Efforts Made to Engage DOE in Renewable Feed Stocks

November 7, 2001

The National Corn Growers Association is trying to get the Department of Energy involved in the corn industry's "AgVision 2020" designed to increase the use of plants and crops to produce chemical feed stocks five-fold by 2020 (an increase from 2% to 10%). NCGA CEO and Executive Vice President Rick Tolman met with representatives from the DOE and industry leaders to create an industry steering committee made up of various agriculture-related industry representatives to advise DOE on the AgVision 2020 program.

The program was begun in 1996. "This industry steering group will provide valuable feedback and direction for DOE," said Tolman. "As a result of this close partnership between government and industry, the necessary new technology can be developed and put into practice more quickly and efficiently." DOE has invested approximately $30 million in research projects based on a technology road map developed by the corn industry. NCGA participates in this work through several technologies for new uses projects

More information on AgVision 2020 is available on the NCGA web site at http://www.ncga.com/research/main/agvision.htm.