Can American Farmers Feed the Growing Biofuel Industry?

WHAT:

The Biotechnology Industry Organization will host a press conference to release the new report, "Achieving Sustainable Production of Agricultural Biomass for Biorefinery Feedstock," outlining current and future feedstock supply challenges for the biofuel industry and discussing incentives to spur sustainable production, harvest and delivery of agricultural cellulosic biomass.

WHEN:

National Press Club
Murrow Room
Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2006
12:30 - 2:30 p.m. EST
Teleconference: 1-888-722-1090

WHO:

Thomas C. Dorr -- Under Secretary for Rural Development U.S. Department of Agriculture
James Hettenhaus - CEA Inc., report Author
Rick Tolman - CEO, National Corn Growers Association
Bob McGrath - Imperial (Neb.) Young Farmers and Ranchers
Brent Erickson - Executive Vice President, BIO

BACKGROUND:

Ethanol production in the United States is expanding rapidly, creating concern about pressures on the food and feed supply. In order to meet national goals of displacing 30 percent of petroleum by 2030, new feedstock sources will be required to supplement high-efficiency production of biofuel from grain. A challenge for the growing biofuel industry is to incentivize farmers to produce, harvest and deliver sufficient feedstock to biorefineries in an economically and environmentally sustainable way.

The new report from BIO answers the question, "Can American farmers feed the world and produce large supplies of biomass for a growing biorefinery industry?" It examines:

• the potential of cellulosic biomass as an energy resource;
• technology advancements in producing ethanol from agriculture residue and dedicated energy crops;
• practices leading to economic and sustainable removal of crop residues that avoid erosion and maintain soil quality;
• the promise of no-till cropping for greater residue collection;
• infrastructure investment for collection, storage and transport to refineries; and
• suggested action items for the 2007 Farm Bill.

In addition to economic benefits for farmers, sustainable production and collection of agricultural residues has the potential to deliver substantial benefits for the environment, such as reduced runoff of soil and fertilizers. But the greatest environmental benefits may be to the global climate through reduced emissions of fossil carbon and enhanced sequestration of soil carbon.

For more information visit: http://www.bio.org/ind/biofuel/.

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.

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