The National Corn Growers Association’s innovative search for new corn uses, called the Consider Corn Challenge, wrapped up last week, and reports just in show the effort to be a complete success. Initial results show that the group’s first-ever Open Innovation Contest attracted strong interest from the United States and six other countries.
Entrants shared their lab bench-vetted ideas on new ways to convert corn or corn-based products into sustainable chemicals.
“With the productive capacity of the nation’s corn growers continuing to grow, we need to be working hard to find new uses for corn so it can continue to be a positive national resource that makes major contributions to the economy,” said Larry Hoffmann, chair of NCGA’s Corn Productivity and Quality Action Team. “A whopping 35 entries were submitted, surpassing the original success metric set by NCGA, which was 20 entries. We are very happy with the result.”
The contest now moves into the judging phase, and up to six challenge winners will be selected. Entries will be reviewed and ranked, highlighting those with the strongest cases for commercialization and ability to drive increased future corn demand. The winners will be announced and showcased in March during Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California.
COVID-19 Resources
NCGA is taking a series of actions to do our part to help contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the economic fallout it is creating for corn farmers and our customers. Short term, this means instituting policies to protect the health and safety of our stakeholders and the broader communities we serve. Long term, we’re focused on creating solutions to help corn farmers and our customers recover from the financial impacts of this crisis.
CommonGround
CommonGround is a group of farmers connecting with consumers through conversations about science and research and personal stories about food and misinformation surrounding farming. Supported by the NCGA and state corn organizations.
SHP
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) is a farmer-led initiative that fosters transformation in agriculture through improved soil health. Administered by NCGA the partnership has more than 220 working farms enrolled in 16 states. SHP’s mission is to utilize science and data to partner with farmers who are adopting conservation agricultural practices that improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the farm.
