May 22, 2026 – Nearly 100 corn industry stakeholders attended the 67th annual Corn Dry Milling Conference (CDMC) held in St. Louis, Missouri on May 20-21, 2026. The CDMC has provided a forum for the entire value chain to share the latest research and trends since 1959.
The event was hosted at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the world’s largest independent nonprofit dedicated to plant science. The CDMC was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the NC-1183, a multi-state group of university and USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists that covers a broad range of topics encompassing the disciplinary breadth of mycotoxicology. Attendees had the opportunity to connect with exhibitors across the corn milling supply chain.
“The Corn Dry Milling Conference brings together the entire corn milling supply chain to showcase a wide range of topics impacting the sector,” said NAMA President Jane DeMarchi. “This event is one of a kind and focused on delivering real value and insights for corn dry millers.”
The CDMC featured 12 speakers from USDA, universities, and the private sector. NAMA staff presented updates on the association’s work in D.C. focused on food policy and international food aid, two priority areas for corn millers. The conference also featured a poster session to highlight current research. Scientists from the University of Kentucky, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kansas State University, and USDA presented posters. The “People’s Choice Award” for the poster session went to Dr. Camila Nicolli (Purdue University) for her poster titled: “Mycotoxin Management, A Comparison of Ear Rot Infection Severity to Mycotoxins Levels in Harvested Grain.”
Presentations focused on milling operations included training programs at Iowa State University, grain storage, explosion prevention, and new technologies for use in grade grading. Market-focused topics included the National Corn Growers Association’s sustainability programs, consumer research from the International Food Information Council, ethanol, and opportunities for whole grain corn ingredients. USDA scientists reported on mycotoxin research focused on solutions for farmers.
“This year’s CDMC highlighted every step of the production chain,” said Eric Rasgorshek (Grain Craft), CDMC Planning Committee Chair. “The CDMC continues to be a place where farmers, millers, researchers, and food manufacturers can come together to explore opportunities for science and innovation to help deliver safe, affordable products to consumers.”
For more information about upcoming NAMA events, visit https://namamillers.org/our-events/.
Caption: CDMC Planning Committee Chair Eric Rasgorshek (Grain Craft) honors Dr. Martha Vaughan (USDA National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research) for her long-time dedication to planning this event.
Caption: Attendees visited table top exhibits from suppliers to the corn milling industry.
Caption: Speaker Sean Arians (National Corn Growers Association) discusses sustainability.
Caption: Scientists presented a poster session on current research.
Caption: Millers and researchers participated in a mycotoxin panel discussion during the NC-1183 meeting.
About NAMA:
NAMA is the only national trade association that exclusively represents the interests of the North American wheat, corn, oat, and rye milling industry before Congress, federal agencies, and international regulatory bodies. Member companies operate mills in 30+ states, Puerto Rico, and Canada, representing more than 90 percent of total industry production capacity.