Energy and Rural Development
Our USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development, Thomas Dorr was on hand here at the Farm Progress Show. In my interview with Sec. Dorr we talked about renewable energy. I asked him to talk about the upcoming “Advancing Renewable Energy: An American Rural Renaissance” conference that USDA is conducing with the Dept. of Energy in St. Louis, Oct. 10-12. He …
Ag Secretary On Energy
Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns toured the Farm Progress Show today.
Wind Powering America
Helping me here at the Farm Progress Show is Kelcy Schroder, Iowa State University student. She’s here courtesy of the Monsanto, future ag journalist program, getting some new media experience. One of the first interviews she did was on wind power. Here’s her story: New Ag Markets are coming out everyday but Wind Energy is becoming more popular. Many of …
Purdue Energy Summit
Next week, Purdue University and U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar will host an energy summit to discuss industry and policy perspectives on how our nation can significantly reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Richard G. Lugar-Purdue Summit on Energy Security will bring more than 600 leaders to the Purdue campus in West Lafayette, Ind. to discuss national energy issues and policy. …
Johanns on Food vs. Fuel
I had the opportunity for a 15 minute interview with Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns today in Kansas City. I was wearing many hats, so I had to ask him questions on several topics, but I did get in a question about food versus fuel when it comes to ethanol. Basically, the short answer is – use all you want, …
USDA and DOE Fund Biofuels Research Projects
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy are jointly funding some $5.7 million dollars in research projects aimed at the development of alternative fuel resources. According to a USDA release, USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service and DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research awarded the grants “to facilitate the use of woody plant tissue, specifically lignocellulosic materials, …
Congress May Cut RFS Funding
According to an AP article, House and Senate spending bills would drastically reduce Environmental Protection Agency dollars for a law designed to boost ethanol use. The article reports that of the $11.4 million requested by President Bush to implement the Renewable Fuels Standard in last year’s energy bill, the House has approved only $2.4 million and the Senate only $1.4 …
ACE is the Place For Governors
The American Coalition for Ethanol meeting in Kansas City featured the governors of rival states, one Democrat and one Republican, who both agree on the importance of ethanol to the economy. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius told the record crowd attending the 19th annual ACE conference that to be successful, “our commitment to biofuels has to be real. It can’t just …