At the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference (ABLC) in Washington D.C., the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) once again sponsored and facilitated a special session, outlining the national incentive for biobased chemicals and renewable materials that NCGA, along with Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and other partners have been working on.
The panel was moderated by Sarah McKay, NCGA Market Development Director, and participants included John Torres, Director, Federal Government Relations at BIO, Ken Rubin, president, Gross-Wen Technologies, and Manning Feraci, Principal, Playmaker Strategies. The panel highlighted the efforts to date to support industrial biotechnology and develop for a national incentive for biobased products. Rubin also shared Gross-Wen’s technology and his perspective on how this national incentive will benefit a variety of agricultural feedstocks, a key component of the national incentive. McKay emphasized the value and sustainability of corn as an industrial feedstock and how utilizing corn addresses key areas of importance for the public as it relates to industrial biotechnology. Further, the panel had a robust Q&A session with the audience on programs and policies, including a detailed overview of the national incentive for biobased materials and what technologies would qualify.
“U.S. corn farmers continue to produce an affordable, high-quality and reliable crop each year,” said McKay. “That crop can be turned into more than just food, feed and fuel. The corn kernel can be utilized in so many ways, which is why we focus on new uses and corn as an industrial feedstock. NCGA is working on this national incentive with partners across the agricultural and biotech industry to help a variety of new technologies overcome barriers to commercialization so they can begin to grind more corn.”
NCGA continues work in the new uses and industrial feedstock space through the Consider Corn Challenge, Radicle Challenge, and state and national New Uses Consortium. NCGA also works to accelerate new uses through a partnership with DigestData, continued conversations with government agencies like the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), and engagement with the airline community and technology providers to make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) a reality. Learn more about NCGA’s additional new uses programs and efforts at ncga.com/newuses.
