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Note to Editors: Adapted from the Kansas Profile radio series, this column profiles a different Kansan, Kansas community or Kansas-based company every Wednesday, as a regular feature of the K-State Research and Extension News lineup. A photo of Ron Wilson is available at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/news/sty/RonWilson.htm. Released: January 23, 2008 Kansas Profile - Now, That’s Rural  The President is giving his State of the Union speech. He speaks about the importance of ethanol and his vision for renewable fuels. One of the people listening in the Old Executive Office Building near the White House helped shape those words, and he has helped shape our nation’s policy on ethanol, energy, and farm policy. He’s the president of the National Corn Growers Association and he comes from rural Kansas. It’s another in our series on national ag leaders from Kansas. Ken McCauley is a corn farmer in northeast Kansas and the 2006-2007 National Corn Growers Association president. Ken farms in the very northeast corner of Kansas, near the town of White Cloud along the Missouri River. He grew up near the Doniphan County town of Leona, population 88 people. Now, that’s rural. After attending K-State, Ken came back to farm with his dad and brothers. Ken’s family has deep roots in this part of rural Kansas. Today, he lives in a remodeled version of the house which his great-grandfather built. In fact, his mother was born in the room which is now Ken’s office. Ken and his wife Mary and their son Brad now farm around 4,000 acres of which three-fourths is corn. Ken first got involved in corn policy through the Kansas corn checkoff for research and promotion and, in 1996, got more involved at the national level. Another Kansan, Roger Pine from Lawrence, was president of the National Corn Growers Association in 1998. Ken says, “I really respected the way he did things.” So Ken got involved in NCGA and got elected to the board. Board members serve on various committees dealing with key topics. Ken says, “I served as a committee vice-chair and was going for chair, but instead I got switched to a different committee. At the time, I thought that was a bad thing, but it ended up being very helpful. I was vice-chair of three different committees.” On October 1, 2006, Ken became president of the National Corn Growers Association and then chairman of the organization. It was an exciting time to be in the national leadership of NCGA, with farm and energy bills pending in Washington. At one point, Ken was in the nation’s capital right before the President’s State of the Union address and he had the opportunity to sit in on a preview of the speech. Ken listened to the text of the speech on renewable fuels and gave the speechwriter some input on the importance of giving a commitment to ethanol which would build credibility among corn farmers. The speechwriter listened and adjusted the speech. On the following day, Ken heard the President voice his commitment to ethanol. The growth of ethanol production has been a significant factor in boosting corn prices. It’s worked so well in fact, that some consumer groups have voiced concern about a food versus fuel conflict. Ken says, “It’s not food versus fuel, it’s food and fuel. Corn has doubled in price but that only added 2 percent to the price of food. And corn acreage has gone from 74 million acres to 93 million acres.” Ken also points out the importance of renewable fuels for the nation’s economy and the environment. Ken says, “When you pump a barrel of crude oil, it’s gone. But when you use ethanol, you know it comes from a domestic, renewable source.” He also foresees more products being made from corn-based, earth-friendly bioplastics in the future, further reducing our dependence on foreign oil. The President’s State of the Union address has ended and Ken McCauley joins those applauding his commitment to ethanol and renewable fuels generally. As National Corn Growers Association president, Ken has made a difference by representing this industry so effectively. Ken says, “I’ve been lucky, because so many other people have worked so hard to get us to this point.” I’m glad to see him as a leader among all the states in the union. And there’s more. We’ll meet another national ag leader from rural Kansas next week.
------------------------------------------------ K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus in Manhattan. For more
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