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• Over 9000 yield plots were conducted at or coordinated from Ames, and over 7100 conducted at or coordinated from Raleigh.
• Eighteen breeding crosses were selected for advancement in 1997 based on yield and value-added trait data.
• Over 3200 topcrossed lines will be available for Corn Belt and Southern yield testing in 1998.
• Approximately 130 S₂ or S₃ lines from 50% tropical GEM breeding crosses beat the average of commercial check hybrids in trials analyzed to date.
• GEM's value-added research capacity expanded with the addition of an NIR to measure starch, oil, and protein composition and an HPLC to measure protein quality. These acquisitions are thanks to Les Lewis and Dwayne Buxton (NIR) and Richard Dunkle and Adrianna Hewings (HPLC).
• Many 50% tropical GEM breeding crosses as well as advanced S₂ and S₃ lines had Gray Leaf Spot resistance equal to the most resistant commercial check hybrid. 
• Significant resistance to Fusarium ear rot was found among advanced progenies of 4 GEM breeding populations; significant resistance to Aspergillus ear rot was also found in 2 of the 4 populations.
• GEM’s capacity for field research in Ames expanded with the acquisition of a Gleaner K combine with three-row corn head (thanks to ISU and Les Lewis) which will be converted to a plot combine in 1998, and the arrival of a 4-row vacuum plot planter (thanks to Richard Dunkle) and a tractor (purchased from GEM funds) in time for planting.
• GEM’s seed storage capacity in Ames expanded with the acquisition of a cold storage unit due to the efforts of Les Lewis.
• Two successful field days were held: September 16 at the CAD Uthe farm in Ames, IA and September 8 at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
• GEM gained three new private cooperators in 1997.
• Six hundred sixty lines with non-DIMBOA based European corn borer resistance were evaluated as testcrosses for yield in summer 1997, and 200 of the most insect resistant were backcrossed to the Corn Belt recurrent line, in preparation for release.
• A total of 12 public cooperator projects were partially supported financially by GEM.

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December 10, 1996, Chicago, IL: Funding decisions for public cooperators were approved. David Topel, Dean of the ISU College of Agriculture, agreed to support GEM with lobbying. Chuck Murphy was an invited guest who discussed suggestions/ideas for lobbying. According to Chuck, GEM is viewed favorably by USDA administrators. David Harper, Randy Holley, and Kevin Montgomery were assigned to rewrite the protocol. When assigning S₁ lines to cooperators to advance, Linda Pollak will require the cooperator to advance a minimum of 250 lines. When lines are divided among private cooperators, each private cooperators will send Linda their S₂ selections. Linda will recombine them into the synthetic for release, with remnant S₂ seed destroyed.

February 23, 1997, Des Moines, IA: Dave Harper with help from other members put materials together in preparation for testifying before the House of Representatives Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations on March 12.A lengthy discussion on the protocol was followed by a decision for Dave to write a new protocol, with later approval by TSG and cooperators.

May 29, 1997, Chicago, IL: Protocol for releasing seed was discussed. Lines/synthetics will be released as GEM lines, using the standard Crop Science release publication and USDA release procedures. Primary cooperators involved in the breeding effort will be authors/originators. Seed will be deposited at NSSL (3000k for lines, 7000k for synthetics), and NCRPIS will curate the seed after its release. A discussion was initiated on protocol for seed increase of breeding crosses with insufficient seed for full evaluations and/or breeding. TSG members were assigned public cooperator projects to visit, and encouraged to visit as many yield tests as possible. We decided to develop a five year plan for GEM.

September 17, 1997, Ames, IA: Dean Topel and Ron Cantrell (Head of ISU’s Agronomy Department) were invited to discuss interaction between ISU and GEM. Stephen Smith (chair of NPGS Focus Group) was invited to discuss interaction with the Focus Group, and Leslie Lewis was invited to discuss interaction between ARS and GEM. All discussions were extremely beneficial to GEM. The five-year plan is progressing, when further along it will be available on the web site. Public cooperators will be encouraged to present their research at an upcoming NCR-167 or interregional meeting, as well as publishing in refereed scientific journals and in the yearly GEM data summaries. Wilfredo Salhuana presented a progress report on international GEM. All members agreed to proceed on regeneration of promising breeding crosses with insufficient seed supply. 

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Eric Wellin resigned as Data Manager effective January 29, 1997.He was replaced by Timothy Johnson who started on July 6, 1997.Mary Runde resigned as Field Technician during August 1996 and was replaced by Randy Ritland who started on December 9, 1996. Nuo (Mack) Shen started as a Research Food Technologist (postdoctoral) on February 2, 1997 to work on quality and stability of oils with altered fatty acid content. Luiz Michelini arrived in Iowa from Brazil on January 6, 1997 to work as a postdoctoral visiting scientist. 

• Presentation of Results of 1996 GEM Yield Testing at NCR-167 by Linda Pollak, Des Moines IA, February 24.

• Article in Spring Corn Farmer.

• Mentioned in Bob Streit’s column in April 11’s Farm News.

• Presentation of Enhancement of oil quality through introgression by Pamela White at American Oil Chemists Annual Meeting, Seattle WA, May 11-14.

• Publication of Incorporation of exotic germplasm into elite maize lines: Maximizing favorable effects of the exotic sources by Major Goodman in C. Clark Cockerham memorial issue of J. of Math. Biology.

• Distribution of Report of U.S. Germplasm Enhancement for Maize Project (US-GEM) Executive Summary by Wilfredo Salhuana.

• Publication of Thermal properties of corn starch extracted with different blending methods: Microblender and Homogenizer by K.M. Krieger, S.A. Duvick, L.M. Pollak, and P.J. White Cereal Chem. 74:553-555.

• Featured (cover story) in ARS’s September Agricultural Research magazine.

• Presented laboratory and field tours to the National Plant Germplasm System Customer Focus Group meeting on September 8.

• Poster display at ISU Agronomy Day on September 11.

• Press releases issued by American Genetic Resources Alliance, ARS, and ISU in September.

• Interview of Linda Pollak by Rich Hawkins, WHB Radio, Kansas City on October 6.

• Interview of Linda Pollak by Colleen Callahan, WMBD Radio, Peoria IL on October 9.

• Article in October 9’s The Country Today.

• Interview of Linda Pollak by Mark Steil, Minnesota Public Radio on October 10.

• Publication of Thermal properties of starch from 62 exotic maize (Zea mays L.) lines grown in two locations by K.-Y. Ng, L.M. Pollak, S.A. Duvick, and P.J. White in Cereal Chem. 74:837-841.

• Article in November’s Soybean Digest.

• Poster display at Iowa Seed Association annual meeting, November 19-20, Ames, IA.

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September 16, 1997, Ames, IA: The field day was held at the Committee for Agricultural Development’s Uthe Farm. The Central Iowa Field day was held at the same location on September 17-18.Having our field day held in association with the Central Iowa Field Day meant that attendance by commercial people increased significantly over the three days. On September 16 official greetings from USDA-ARS came from Midwest Area Director, Richard Dunkle, Associate Director Adrianna Hewings, and Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Leader Leslie Lewis. Official greetings from Iowa State University came from Ron Dean David Topel. Official greetings from GEM came from TSG chair Wilfredo Salhuana. Posters or presentations were given by Craig Abel, Gary Munkvold, Susan Duvick, Darren Jarboe for Iowa Grain Quality Initiative, Suvrat Singh working with Larry Johnson, and Paul Scott. Featured GEM breeding materials were value added trait selections, new breeding crosses, non-DIMBOA corn borer resistant lines, and breeding crosses being advanced to S₂ lines, as well as a demonstration of breeding progress in exotic and Corn Belt materials.

September 8, 1997, Madison WI: Jim Coors was the host for this field day which was part of the University of Wisconsin Corn Breeding and Genetics Open House held at the West Madison Experiment Farm. Jim’s silage work using GEM breeding materials was highlighted.