U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer traveled to Florida to address the third annual Florida Farm to Fuel Summit in Orlando.

“This is the theme park capitol of the world, it is a city of dreams and the power of imagination,” Schafer told the group. “As we sit here in the land of imagination and dreams, it’s up to all of us to meet the needs of the future through renewable fuels and we can change from wild imagination to realizable dreams.”

“Biofuels are an important part of the solution to our nation’s energy challenges and they are an important part of the economic future of rural America as well,” Schafer said. “That means that agriculture is going to be right in the middle of the game.”

“Here in Florida, the sheer variety of agriculture really make you a state that is a great laboratory for the future,” he added. “When breakthroughs come, I’m really counting on Florida to lead the way.”

He commended Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson and the state legislature for the state’s efforts to stimulate innovation with the Farm to Fuel program.

Listen to Secretary Schafer’s remarks here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/florida-fuel/f2f-08-schafer.mp3]