Surfacing New Uses For Corn Critical To Long-Term Viability Of Farmers

Increasing demand for corn and corn farmer profitability is key to the National Corn Growers Association's mission, and this was clearly evident at the recent meeting of NCGA's Corn Productivity & Quality Action Team (CPQAT).

 

Farmer team members from across the U.S. discussed several potential avenues for finding new uses for corn to drive demand.  Potential areas of focus are new food uses for corn, new plant-based chemicals from corn and more specifically using corn as a feedstock to replace chemicals currently manufactured from petroleum.

 

"Developing new uses for corn is nothing novel. It has always been important. Within the last 20 years, fuel ethanol went from being a new use for corn to our second largest market.  And look at the impact that has had on farmer profitability," said, Larry Hoffmann, chairman of the CPQAT and a farmer from Wheatland, North Dakota. "But trying to keep corn use ahead of our growing productive capacity is a never-ending challenge. We are currently exploring the concept of an open innovation contest as a way to engage researchers to drive corn use."

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.