NCGA Attends North Central 30 x 30 Workshop (8-18-06)

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) participated in a workshop in Sioux Falls, S.D., this week to discuss the possible contributions of agriculture to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Energy plan of supplanting 30 percent of the 2004 gasoline usage with biofuels by 2030.
 
The workshop highlighted ethanol and biodiesel production from agriculture in the North Central Region, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
 
If the departments hope to meet their goal, it would require 1.3 billion tons of biomass with contributions from traditional feedstocks. The meetings are being held to determine how much biofuel could be produced from five regions.
 
NCGA had five representatives at the meeting: Production and Stewardship Action Team Chairman Bill Chase, Corn Board member Daryl Haack; Research and Business and Development Action Team member Bart Schott; Vice President of Research and Business Development Dr. Richard Glass; and Director of Ethanol and Business Development Geoff Cooper.
 
Chase said some people may be surprised at the meeting’s findings.
 
“It was good to stop and take a look at what exactly President Bush’s administration is proposing with the 30 by 30 initiative,” said Chase. “Our group found that we will be able to meet and possibly exceed it. It’s exciting to see that in 25 years, we can become that much less dependent on oil.”
 
Glass led the grains and oilseeds group at the meeting.
 
“Our objective was to look at the current baseline data and outline how much biofuel the region could deliver by 2030,” said Glass. “With corn leading the way, we think the region can replace the 30 percent, or 60 billion gallons, that USDA and DOE are looking for.”
 
Glass noted a three-tiered approach that includes current commodities, cellulosic residues and new energy crops could hit the target.
 
“We really believe in the North Central region estimate,” Glass said. “We believe U.S. agricultural producers have the ability to contribute to our energy independence. Even if our estimate is off by half, that’s 30 billion gallons from one of the five regions. That’s a significant amount.”
 
A diverse group of stakeholders participated in the meeting, including producers, academia, scientist from national laboratories, industry and government officials. South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds and Rep. Stephanie Herseth (D-S.D.) were keynote speakers.
 
“It’s good to see all these different groups—farmers, industry, the government—working together to solve our energy problems,” Chase said. “They will not go away unless we face them head on, which we’re doing with these types of initiatives. With the funding, improved engineering, and research, we can make it happen.”
 
This was the second workshop held by USDA and DOE. The first was held in the South Region; three other regions are scheduled to have workshops soon.