While the content shared during sessions at the 2018 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference was very technical, it was valuable to Mark Sponsler, Executive Director of the Colorado Corn Growers Association.
“Behind any market development effort, and at the root or the base of any new technology that represents market demand, there has to be a foundation of solid research,” Sponsler said.
Sponsler uses the opportunity to learn where the research is headed and what the future holds for corn and potential markets for corn. Whether it is the future of cellulosic ethanol or the development of corn-based products to replace those currently derived from petroleum, it’s information that Sponsler wants to know.
He said Colorado is like many other states that are looking to redefine the focus of research investments and sometimes choosing between funding production technology or product development. Often the budget of one state association is not big enough to do both. Sponsler said many times several states will work together on projects that expand markets for corn, using ethanol production and promotion as a prime example of that kind of effort.
Interview with Mark Sponsler, Colorado Corn Growers Association