St. Louis, Missouri
February 20, 2003

Online Database Part of New Technology & Commercial Development Center

The days of searching long and hard for products made from corn are coming to an end. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Research and Business Development Action Team today announced it is rolling out a comprehensive database of products made from corn.

Looking for building materials made from corn? Or maybe it's corn-based adhesives and binders you're after. With the click of a mouse, nearly 600 non-food and non-feed products made from corn can be accessed through the Corn-Based Products Guide.

The guide will go live at www.ncga.com on Feb. 27 at the Commodity Classic, the joint tradeshow and convention of NCGA and the American Soybean Association, in Charlotte, N.C., and is part of a larger initiative by the NCGA Research and Business Development Action Team of providing new markets for corn and corn-derived products. That initiative includes the Technology and Commercial Development Center (TCDC), an online resource to growers containing tools such as the Corn-Based Products Guide.

"NCGA has been instrumental in the development of new uses for corn through value-added initiatives," said Research and Business Development Action Team Chairman Gary Davis. "The TCDC is an effort to promote value-added agriculture and look at innovative ways to increase the market for corn, and the Corn-Based Products Guide is the first resource available in the TCDC.

"Ultimately, our goal is to develop commercial business prospects to increase the opportunity for grower profits and we see the TCDC as a catalyst towards that goal," Davis said.

The guide is a resource for consumers and companies interested in purchasing or producing corn-based consumer and industrial goods. The user-friendly database can be searched by product application, supplier or general category. Some examples of products found in the guide include housewares such as pillows and comforters; food service items such as plates and cups; kitty litter; cleaning products; industrial solvents; de-icers; industrial starches, sweeteners, and more.

"Using products made from renewable, U.S. grown resources is important to America's energy security and environment," Davis said, "and NCGA is pleased to put out what we believe is the most comprehensive corn-based products database available."

The National Corn Growers Association mission is to create and increase opportunities for corn growers in a changing world and to enhance corn's profitability and usage. NCGA represents more than 32,000 members, 25 affiliated state corn grower organizations and hundreds of thousands of growers who contribute to state checkoff programs.