Report Shows That American Farmers Can Continue to Supply an Economic,
Environmentally Sustainable Supply of Food, Feed and Raw Material for
Biofuels
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The Biotechnology Industry
Organization (BIO) today released a report, "Achieving Sustainable
Production of Agricultural Biomass for Biorefinery Feedstock," that
addresses the question "Can American farmers feed the growing biofuel
industry?" The report details the potential of cellulosic biomass as an
energy resource and the promise of no-till cropping for greater residue
collection. It also proposes guidelines and incentives to encourage farmers
to produce, harvest and deliver sufficient feedstock to the growing
biorefinery and biofuels industry in an economically and environmentally
sustainable way.
"As we approach the Thanksgiving travel season, Americans should feel
confident that U.S. farmers can produce both abundant supplies of food for
people and animals and environmentally responsible biofuels for
transportation," said Jim Greenwood, president and CEO of BIO, which
sponsored the report.
The report examines considerations for sustainable harvesting of
agricultural residues -- such as corn stover and cereal straws -- expected
to be the near-term feedstocks for biorefineries. It also discusses the
expected economic benefits for individual farmers who invest in the
practices and equipment needed for sustainable harvests of these
feedstocks. It further points out the need for infrastructure to deliver
feedstocks from farms to biorefineries.
James Hettenhaus of CEA Inc., author of the report, stated, "For the
biofuel industry to expand, biorefinery operators must be confident that
the supply chain for cellulosic feedstocks is robust, and farmers must be
assured that they will benefit by adopting sustainable harvesting
practices. As the biorefinery industry creates markets for crop residues,
farmers will be more motivated to adopt practices that allow them to
collect these residues while maintaining soil quality and controlling
erosion. Recent successes have spurred an increase in adoption of no-till
cultivation, but improved information is needed to convince farmers of the
benefits."
Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO's Industrial &
Environmental Section, said, "The high price of petroleum, government
incentives to reduce dependence on imported oil, and growing efforts to
address climate change have created a perfect storm for bio-based products,
driving demand for alternative feedstocks for biofuels and chemicals and
cleaner biotech-based production processes. Industrial biotechnology has
enhanced the efficiency of biofuel production and made possible production
of a range of polymers and chemicals from agricultural starting materials.
The next challenge facing the biorefinery industry is producing, harvesting
and delivering abundant feedstocks in an economically and environmentally
sustainable fashion. This report begins to address that issue."
For a complete copy of the report, please visit
http://www.bio.org/ind/.
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.
Upcoming Events
BIO CEO & Investor Conference 2007
Feb. 12-14, 2007 New York City
2007 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing
March 21-24, 2007 Orlando, Fla.
BIO International Convention
May 6-9, 2007 Boston
SOURCE Biotechnology Industry Organization
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Related links:
http://www.bio.org
CONTACT:
Paul Winters of Biotechnology Industry
Organization, +1-202-962-9237
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