Learn more about the Consider Corn Challenge III submission process and find out how successful winners have moved closer to commercialization by participating in the informational webinar scheduled for Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at 10:00 AM CDT. Consider Corn Challenge II winner Derek Wells from ExoPolymer will participate in the webinar to share his experience of the process and the benefits he’s received from participating in the Challenge.
“We’ve had very diverse and robust applications and winners from the previous two Consider Corn Challenges, and I am looking forward to seeing who is working on a technology that can utilize field corn as a feedstock for producing sustainable chemicals and products with quantifiable market demand,” said NCGA Director of Market Development Sarah McKay. “Corn is a versatile crop that’s affordable, abundant and sustainably grown. As society continues to be more interested in biobased products, we know we have the solution and that’s corn.”
Specific application areas being considered for this Challenge include:
- Biobased materials from novel mixes of corn-derived plastics
- Compostable plastics with high tensile strength, such as netting or packaging materials
- Heavy-duty fuels or drop-in chemicals (e.g., sustainable aviation fuel; biodiesel derived from corn glucose, bunker fuel, etc.)
- Carbon fiber
- Other high-value molecules
Submissions are due on June 3, 2020 at 4:00 PM CDT. A total prize pool of U.S. $150,000 will be split equally between one to six winners, based on the strength of competing submissions.
If all nine winners of the Consider Corn Challenge I & II reached full commercialization with products available in the marketplace, the potential for additional corn demand could be approximately 2.9 billion bushels.
You can learn more about the challenge and register for the webinar here.
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.
