WASHINGTON — The American Soybean Association (ASA), the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) are among a handful of organizations that have come together to form the Ag Bioeconomy Coalition. The new coalition will seek to advance federal policy initiatives that foster growth toward a circular economy based on innovative products derived from agricultural commodities.

In addition to the ASA, CRA and NCGA, other founding coalition members include: the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF); Growth Energy; the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA); the National Hemp Association; and the Plant Based Products Council (PBPC).

“Innovations in agriculture are critical for combatting climate change, helping create green jobs, and providing Americans with healthy, affordable food and renewable materials for a variety of high value products,” said Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota, member of the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. “Investing in the ag bioeconomy will increase sustainability and help us turn renewable resources like hemp, soy and corn into value-added goods, such as bioenergy, chemicals and consumer products. This is good for our environment and will drive greater rural economic development. I look forward to working alongside the Ag Bioeconomy Coalition to strengthen the US bioeconomy.”

According to the US Department of Agriculture, the use of biobased products reduces greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 12.7 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per year, which is equivalent to taking more than 2.7 million cars off the road for a year.

“It is well known that America’s abundant supply of soybeans helps feed our country and the world; lesser known is that US companies also offer about 1,000 soy biobased industrial and consumer products,” said Brad Doyle, president of the ASA. “These sustainable, job-creating, soy-based products are the result of tremendous private sector investment and research, but more can still be done to help the renewable economy really take off. We are proud to help launch the new Ag Bioeconomy Coalition to advocate for creation of new market opportunities for soybean growers that will also meet society’s economic and environmental needs.”

John Bode, president and chief executive officer of the CRA, added, “Investments in the ag bioeconomy is something that every American, business leader, and policymaker can get behind. Growth in this industry drives economic opportunity and high-quality STEM jobs in rural communities, helps large corporations and small businesses achieve climate goals, and positions American farmers as part of the solution to our collective climate challenges.”

The Ag Bioeconomy Coalition also will focus on supporting market transparency and visibility initiatives that facilitate common ag bioeconomy nomenclature and measurement. Additionally, the coalition will advocate for policies that promote ways in which government entities can support bioeconomy research and development.

For more information on the coalition, visit www.nasda.org/agbioeconomycoalition.