By Joe Roberts
One of our favorite things to say at Iowa Corn is that “Iowa doesn’t just grow corn, Corn Grows Iowa,” and it really is the truth. Corn not only fuels our vehicles and feeds our livestock, but it is also in over 4,000 everyday products found in our homes and at the grocery store. The versatility of the crop is limitless, which is why the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) continues to invest in companies that discover new uses for corn.
The National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) Consider Corn Challenge is one way ICPB is investing in growing corn demand. The challenge announced its 2025 winners as Aerterra – the first bio-based, renewable air filters made from U.S.-grown corn; Terragia – a company developing technology to enable cost-effective biological conversion of biomass to fuels and products; and Arizona State University – for their technology focused on corrosion mitigation for crude oil pipelines that employs corn-derived inhibitors. Each winner received a $100,000 grant through funding from NCGA, state corn organizations and other partners to further develop and scale their companies, thus increasing corn demand.