mately involved with the development and promotion of the ethanol industry, worked to expand trade possibilities, strives to offset excessive regulations and continues to focus on helping to develop new markets for Ohio’s grain farmers. Nicholson was raised on his family’s


farm in Morrow County and now resides in Mt. Gilead on a small farm with wife Heather and children Emma, Claire and Caden.


cides clothianidin (Poncho), thiamethox- am (Cruiser), and imidacloprid,” Hammond wrote in a recent CORN Newsletter. “Recent studies out of Purdue and labs in Europe suggest that the use of clothianidin as a seed treat- ment might impact bees, either by caus- ing mortality or more likely affecting their behavior and preventing bees from returning to their hives. There is also the possibility that they might interact with various pathogens that attack bees, mak- ing the bees more susceptible to various diseases. The neonicotinoids, when applied to the seed, apparently can get


mixed with the talc that is often used to allow seeds to flow more easily in the planters, and then the insecticides and/or talc enter the environment during planting or when the seed boxes are cleaned.” Hammond and other entomologists are


investigating this situation further, espe- cially with regard to clothianidin. “At this time, this issue is an on-going


story, with much more work to be done, Hammond wrote. A petition submitted to EPA can be


read at http://www.panna.org/sites/ default/files/CFS-Clothianidin-Petition-3- 20-12.pdf.


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