Experts on American BioEnergy Feedstock Supply Chain Gather to Discuss Future Economy

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics and the USDA Office of the Chief Economist Energy Policy and New Uses (OEPNU) have joined together to host a discussion entitled: "American-Made BioEnergy from Field to Refinery: Feedstock Logistics." The discussion will be held February 17th, 2017, from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM, at the National Press Club's Holeman Lounge. Register for the event here.

This event will convene biofuel feedstock logistics, production, and economic experts from across the nation to talk about supply chain logistics and develop a vision for the future.

"The C-FARE event will showcase work underway across the nation to address commercial-scale bioenergy feasibility, both the challenges and successes, from producer to processor," says Keri Jacobs, Iowa Institute for Cooperatives Economics Professor and cooperatives extension economist at Iowa State University. "I will talk about viable strategies for addressing collection efficiency and pricing to improve the viability of commercial-scale cellulosic biomass for biofuels markets."

Successful expansion of the bioeconomy is limited by the availability of affordable, sustainable, high-performance feedstock. Delivery of this valuable resource starts with production on the farm, where valuable innovations have maximized yield, improved harvest efficiencies, and enhanced biomass quality metrics. Still, the value points along the feedstock supply chain determine the market feasibility of the bioeconomy.

Discussions such as these are crucial, because, says Dr. Sam W. Jackson of Genera Energy Inc., "American farms hold vast potential to produce renewable biomass for society's needs. Our rural communities are strong assets for energy security and economic development."

"It's not just about making sugars from crop residues and fermenting them into ethanol and other wonderful, new and/or improved renewable products," notes John Pieper of DuPont. "This industry will also provide a sustainable option for managing crop residues, resulting in lower costs, higher yields and improved soils."

Speaker details and event registration are available at cfare.org. For more information, contact Caron Gala, executive director of C-FARE, at [email protected].

*This program is made possible by a cooperative agreement between C-FARE and the USDA OCE Office of Energy Policy and New Uses (OEPNU).*

Media Contact: Caron Gala, 202-408-8522, [email protected]

SOURCE C-FARE