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Research Programs Blow Corn Growers Away in Washington State
(3-19-01)
While strong winds blew outside, members of the National Corn Grower's
Association (NCGA) Customer & Business Development Action Team got
blown
away inside, getting an eyeful and earful on the impressive work at the
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The action team toured the
Richland, Wash., facility, managed by Battelle Memorial Institute for
the
Department of Energy, March 12-14. Team members saw first-hand the
magnitude of Battelle's research programs, particularly the focus on
renewable products. NCGA has launched a new partnership with PNNL that
promises to offer new uses for corn. Richland scientists will attempt
to
develop corn-based organic acids, which become the building blocks for
a
variety of chemicals that eventually could be used to create polyester-like
textiles. "They (the Richland-based researchers) have been able to
make some
pretty dramatic breakthroughs," said Vic Miller of Oelwein, Iowa,
chairman
of the action team. "The PNNL is a world-class operation, and NCGA
is proud
to be associated with their revolutionary research." Action Team
Vice Chair
Boyd Smith of York, Neb., noted that this checkoff-supported research
will
ultimately benefit corn growers in the form of profitability. "Anything
that
is made out of petroleum today can be made from corn," Smith said.
"It's
just a matter of getting the costs down to where we can compete."
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