Background
In recent years tremendous advances have been made in grain quality testing and management. From the detection of genetically modified organisms to rapid assessment of starches and amino acids, the ability to test is more available than ever. Information abounds. The ability to manage attribute-related information, grain quality informatics, is also improving rapidly. New systems have emerged that allow the combination of greater service and value creation for end-users by the grain supply system. Quality testing equipment can now be integrated into a variety of types of production, harvesting, storing, and grain handling equipment. Sellers of grain from seed to processing can now know what they are selling.

New Opportunities
High starch for ethanol production, protein quality and quantity for soy-based isolates, genetically modified-free ingredients, nutritionally dense feeds, zero trans fatty acid foods, and pharmaceutical applications; are some of the examples of the new and dynamic arena of grain and oilseed procurement. Suppliers from around the world now operate in a hyper competitive environment to access these new demand opportunities.

Delivering feed and food stuffs within safe and secure supply chains now is part of the bundle buyers are demanding from their suppliers. Being able to traceback, participate in fast and efficient recalls, and provide surety to buyers, are key for competitive advantage.

A final element is cost. Grains, such as corn and soybeans, are produced in large quantities around the globe and have numerous industrial as well as organic substitutes. Many of the next stage uses of corn and soybeans are low-valued bulk products, such as corn syrup, ethanol, and soybean meal. As a result, premiums for quality are small and tend to decay rapidly. Commodities still offer buyers superior features of procurement flexibility, low transaction costs, and opportunities for risk management. In the end there are few opportunities for end-users to pay significantly more for a quality-based offer versus a commodity offer. Therefore, cost discipline will be critical for quality-based grain models to be successful.

Roundtable Objectives
There are numerous models, concepts, and new businesses exploring the frontier of grain quality informatics. As with all formative stages of changed environments, many will fail and some will succeed. Who knows where these bold entrepreneurs and innovators will take us.

With this in mind the University of Illinois and the National Soybean Research Laboratory in collaboration with the Illinois Soybean Checkoff Board, are facilitating a 3-day roundtable. The goal of the roundtable is to serve as an industry catalyst bringing together leading industry and academic thinkers to explore the frontiers of grain quality informatics and new business models. The roundtable has three main objectives:

1. To learn about frontier technologies, applications, business models, and end-user needs,

2. To interact and hear from a broad spectrum of industry players, and

3. To contribute to a white paper that outlines directions for research, development, and policy supporting the proliferation of quality-based business models.