The president of the National Corn Growers Association says the interest in renewable energy across the nation is really a renewed interest in agriculture.
Ken McCauley, a corn grower from White Cloud, Kansas, says “it elevates agriculture to a whole new level” and he notes that ethanol and biodiesel are giving young people a new future in agriculture and helping to revitalize rural America. “Not just because of an ethanol plant, but also side businesses, support industry, builds your roads, builds your tax base, all kinds of good things for our local communities.”
Regarding food versus fuel – which I always ask about – McCauley says “We don’t feel there is a debate. As the industry grows, there’s going to be enough.”
As to the “naysayers,” McCauley says it’s simply “a failure to recognize change.”
McCauley is pictured here next to the brightly-colored “Live Green, Go Yellow” corn-wrapped Tahoe on display in the trade show – hoping to someday soon have one of his own just like it!
Listen to my interview with McCauley here: 
McCauley (6 min MP3)
Coverage of the Advancing Renewable Energy Conference sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.
Despite the government’s best efforts to be all-inclusive with the Advancing Renewable Energy Conference, it’s all too obvious that liquid fuels are the main attraction. That was evidenced by the attendance at the afternoon break-out sessions – one on heat and electricity and one on liquid fuels. The liquid fuels session was SRO, probably around 600-700 people, if not more. I’m not good at judging that stuff – I just know it was full – and they were actually scanning our name badges at the doors to get an accurate count, so I should know that at some point. 
The US Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy are the hosts of the Advancing Renewable Energy Conference in St. Louis this week. Both addressed the crowd, estimated at upwards of 1500 people, showing the huge interest in renewable energy nationwide. 
There’s a huge crowd at the America’s Center in St. Louis for the Advancing Renewable Energy Conference. First main speaker up was Pat Woertz, CEO for ADM, who gave an impressive address on how we can and must meet the energy and food needs of the world. 
President Bush is now confirmed to be the grand finale for the 
The newest breed of Dodge Ram comes factory-fueled with biodiesel. 
According to Reginald Modlin, Director of Environmental Affairs for Daimler Chrysler, delivering their diesel vehicles fueled with biodiesel is a first step in educating customers about the advantages of the fuel.
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