NCGA Pleased with Addition of Biobased Products to BioPreferred Program (10-12-06)

National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Ken McCauley said the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcement Wednesday proposing 10 biobased products be added as part of a federal program is an important step in providing more renewable products for consumers as alternatives to petroleum-based items.

USDA Chief Economist Keith Collins and Assistant Secretary for Administration Boyd Rutherford announced the fourth rule proposing the biobased products during a press conference at the “Advancing Renewable Energy Conference” in St. Louis. If accepted, the products will become part of the USDA’s “BioPreferred” program, formerly called the “Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement Program.”

“We are pleased to see USDA continue to take steps in providing more biobased products for consumers to choose from,” said McCauley. “Biobased products are increasingly displacing petroleum-made products and give our corn growers another market for corn. Corn growers continue to advance the usage of renewable products and have led the way in developing new renewable products.”

The new biobased products include: bath and tile cleaners; clothing products; concrete and asphalt release fluids; cutting, drilling, and tapping oils; deicers; durable films; firearm lubricants; floor strippers; laundry products; and wood and concrete sealers.

The new product categories bring the total to 36 categories representing 2,419 biobased products.

Nathan Fields, NCGA director of research and business development, said USDA has identified 170 categories that can have rules issued and published, representing more than 9,000 biobased products on the market – a three-fold increase of identified products from the beginning of 2005.

Collins stated “Once the biobased product rules are final, agency purchases will increase demand for existing biobased products, create incentives for new products and generate new economic opportunities for biobased product producers, including our farmers and ranchers."

Federal agencies must give preference to designated biobased products in government purchases within one year of publication of the final designation rule. USDA is accepting comments on the proposed rules during the 60-day public comment period. For more information and to download a biobased catalog please visit www.usda.gov.