Record
Attendance Expected at Corn Utilization and Technology Conference
(5-28-04)
A record number
of researchers, corn growers, industry representatives, government
officials and others will convene in Indianapolis June 7-9 for “Corn,
Feedstock of the Future,” the fourth Corn Utilization and
Technology Conference (CUTC).
The event, sponsored
by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and Corn Refiners
Association, is expected to draw more than 500 participants. And
while seats at the conference are limited, organizers say there
is still time to sign up.
NCGA Director of Business
Development Rene Shunk said the progressive conference always attracts
a diverse group, and the synergy that results is remarkable.
“This conference
brings in a particular cross-section of people that you won’t
see together anywhere else,” she said. “We have growers,
processors, academics, government researchers and people from many
other fields all coming together to focus on ways to use corn for
industrial and consumer products. These are groups that might not
normally come together, and it’s a great networking opportunity
for the whole industry. There are a lot of different perspectives
represented.”
Over the years, the conference
has evolved into much more than scientific discussions on how to
best unleash the potential of corn, Shunk said. “It is generally
a technical conference, but many other things are covered,”
she said. “We’ll discuss emerging global trends, new
products and technologies and new regulatory issues, among other
things.”
Shunk said one of NCGA’s
key ongoing initiatives is to sustain and increase opportunities
for growers by developing new uses for corn. The association also
works to develop technology that will allow corn to be economically
processed into products currently made from petroleum.
“The conference
fits perfectly with our mission statement, which essentially is
to build a corn-based bioproducts industry to increase market demand
and grower profit opportunities,” she said. “NCGA has
been committed to this for a very long time. The corn industry has
really been a catalyst of change, and the people involved in this
research have been very visionary.”
In the past 20 years,
the amount of corn used in the production of consumer and industrial
materials has risen drastically, Shunk said, pointing to the ethanol
industry as an example. Since 1983, the number of bushels used annually
in ethanol production has increased nearly ten-fold. Shunk expects
to see that same type of market expansion for other corn-based products.
“The ethanol industry
has already taken off and established itself,” she said. “It’s
amazing to see how far ethanol has come in a relatively short time.
Now, other industrial uses for corn are starting to thrive, and
we’re looking forward to the same type of success that ethanol
has enjoyed.”
To learn more about CUTC
or to register, call (636) 733-9004, or visit www.corntechconf.org.