March Stand Up with Stan

By: Stan Nelson

Stan Nelson is a farmer from Middletown, Iowa, and currently serves as the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) President.

As corn continues to grow in Iowa and around the country, the surplus of corn carryout is forecasted to increase. Corn is grown on over 90 million acres in the United States and is typically responsible for more than $80 billion of annual value in the United States. However, that is only if the demand for corn remains the same or becomes greater with innovative new uses of corn and its byproducts.

That’s why the Iowa Corn Promotion Board finds value in expanding the research of new uses with the Radicle Corn Value Chain Challenge, The Challenge will explore innovative uses for the surplus of corn and unlock new revenue streams for corn farmers.

The Challenge sets out to invest a minimum of $1.5 million in start-up and growth companies from around the world whose innovative technologies and business models create new uses for corn and long-term sustainable demand for corn production. By embracing innovation and demand growth, we can ensure the long-term profitability of all U.S. corn growers and contribute to the economic growth of the country.

These companies are expected to be developing new uses of corn that result in replacements for fossil fuel-derived materials with plant-derived materials such as sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), drop-in chemicals and plastics, compostable materials and yet unidentified products and product categories that could be new areas for corn-derived products to be used.

If you would like to learn more about how your corn checkoff dollars are invested with the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, I encourage you to visit iowacorn.org.

Thank you,

Stan Nelson