St. Louis, Missouri
June 27, 2007
Innovation in seeds and technology
has helped corn producers set production records, and continued
cooperation between producers and the seed industry will fuel
more progress, the National Corn
Growers Association (NCGA) said today.
In remarks to the 124th annual convention of the
American Seed Trade Association
(ASTA), Bill Chase, chairman of NCGA’s Production and
Stewardship Action Team, called the relationship between the two
groups, “a partnership.”
“Innovation in seed, production practices and technological
advances has helped ensure ample supplies of corn for livestock,
an expanding ethanol industry, new biobased products and a host
of other uses in the corn industry,” Chase said.
“Because of the work of many of you in this room, corn growers
have seen an unprecedented increase in productivity,” he added.
Chase reviewed the latest information on ethanol, demand for
feed and NCGA’s vision of 15 billion bushels of corn produced by
the year 2015. He also urged the seed industry to be mindful of
the export market for corn when introducing new traits. “Japan
imports almost 5 percent of the entire U.S. corn crop,” he
reminded the meeting. “This is too large of a market to
jeopardize.”
Chase encouraged ASTA members to continue to submit their
hybrids to the NCGA Know Before You Grow database and praised
the industry’s involvement in the Market Choices program. He
also reminded them to remain vigilant in encouraging customers
to follow insect resistance management rules and urged the
industry to provide adequate supplies of compatible refuge
hybrids.
“Corn biotech research, particularly moving traits from the lab
bench to field trials, has dramatically outpaced other crops,”
Chase told the audience. “Our technology pipeline is full, and
we look forward to the next tool to come out.”
Other news
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