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Technology measures corn's suitability for ethanol
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)--Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. and the National Corn Growers Association are teaming up to measure the fermentation characteristics of corn, an effort aimed at identifying the best varieties for ethanol production.
Des Moines-based Pioneer, the world's largest seed corn company, and the corn growers group announced June 7 that they have signed a letter of intent for Pioneer to donate the technology, giving the corn and ethanol industries a single standardized calibration.
"This is a tremendous gift that Pioneer has given the corn industry," said NCGA Corn Board member Bill Horan, of Rockwell City.
"It will be a useful tool for large and small companies to enter into a new market and breed corn to optimize that market. That benefits that corn company, it benefits the farmers and it benefits the ethanol plants and it benefits the consumer for cheaper fuel," he said.
Horan compared the effort to what the dairy industry did years ago--instead of selling milk by the gallon or the pound, a better measure of milk's value is the butter fat content.
"This is a similar type of evolution selling corn," he said.
By increasing the suitability of the corn coming into ethanol plants for ethanol production, the plants can be run more efficiently, Horan said.
Pioneer will provide the NCGA, which is based in St. Louis, a royalty-free license to the company's technology and related data. The license would include rights to sublicense, and the NCGA would coordinate all activities related to establishing a single standard that is accurate and fair for corn growers and the ethanol industry.
Pioneer spokeswoman Diana Bridgewater said the dry-grind ethanol industry is rapidly expanding and providing a growing marketplace for U.S. corn growers and their products.
"Pioneer is very excited about working with NCGA to provide this technology. We feel accurate grain quality standards will benefit both growers and the ethanol industry," Bridgewater said.
Ethanol is used as a fuel additive to help reduce vehicle emissions.
Demand for the corn-based product has increased in recent years after a cheaper petroleum-based additive, methyl tertiary butylether, or MTBE, was found to have contaminated groundwater in at least 28 states.
NCGA and Pioneer hope to announce the formal agreement in midsummer. Further program activities will be announced as they develop.
"We'd like to have six plants operating on this system this fall. Then move into many more plants after that," Horan said.
The National Corn Growers Association represents nearly 33,000 members, 25 affiliated state corn grower organizations and hundreds of thousands of growers who contribute to state checkoff programs.
Pioneer Hi-Bred, a subsidiary of DuPont, provides access to advanced plant genetics, crop protection solutions and quality cropsystems to customers in nearly 70 countries.
Date: 6/24/04
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