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Research and development programs help increase demand and add value to the crop.

• Corn Utilization and Technology Conference

  The 2012 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference will be held June 4-6 in Indianapolis. With a theme of “Back to the Grind,” the biennial conference will feature the cutting-edge technologies and new uses that continually improve and dynamically change the corn industry. The 2012 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference will debut a third tier of presentation options offering participants the opportunity to hear the latest on mycotoxin research. The Aflatoxin Mitigation...

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• National Agricultural Genotyping Center

  The mission of the National Agricultural Genotyping Center is to translate scientific discoveries into solutions for production agriculture, food safety, functional foods, bioenergy and national security. At present, there exists a large unmet need for high-throughput genotyping services within U.S. agricultural research, food production and safety testing. The National Corn Growers Association in partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center...

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• Research Glossary

  Genetics is the science of heredity and variation. Genomics is a discipline of genetics that encompasses gene mapping, gene sequencing and determining gene function. Genotyping is the application of genomic information to develop new traits and products. In 1997, NCGA spearheaded the National Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI), which sequenced the corn ge­nome and other plant genomes. The draft of the corn genome sequence was completed in 2008. The next phase of the project is to apply...

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• New Uses for Corn & Ethanol

  Corn-based industrial products are the single largest potential growth market for corn growers. Ethanol currently utilizes 4.2 billion bushels of corn, but as yields continue to increase and ethanol levels reach the blend-wall, additional markets will be needed. There is great potential to use corn-based materials to meet needs in many other large markets such as plastics, solvents, packaging and other consumer goods, which are currently petroleum-based. Reactive...

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• Research

  The Maize Genome Sequencing Project is Complete! NCGA and its state partners were extremely successful in focusing attention and resources towards the sequencing of the corn genome. This success has opened the door into the next phase of corn genomics, applying what had been learned to improve food, feed and fuel production from corn, as well as many other plant species. For more information, see the NSF press release. For a copy of the paper or educational poster that...

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• Research Funding

  Check out your tax dollars at work:

  NSF Plant Genome Research Program

  USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

  Agricultural and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)

  Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

  USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

  National Programs

   

  Science in Your Shopping Cart – ARS publication outlining familiar and surprising ways that ag research touches and improves daily life

• Using Genetics & Genomics to Improve Corn

  With the sequence of the corn genome released and gene annotation rapidly progressing, the door is open for the next phase of research: applying what has been learned to the development of better crops. To realize this goal, NCGA is working to identify and develop traits and technologies that will benefit growers. Information encoded in the corn genome can improve water and nitrogen use efficiencies, help plants cope with disease, pests, and adverse weather, and allow breeders to develop...

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• Biobased Products

  NCGA has been an avid supporter of the biobased products industry, having originally partnered with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop the Agriculture Industry Vision and the Plant/Crop Based Renewable Resources Vision and Roadmap documents. NCGA is a leader providing vision and direction for the research and development needs of the emerging biobased products industry. NCGA works primarily on the federal level to increase the funding of research and development programs aimed at...

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