The NCGA is driving market demand through innovation. With corn grower checkoff dollars, the NCGA works with leading university, government and industry researchers to develop new markets and new uses that will ensure a healthy future for our entire industry.

From dreams to functional applications, work is always under way in a number of areas. Among the most promising new uses is the extraction of polyol derivatives from corn, leading to the development of products such as ethylene glycol (antifreeze)and propylene glycol (food and health products). This multimillion dollar, multiyear project could eventually account for the consumption of 500 million corn bushels annually.

Or consider the Fiber Utilization Research Project, a joint venture between the NCGA and private industry that is exploring a new commercial manufacturing process to convert corn fiber into value-added products, such as chemical feedstocks and ethanol.

Looking toward the future, the NCGA supports public funding of the plant genome project to help accelerate development of the corn/maize genome and public ownership of the genetic information to ensure it gets used. Mapping the corn genome has the same importance to the corn industry as mapping the human genome has to human health. Corn genome research is promising, and could someday lead to more efficient ways to grow corn using less fertilizer and less water while creating more food to reduce world hunger.

Other leading research and development projects under way are looking for more ways to use corn. The projects include:

• We ’re working with leading researchers to develop a microbe that will simultaneously convert the glucose, xylose and arabinose components of corn fiber to ethanol. This technology could increase the ethanol yield from corn by 20 percent, resulting in improved profitability for ethanol plants and the growers who sell to them.
• The NCGA was instrumental in the development of the Renewable Ag Vision 2020. In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the NCGA continues to champion the Plant/Crop-based Renewable Resources 2020, a broad-based coalition of agricultural experts working to create plant-based, renewable products that will replace petroleum-based products. A 10 percent penetration into the renewable products market would increase farm income by 50 cents per bushel nationally.
• 1, 3-Propanediol – This new project uses a unique processing technology to produce 1, 3-propanediol, a chemical used in the pro- duction of commercial plastics. If viable, this chemical has the potential to utilize an additional 200 million bushels of corn annually.
• Other programs are also being considered that use the stage-gate process to grind significant amounts of U.S. corn.

The list goes on. The U.S. corn industry has a bright past, but an even brighter future because of your continued investment in the development of new markets and new uses.