The promise of new science and technology for increasing food and fuel production was part of a conversation panel at the World Food Prize Norman Borlaug Symposium in Des Moines on Wednesday. Among the panelists was Brazil’s former minister of agriculture Roberto Rodrigues, co-chair of the International Biofuels Commission, who talked about the importance of biofuels development for developing nations. …
Managing Water for Future Ethanol Sustainability
The amount of water that goes into growing the corn that goes into ethanol has been a big topic of conversation between those for and against production of the green fuel. That’s why it is a topic of conversation at the Farm Foundation’s Transition to a Bioeconomy: Environmental and Rural Impacts Conference in St. Louis this week. This gathering of …
Biofuels Talk at World Food Prize Event
These days, a dialogue about global food has to include biofuels – the two have become inseparable in recent years. At the World Food Prize Norman Borlaug Symposium this week in Des Moines many speakers are addressing how biofuels fit in the global food outlook. The keynote speaker for the symposium kickoff Wednesday was Sir Gordon Conway, who is chief …
GM and NGA Partner to Bring More E85 to 10 States
“Improving the use of clean, domestically grown biofuels like ethanol will help move us toward a cleaner, more secure energy future,” said John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center for Best Practices. “The infrastructure for E85 needs to expand now if the nation is to be ready for the significant growth in ethanol coming from new cellulosic and biomass sources,” …
Many Voices, Many Opinions, One Goal
You don’t have to agree to come up with agreeable solutions… that seems to be the theme for the latest Farm Foundation Transition to a Bioeconomy Conference. This is the third in a series of these Farm Foundation-sponsored meetings designed to get a handle on the changing farm economy and what the expansion of biofuels, particularly ethanol and biodiesel, means …
Questions, Discussions Dominate Transition Conference
How do we meet carbon reduction goals? How do we reduce our carbon footprint with biodiesel and ethanol without actually creating more carbon from the production of those biofuels? What are the trade-offs and benefits we could see between securing our food supplies and our energy security? And how do we make all these things work while not damaging the …
Meeting the Environmental Challenges of Biofuels
A fascinating discussion this morning at the opening session of the Transition to a Bioeconomy: Environmental and Rural Development Impacts conference here in St. Louis. Speakers have included government and university experts who are presenting what challenges face the bioeconomy, especially on the environmental side of the issue. Kitty Smith with the USDA’s Economic Research Service and chair of the …
Transition to a Bioeconomy About to Begin
The latest in a series of Farm Foundation-sponsored meetings on how to transition the country to a bioeconomy is about to get underway this morning in St. Louis, Mo. Transition to a Bio Economy: Environmental and Rural Development Impacts is taking place at the Hyatt Regency-Union Station today and tomorrow, and your intrepid blogger will be here to update you …
Flying the Eco-Friendly Skies
With rising fuel costs and dropping passenger rates, airlines around the world are looking at ways to keep their operations in the air, both literally and financially. This story in the Vancouver (BC) Sun says the 230 airline members of the International Air Transport Association and its 230 member-airlines believe biodiesel and ethanol could be part of the solution: [T]he …