In light of a lot of negativism directed toward farming today the opening speakers for the 2016 Corn Utilization Technology Conference (CUTC) were very optimistic in their outlook. Welcoming us to the 10th CUTC was Chris Novak, CEO, National Corn Growers Association. New technologies have allowed corn farmers to produce so much corn that a surplus was created. That has …
The Corn Utilization Technology Conference is Underway
Attendance at the 2016 Corn Utilization Technology Conference is higher than two years ago. The Chair of the committee for this year’s conference is Gene Fox, Cargill. I talked with him about the program this year. By the way, this is the 10th CUTC which continues the 20 year tradition of presenting the latest research on corn technology. Gene has …
Oxygenate from Ethanol and Corn
xF Technologies Inc. is an advanced biofuel company that has developed a chemical process to convert corn or biomass plus alcohol (especially ethanol or methanol) into an oxygenate that can be blended with gasoline and diesel. “It’s a completely chemical process - no enzymes, no bacteria, no fermentation,” said Bob Randle of xF Technologies, who spoke at the recent Corn …
Who Goes to CUTC and Why
As the name implies, the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference is a scientific and technical kind of meeting, which is organized every two years by the National Corn Growers Association with presentations focusing on the latest research, concepts and applications in the corn world. A wide variety of people attend the event, such as Brian Burris with Novosep, a life …
CUTC Platinum Sponsors
Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer were pleased to be the major sponsors at the recent 2014 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference in Louisville. “We work very closely with the National Corn Growers Association,” said Morrie Bryant with DuPont Pioneer’s End Use Team. “We also have a relationship with the corn processing community and being able to help keep a sustainable supply …
Increasing Ethanol Yield
One way enzyme technology can help ethanol plants is by yielding more ethanol per bushel of corn. At the recent Corn Utilization and Technology Conference, Nathan Kreel with Novozymes talked about Olexa, a unique enzyme designed for oil recovery. “We developed it mainly to enhance corn oil extraction for the customer, but we are seeing there are a lot of …
The Yeast Dynamics of Ethanol Plants
DuPont Industrial Biosciences is looking into understanding the yeast metabolism and dynamics associated with various stresses in the fuel ethanol fermentation process. “Those stresses could be putting in too much enzyme, or not enough enzyme,” said Dr. Donald Cannon, who presented at the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference. “So, we’ve identified succinate as a marker for nitrogen stress and what …
Fabric Innovations in Corn Wet Milling
Sefar is a precision weaving company out of Switzerland that provides fabrics for industrial uses, including corn milling and ethanol production. Speaking at the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference, David Rechin of Sefar talked about fabric innovations that could help wet mills. “What we’re looking to do is reduce the amount of filtrate solids that get reintroduced into the system, …
Corn Starch Bioplastics and Farm Pest Control
More and more research is being done on biological control of all forms of pests including in the agricultural market. Dr. Hamed Abbas, USDA, talked about “Bioplastics Made from Corn Starch as an Effective Biological Delivery Vehicle for Control of Agricultural Pests” at the recent Corn Utilization Technology Conference. Here’s another example of a new use for corn starch. Before …
2014 CUTC Receives Rave Reviews
It takes a team to have a great CUTC conference. But the man who was actively checking on everything to make sure all was well is Richard Vierling. I talked with Richard at the conclusion of this year’s conference. He says it was a fabulous conference with nothing but rave reviews from attendees. He says the planning committee hit a …