St. Louis, Missouri
June 26, 2007
Research on biotechnology,
alternative fuels and other 21st century agricultural challenges
was at the top of the agenda for the
National Corn Growers Association
(NCGA) and other agricultural representatives who met with the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week.
The meeting was to assess USDA’s current research programs and
prepare recommendations for the department’s next round of
research.
“We were there to assess how well USDA had set its priorities
and created commercial technologies with the current research,”
explained Nathan Fields, NCGA director of research and business
development. “Since the current round of research began in 2002,
agricultural opportunities and challenges have changed, and we
want to be sure USDA builds future research on a solid footing.”
Through the Agricultural Research Service, USDA conducts 21
national programs. Among the programs were studies on converting
corn fiber and stover into ethanol, and development enzymes to
make ethanol production more efficient.
While that research should continue, said Fields, NCGA would
like to see additional research in fractionation techniques that
would allow corn to be processed into new, petroleum-replacing,
industrial products. Other areas NCGA would like to see
additional research are in the effects of corn stover removal on
sustainable production and enzymes that would help convert a
wider range of plant sugars into fuel and other products.
USDA will meet again with stakeholders this fall to refine and
define priorities.
The agriculture department is not the only source of government
research into alternative fuels. This morning the Department of
Energy announced $375 million in funding over the next five
years for cellulosic biofuels. |
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