Today's technology gives us the tools to track grain all the way from a farmer's combine to the cereal box on the grocer's shelf. We can also test grain for a variety of attributes like starch and protein content. But although these tests can be done in a lab or at a manufacturing facility, it's not so easily done further up the chain, say at the grain elevator, on the farm, or within the transportation system .  "We have new technologies that are going to change how we identify, preserve, and trace grain products,  now we need to commercialize them," said Peter Goldsmith, agricultural economist and a National Soybean Research Laboratory Fellow in Agricultural Strategy at the University of Illinois. "We need to figure out ways to manage the associated volume of data cost-effectively and at high speeds."

Goldsmith is coordinator of a conference entitled "New Frontiers in Grain Quality Technology and Informatics - A National Roundtable" April 13 to15 at the Hotel InterContinental in New Orleans.

He said the conference will look at strategies for dealing with the corn and soybean attribute data on a large scale and how to do it in a cost-effective way. "We're used to managing information about grade level like yellow 2 corn, but with new technology we can test for lots of other attributes of grain," said Goldsmith. "But if we can't keep the cost down, we can't do it."

The keynote speakers at the conference will be Jimmy Woodward of Flowers Foods, Ken Parnell of Wal-Mart, and Kathleen Eisenhardt, professor of management at Stanford University. Woodward and Parnell will discuss their collaboration on a new innovative supply chain model that involves both ingredient traceability and quality attribute management.  Eisenhardt is the co-author of "Competing on the Edge, Strategy as Structured Chaos and  is a leading strategist in businesses undergoing technological changes. "When you have a change in technologies, it can be disruptive," said Goldsmith. "In the case of grain, how do we make the switch from looking at it as a commodity to looking at its end user attributes?"

Being able to use technology to track grain is also a food security issue, but that security may come with a price. "People want to know where their food comes from," said Goldsmith. "Being able to trace-back, participate in fast and efficient recalls, and provide surety to buyers, are key for competitive advantage. We can tell you what field the grain was grown in, but how much is the consumer willing to pay for that information?"

Goldsmith said that although some discussion at the conference will be about tracking grain to combat agri-terrorism, most of the presentations at the conference will be about management strategies for greater value creation, capture, and profitability.

He said that suppliers from around the world want to access detailed information about grain and other food products. "Using technology we can identify corn with high starch for ethanol production, protein quality and quantity for soy-based isolates, genetically modified-free ingredients, nutritionally dense feeds, zero trans fatty acid foods, and pharmaceutical applications."

The three-day conference in April is sponsored by the University of Illinois and the National Soybean Research Laboratory in collaboration with the Illinois Soybean Checkoff Board.
 
Complete information and online registration is available at http://www.grainqualitytechnology.org/.