NCGA Members Interact with Researchers at Maize Genetics Conference (03-16-05)

National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) member Pam Johnson restated the importance of completing the maize genome sequence and increasing funding for plant genome research last week at the 47th Annual Maize Genetics Conference in Lake Geneva, Wis.

Johnson, an Iowa corn grower and member of NCGA’s Research and Business Development Action Team (RBDAT), said it is important for producers to establish a connection with researchers. An open dialog with the science community helps researchers gain a better understanding that “what they do in the lab affects the corn grower,” she said.

Johnson, who was joined at the event by RBDAT Vice Chair Wendell Shauman and NCGA Biotechnology Director Nathan Danielson, told conference-goers that NCGA continues to push for increased funding for maize genome research.

“Our top priority for seeking appropriations this year is to increase the funding at the National Science Foundation for the plant genome initiative,” she said. “Our goal is to provide adequate funding to increase the grants for the research in sequencing and functionality of the maize genome, and to get that information into the public domain.”

She also emphasized the importance of ramping up efforts to map the genome, stating, “Just as mapping the human genome will get the research from the lab to the patient, mapping the maize genome will get the research from the lab to the corn plants in our fields, benefiting all those in the corn industry from grower to consumer.”

A completed maize genome is likely to offer previously unimaginable benefits, Johnson said. “Understanding and utilizing the science of plant genomics can change our world for the better,” she said. “It is time to sequence the corn genome and get functional traits in corn, in our fields. Biotechnology is our future.”