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 …
Alternatives Fuel Michigan Senate Race
With high gas prices cutting into motorists’ pocketbooks and Michigan’s auto industry, it’s no wonder that biodiesel, ethanol, wind and solar are figuring into the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Carl Levin and Republican Jack Hoogendyk. This story from MLive.com says the two have very different approaches on how to fix the energy crisis that has crippled the state: …
Transitioning to St. Louis
The latest in a series of conferences sponsored by the Farm Foundation on how this country can transition to a bioeconomy takes place this week in St. Louis, Mo. Transition to a Bioeconomy: Environmental and Rural Development Impacts brings together government officials… featuring USDA chief Ed Schafer…, bioenergy experts and leaders in the private industry to discuss environmental and rural …
Panda Ethanol Restructures
Panda Ethanol has announced the successful restructuring of funding arrangements on a 115-million gallon-per-year, biomass-fueled ethanol refinery in Hereford, Texas. The restructuring was made with the support of the project’s lenders and will allow for the completion of construction and startup of the facility. “The successful restructuring of the Hereford project’s funding arrangements represents a vote of confidence in our …
Ethanol Benefits Outweigh Costs
A senior economist with the nation’s largest general farm organization says the benefits of ethanol outweigh the costs. During the Association of Equipment Manufacturers AgExecutive forum in St. Louis last week, American Farm Bureau senior economist Terry Francl said that the consumer is seeing a benefit from ethanol. “The bottom line on the ethanol side is that although it has …