(Solutions from the Land) Solutions from the Land (SfL) commends Missouri agriculture and forestry leaders who looked into the future, examined what science is telling them is coming from changing climatic conditions and extreme weather events, and explored opportunities to
Agriculture
Back TO HOMEGACSA Strategic Plan Underscores Importance of Climate Smart Agriculture
(Solutions from the Land) The Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco brought much attention to the efforts underway by the North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (NACSAA) to promote changes in agricultural practices that can increase the amount of carbon
September 20, 2018 Read Full Article
Conservation Helps the Ag Economy, but Farmers Bear All of the Costs
by Scott Henry (Des Moines Register) ... A study from Environmental Defense Fund and managerial accounting firm K·Coe Isom AgKnowledge finds that conservation can boost farm profitability. The analysis includes detailed financial case studies of three Midwestern corn, soy and wheat farmers
September 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Operating Performance of a Tractor Engine of Emissions Standard EU IV in Biodiesel Operation
by Thomas Sadlowski, Volker Wichmann, Bert Buchholz and Markus Winkler (ATZ OffHighway) The use of pure biofuels in agricultural machinery offers the opportunity to reduce the use of fossil fuels. These engines are largely fuelled by self-consumption gas stations. Based on the introduction of new emission standards
September 10, 2018 Read Full Article
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to ADM
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Founded in 1902 and NYSE listed Since 1924, ADM is one of the premier global agribusinesses and a leading food ingredient provider with 31,000 employees, serving 170 countries and with 500 crop procurement locations, 270 ingredient plants and 44 innovation centers. The company
August 28, 2018 Read Full Article
The Arid West Moves East, with Big Implications for Agriculture
by Joe Wertz (NPR/StateImpact Oklahoma) The American West appears to be moving east. New research shows the line on the map that divides the North American continent into arid Western regions and humid Eastern regions is shifting, with profound implications for
August 10, 2018 Read Full Article
The Horticulture Industry’s Age Problem Is Bigger than You Think
by Adrian Higgins (Washington Post) ... And to state something so apparent it seems forgotten: Everyone needs plants. Plants feed us, oxygenate us, heal us, shade us and clothe us. Plants are the stuff of legal booze and illicit drugs,
August 09, 2018 Read Full Article
GAF 2018: From Precision Farming to Fuel Cell Challenges
by Laís F. Thomaz*(Advanced Biofuels USA) The Global Agribusiness Forum event took place on July 23 and 24 2018 at the Sheraton WTC in São Paulo, Brazil, and brought together leaders from more than 60 countries. [caption id="attachment_100204" align="alignleft" width="300"] Ambassadors
August 08, 2018 Read Full Article
FAO Offers CSA Sourcebook to Guide Policy Makers, Program Managers
(North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance) A digitized sourcebook that offers a wide range of knowledge and expertise on the concept of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is among a series of products put out by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in
August 01, 2018 Read Full Article
Future of Agriculture: Report to Address Climate Change Impacts on Hoosier Farms
(Purdue University) Hoosier farmers will have to adapt management practices and the types of crops they plant over the next several decades as they deal with the repercussions of climate change. That’s according to a new report from the Indiana Climate
August 01, 2018 Read Full Article
National FFA Organization and Microsoft Announce Initiative to Bring Transformational Innovation to over 650,000 Students Bationwide
(Microsoft) The National FFA Organization and Microsoft Corp., on Thursday announced their collaboration to bring innovative technology, science, research and entrepreneurship to the classrooms of the more than 650,000 FFA student members nationwide through an initiative known as Blue 365. FFA members
August 01, 2018 Read Full Article
Climate Taxes on Agriculture Could Lead to More Food Insecurity than Climate Change Itself
(International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis/Phys.Org) New IIASA-led research has found that a single climate mitigation scheme applied to all sectors, such as a global carbon tax, could have a serious impact on agriculture and result in far more widespread hunger
August 01, 2018 Read Full Article
Applications Open Until 08/13 for AgTech Startups to Participate in First Phase of AgLaunch365
(AgLaunch) Farm-Centric Program Assists in Field Trials & Attracting Investment -- AgLaunch Initiative is excited to announce applications are open for Phase I of its nationally recognized commercialization approach - AgLaunch365. The program combines its leading accelerator approach with its network of
July 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Archer Daniels Midland
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Archer Daniels Midland Company is one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, with approximately 31,000 employees serving customers in more than 170 countries. The company sports a global value chain that includes
June 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to BASF
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What are the strategic plans, progress and future milestones of BASF, a major stakeholder in the Advanced Bioeconomy? In this slide deck, BASF gets into technologies, results, horizons, timelines, direct investments, partnerships and alliances with companies both heralded and
June 11, 2018 Read Full Article
California 2030 Natural and Working Lands Climate Change Implementation Plan Concept Paper
(California Air Resources Board | California Environmental Protection Agency California Department of Food and Agriculture | California Natural Resources Agency) This Concept Paper provides a proposed outline for the California Natural and Working Lands Climate Change Implementation Plan with the aim of
June 08, 2018 Read Full Article
Maximizing Crop Yield: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Yield10 Bioscience
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Yield10 Bioscience is an agricultural bioscience company focusing on the development of disruptive technologies to produce step-change improvements in crop yield for food and feed crops to enhance global food security. Experts forecast that food production must be increased
June 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Sustain RFS as Important Tool in GHG-Reduction Strategy
(Solutions from the Land) One of the three pillars of climate-smart agriculture is actions that farmers can take to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and simultaneously improve profitability. A principal means by which the agriculture sector can help governments around
May 31, 2018 Read Full Article
EIB Launches Financing Initiative for Bioeconomy, Agriculture
(European Investment Bank/Biomass Magazine) The European Investment Bank, the EU bank, announced the launch of a new financing initiative April 16 that aims to unlock close to EUR 1 billion of investment in the agriculture and bioeconomy sector. Bioeconomy encompasses the
May 18, 2018 Read Full Article
Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network Formed
(Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network) The Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network is a group of volunteers (based in in the African continent and , also Asia, USA and Europe)- linked across the world via an online platform to share findings and
May 18, 2018 Read Full Article
UNFCCC Ag Work Program Approval Affirms Old Adage: 'World is Run by Those who Show Up'
by Ernie Shea (Solutions from the Land/25 x '25) Over the past 10 years, Solutions from the Land (SfL) and 25x'25, our clean energy platform, has been supporting a group of knowledgeable, experienced and visionary farmers, ranchers and foresters who have
May 11, 2018 Read Full Article
Focus Growing on Win-Win Soil Health Outcomes
(Solutions from the Land) U.S. agricultural producers have long understood that healthy soil is a critical requirement for the production of our nation's food supply. They also know that as the world's population grows by more than 25 percent over the
May 07, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of May 2nd, 2018
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of invention and change is just too strong, we’ve realized, to highlight annual or even quarterly or monthly rankings and summaries of significant product and service advances. For now, we’re going to be tracking
May 02, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of April 18th, 2018
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of invention and change is just too strong, we’ve realized, to highlight annual or even quarterly or monthly rankings and summaries of significant product and service advances. For now, we’re going to be tracking
April 19, 2018 Read Full Article
EIB’s Agriculture and Bioeconomy Programme Loan under Juncker Plan Will Support Close to EUR 1bn of Private Investment across Europe
(European Investment Bank) New financing initiative targets investments by private cooperatives and companies in the agriculture and bioeconomy sector; The EIB financing will amount to EUR 400m and is expected to back close to EUR 1bn of investment across Europe; Agreement is guaranteed
April 18, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of April 4th, 2018
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The pace of invention and change is just too strong, we’ve realized, to highlight annual or even quarterly or monthly rankings and summaries of significant product and service advances. For now, we’re going to be tracking
April 04, 2018 Read Full Article
NACSAA Advances Recommendations to Shape UNFCCC Agricultural Work Program
(25 x '25/North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance) Last November, we wrote here of a major breakthrough occurring at the global climate talks in Bonn, Germany, where, for the first time, delegates approved plans to establish an agricultural work program. What
March 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Facebook and Google’s Surprising, Rising Prospects along Agriculture’s Revolutionary Road
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) If you haven’t been to Ankeny, Iowa in recent years — situated between Des Moines and Ames, which is to say between the political and financial capital of the state and Iowa State University and its
March 21, 2018 Read Full Article
18.5 Million People Employed in Bioeconomy, Primarily in Biomass Production
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, DC, a study conducted by nova-Institute on behalf of the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) showed for the first time which macroeconomic effects are generated by bioeconomy activities – those using renewable biological resources from land
February 26, 2018 Read Full Article
Could We Cut Crop-to-Market Time in Half? The Secret May Lie in Chloroplasts, Says TechAccel as It Invests in Plastomics
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Chloroplasts are in the news this week because St. Louis-based TechAccel made a science advancement investment with Plastomics, a biotechnology startup making better crops through chloroplast engineering. Here’s the key Chloroplast engineering is a fast, efficient, and more
February 23, 2018 Read Full Article
Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport Rolls out Biomethane Shuttle Buses
(VINCI Airports/NGV Journal) As part of its commitment to environmental responsibility, the Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport is launching of a fleet of biogas-powered shuttle vehicles and creating an agricultural club. A fleet of seven shuttles, running exclusively on renewable natural gas were
February 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Fijian Farmers Urged to Practice Climate Smart Agriculture
(Xinhua) Farmers in the South Pacific island nation of Fiji have been urged to be mindful of the impacts of climate change and practice climate smart agriculture to address the challenge. ... The Fijian government has worked on a 2020 agriculture sector policy
February 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Which Tree? Where? Why?
(World Agroforestry Centre) While India has a world-first national policy for agroforestry, aka trees on farms, farmers in different agro-climatic zones need help with which trees to grow. A new book is now here to help. “With multiple research initiatives underway, a
February 05, 2018 Read Full Article
Biomass Data-Management System Launches in Alberta
(Silvacom/Canadian Biomass Magazine) Silvacom Ltd. and Alberta Innovates are pleased to announce that the Bio-Resource Information Management System (BRIMS) is now available for public use. BRIMS is a world-class, publicly available data and information management system that collates inventories from forestry, agriculture, and municipal
February 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Research Finds Land Management Practices Matter in Cellulosic Biofuels Production
by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) New research from Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Chicago at Illinois and the International Food Policy Research Institute shows that incorporating conservation practices can both increase soil organic content and improve the
January 22, 2018 Read Full Article
The Long, Long, Long Journey to Green: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Bioeconomy Investing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What are the true drivers of Innovation and what are the returns for investors — what’s up and what works? There is just not a more authentic authority on the subject than long-time venture capitalist Roger
January 15, 2018 Read Full Article
What’s Needed in African Agriculture Before Technology
by Louisa Burwood-Taylor (AgFunderNews) “A lot of what’s needed in African agriculture is quite low-tech if tech at all,” says Gary Vaughan-Smith, chief investment officer at SilverStreet Capital, the agribusiness private equity firm. SilverStreet has been investing in African agriculture since 2011 when it
January 04, 2018 Read Full Article
What Is Shaping AgTech: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Advanced Agriculture and Its technologies
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last year, industry consultant Vonnie Estes — whose latest Digest column is here — picked up the Rosa Franklin Award for leadership in industrial biotechnology — and her most recent presentation decks offer a pretty good sense of why
January 03, 2018 Read Full Article
Avoiding GMOs Isn’t Just Anti-Science. It’s Immoral.
by Mitch Daniels (The Washington Post) Of the several claims of “anti-science” that clutter our national debates these days, none can be more flagrantly clear than the campaign against modern agricultural technology, most specifically the use of molecular techniques to create
December 28, 2017 Read Full Article
The 12: The Advanced Bioeconomy’s 12 Biggest Talking, Fretting, Praying and Action Points Right Now
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... What are the top trends? Here are the 11 we see dominating the debate on the stage and on the floor. Jet fuel deployment – how much, how soon, by whom? California, look up, not down!
December 13, 2017 Read Full Article
Gathering Momentum around Soil Carbon Sequestration
(CGIAR) Evidence-based science on the mitigation and socio-economic impacts of soil carbon sequestration is needed to support commitments to sustainable development goals and the Paris Agreement target. ... Soil carbon sequestration, they say, “can have equal or larger impacts on mitigation.” COP23 agriculture decision
December 07, 2017 Read Full Article
True “Social Cost Of Carbon” Is More Than Double Earlier Estimates, Study Finds
by James Ayre (Clean Technica) The true “social cost of carbon” is more than double earlier estimates — with even just an updated accounting of the agricultural sector on its own more than doubling earlier estimates in aggregate — according to
November 30, 2017 Read Full Article
2017’s Agriculture Revolution Is Gaining Pace, Getting Faster
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Agriculture, that is — our original industry, is being turned upside down. Data, genetics, intelligence, transmission, storage, processing, sustainability, and mobility are the drivers. Not since the heady days of the Summer of Algae almost 10 years ago has
October 13, 2017 Read Full Article
Agriculturally Advantaged Traits: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Calyxt
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Calyxt is pioneering a paradigm shift to deliver both healthier specialty food ingredients, such as healthier oils and high fiber wheat for consumers as well as agriculturally advantageous traits, such as herbicide tolerance to farmers. The technology
October 10, 2017 Read Full Article
Interview — Growing Food or Fuel on Our Land?
(European Environment Agency) Only a decade ago, biofuel production from plants was hailed as an ecological alternative to fossil fuels. Recently, it has come to be seen as competing with food production and not always an effective solution in reducing
August 31, 2017 Read Full Article
Foreign Investment in U.S. Farmland on the Rise
By Johnathan Hettinger and Robert Holly with additional reporting by Jelter Meers (Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting) In 2013, the Chinese firm Shuanghui received wide public attention when it purchased U.S. pork producer Smithfield Foods for a record $4.7 billion. In
July 07, 2017 Read Full Article
Exploring Danone’s “One Planet. One Health” Hypocrisy
by Karen Batra (BioTech Now) Danone, the world’s largest yogurt maker, is making headlines again for another possibly well-intentioned, yet short-sighted, effort dubbed “One Planet. One Health.” ... Last year Danone announced it was “committing to getting rid of GMOs” in its
June 29, 2017 Read Full Article
Advancements in Agriculture, Good for People and the Planet
by Tom Vilsack (The Hill/U.S. Dairy Export Council) This Earth Day, hundreds of thousands of people marched to “defend the vital role science plays in our health, safety, economies, and governments.” The March for Science echoed in communities around the
April 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Study: Climate Change May Hurt Nation's Agricultural Productivity
by Amy Mayer (Iowa Public Radio) The agriculture sector needs to ramp up its response to climate change, especially in the Midwest, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ... Lead author Xin-Zhong Liang, a
March 08, 2017 Read Full Article
In America’s Heartland, Discussing Climate Change Without Saying ‘Climate Change’
by Hiroko Tabuchi (The New York Times) ... Here in north-central Kansas, America’s breadbasket and conservative heartland, the economic realities of agriculture make climate change a critical business issue. At the same time, politics and social pressure make frank discussion complicated.
February 02, 2017 Read Full Article
Farmers Can Help Clean up the Chesapeake
by Chip Bowling (U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance/Washington Post) I consider myself an environmentalist, a conservationist and a farmer. This is an identity I share with many farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which spans more than 64,000 square miles
December 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Don’t Forget about the Agriculture Sector
by Bill Brandon (Washington Post) The Nov. 13 Business article “Mr. Business goes to Washington. Now what?” gave an analysis of how 15 business sectors, including marijuana and private prisons, would fare under President-elect Donald Trump. Two important sectors were missing:
November 21, 2016 Read Full Article
The New York Times' Front-Page Screwup On 'GMOs'
by Henry I. Miller (Forbes) ... As economist Graham Brookes wrote about (Danny) Hakim, he makes “spurious comparisons that will mislead readers,” because he fails to understand that, “[t]here are numerous factors that affect yield such as weather, soil quality, husbandry practices,
November 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Biogenic CO2 Coalition Launches Grassroots Outreach: Urges EPA to Remove its Regulatory Roadblock to Development of the Bioeconomy
(Biogenic CO2 Coalition) Today (October 6, 2016), a coalition of major agricultural groups launched a grassroots campaign to urge the Environmental Protection Agency to remove its regulatory roadblock to development of the emerging bioeconomy. The Biogenic CO2 Coalition is a working
October 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Climate's Growing Role in Presidential Race
by Anthony Adragna (Politico's Morning Energy) ... YOU BUILD ME UP: The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate released a report today that found $90 trillion in infrastructure investments will be needed over the next 15 years, and issued
October 06, 2016 Read Full Article
FCC and Seat Partner in Project to Drive Biogas Production for Vehicular Use
(Bioenergy Insight) ... The project seeks to develop an innovative process for enhancing bioenergy production from municipal, agricultural, and industrial waste, and a progress report was presented at Biometa 2016, held in Barcelona in May. Methamorphosis, which was granted funding
October 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Hook-Up of the Year: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Bayer & Monsanto
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Late last week, the extended courtship between Bayer and Monsanto, which saw the dowry offer raised four times by Bayer, resulted in a $127.50 all-cash offer for Monsanto, which Monsanto’s board accepted. A whopping $66
September 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Bayer-Monsanto Hook Up: Good News or Bad Tidings for the Advanced Bioeconomy?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Late last week, the extended courtship between Bayer and Monsanto, which saw the dowry offer raised four times by Bayer, resulted in a $127.50 per share all-cash offer for Monsanto, which Monsanto’s board accepted. A
September 21, 2016 Read Full Article
IFC Invests BRL 150 Million in CerradinhoBio to Support the Growth of Renewable Energy Production in Brazil
(The Financial) IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, will provide BRL 150 million of long-term financing to CerradinhoBio, an ethanol and biomass-based electricity producer operating in the state of Goias, in Brazil. This investment will support the growth of
August 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Trump Announces Farm and Rural Advisory Team
by Sara Wyant and Philip Brasher (Agri-Pulse) Donald Trump's campaign has set up a geographically diverse team of agricultural leaders that includes congressmen, governors, state agriculture commissioners, trade association leaders and producers of grain, livestock, poultry and fruits and vegetables. ... As
August 17, 2016 Read Full Article
How to Thrive in Emerging Markets: Making Industrial Biotechnology Work away from Home
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Why do hot US agricultural technologies fail to get the explosive growth they deserve? BEE offers a new tech-to-market approach. -- ... Why think about the developing world at all? Most tech firms hardly bother. Because
August 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Doing More (and Better) with Less: 2016 Global Agribusiness Forum Shows the Ways to Provide Food and Bioenergy, with Sustainability, for an Increasing Population
by Lais Thomaz* and Dan Quadros** (Advanced Biofuels USA) With diverse and dynamic programming involving agribusiness, food safety, nutrition, sustainability and bioenergy, the 2016 GAF achieved its mission to gather producers, companies and academia to discuss the importance of agribusiness supply
July 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Decision Support: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to AgSolver Land Management Systems
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) AgSolver agronomic decision service products help increase profits by improving land management decisions, simplifying mandatory compliance and reporting activities, and maximizing returns for agricultural land investments. AgSolver’s technology uses readily available precision agriculture data including yield
July 25, 2016 Read Full Article
ASABE Announces Standard for Sustainable Agriculture Production
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers has completed a standard that establishes a framework for charting progress toward sustainable agriculture production. According to ASABE, the standard is intended for application with all typical farming
July 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Big Data, Robotics and Synth Bio: Driving “The New Agriculture”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... If you haven’t been to an LP meeting before, they are generally intimate gatherings of venture capitalists, their underlying investors (the Limited Partners), portfolio company CEOs, and some thought leaders invited to share their perspective
June 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Solutions from the Land's 'Farmer-First' Climate Smart Agriculture Principle
(25 x '25) The award of a $500,000 grant from the prestigious W.K. Kellogg Foundation to Solutions from the Land (SfL) this week (week of June 1, 2016) underscores the priority and responsibility that SfL takes in putting farmers first
June 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Technology Quarterly: The Future of Agriculture
by Geoffrey Carr (The Economist) If agriculture is to continue to feed the world, it needs to become more like manufacturing, says Geoffrey Carr. Fortunately, that is already beginning to happen -- Tom Rogers is an almond farmer in Madera County,
June 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Solutions from the Land Leaders Bring North American Climate Smart Agriculture Ideas to Global Summit in Rome
(North American Climate Smart Agricultural Alliance) Solutions from the Land (SfL) is taking an active role in the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture (GACSA) summit underway this week in Rome, pressing business, government, NGO and other leaders there to
June 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Homegrown: A Closer Look into the Life of America's Farmers and Ranchers
(U.S. House Committee on Agriculture) ... (T)he House Agriculture Committee debuted a new blog, Homegrown, to chronicle daily life of American farmers and ranchers from the perspective of producers. The gap between urban and rural Americans is growing, and many
June 13, 2016 Read Full Article
The Advanced Bioeconomy 2016: State of the Industry
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For the advanced bioeconomy, the question remains and will remain for some time, where are the gallons? Specifically, projects that use biobased feedstocks that can be converted into renewable fuels, chemicals, advanced foods, and biobased materials. Projects
June 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Ecological Farming: A Different Form of Agtech –Exclusive Report
by Louisa Burwood-Taylor (AgFunderNews) ... “Ecological farming is ‘AgTech’ but of a different kind. It is a return to the original definition of ‘technology’, which comes from two Greek words: technis, which means art, skill, craft or the way something is gained, and logos,
January 15, 2016 Read Full Article
We Know How To Make Farms More Sustainable, But We're Not Doing It
by Joseph Erbentraut (The Huffington Post) A new analysis finds potentially transformative agricultural research isn’t getting the level of funding it probably should. --- Two years ago, when acclaimed food journalist Michael Pollan trumpeted “the most encouraging ag research finding of recent
December 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Candidates Are Skipping Traditionally Mighty Farm Issues in Iowa
by Scott Canon (Kansas City Star) ... The discussion of ethanol policy puts conservatives in an awkward spot --- ...Yet even in Iowa this year, Grain Belt concerns now draw less attention than in the past. That could mean that expansion
December 07, 2015 Read Full Article
How California Can Boost Biofuel Production to Cut Pollution and Help the Economy
(University of California Los Angeles) UCLA–UC Berkeley report finds that the state hasn’t taken full advantage of agricultural resources -- California has not taken full advantage of opportunities to increase its in-state production of biofuel, despite state policies that encourage
December 04, 2015 Read Full Article
U.S. Climate Smart Farm Leaders Call on COP21 To Address Role of Ag in Battling Climate Change
(Oklahoma Farm Report) Leaders of the North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (NACSAA) told policy makers and others attending climate talks here this week that agriculture can provide impactful and measurable contributions to global efforts to reverse climate change. Speaking at
December 02, 2015 Read Full Article
FFA Helps Build Next-Gen Leaders
by Tom Buis (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders in agriculture, and no organization prepares them to rise up and meet the challenges that lie ahead like the National FFA Organization. Not only is FFA shaping the
October 27, 2015 Read Full Article
The Birth of New Bioeconomy Supply Chain & Feedstock: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to Agrisoma and Resonance Carinata
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)The production of Agrisoma’s Resonance Carinata is being expanded to multiple locations globally to provide a supply of sustainable, non-food oils for meeting the demand for sustainable biofuels. Resonance Carinata is certified sustainable by the Roundtable
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
FAO and France Urge Including Agriculture in Global Climate Change Debate
(Food and Agriculture Organization/Ag Professional) All countries should strive to ensure an ambitious agreement to tackle climate change, putting food security and agriculture at the centre of debates on the issue, say FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva and
October 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels, Oil Palm and Agribusiness in Southeast Asia – Planning for Sustainability?
(Stockholm Environment Institute) This brief draws together SEI research done between 2011 and 2014 on agribusiness developments – especially of oil palm – in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The brief presents overarching insights from that work, along with recommendations
September 29, 2015 Read Full Article
UN Data Shows That Ethanol is Not Causing Food Price Rises
(Global Renewable Fuels Alliance) The UN FAO has released data showing that global food prices have experience the steepest monthly drop since 2008, casting doubt upon concerns about the impact of ethanol production in food price increases. The recent decline
September 14, 2015 Read Full Article
World Agri-Tech Investment Summit -- November 3-4, 2015 -- London, UK
The World Agri-Tech Investment Series is held annually in London and San Francisco and is acclaimed as the most international gathering of agribusiness leaders, VC investors and agri-tech innovators. In November 2015, the World Agri-Tech Investment Summit returns to London for
August 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Semios: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 1. What is Semios? The Semios platform allows you to view and control your ranch in real-time. ... 2. Why is Precision Ag on the march? Using Semios’ portal, you can see events as they unfold; or,
August 11, 2015 Read Full Article
PrecisionHawk: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 1. Who is PrecisionHawk? PrecisionHawk customers, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and education institutions, regularly leverage significant amounts of data to support their day-to-day business practices and recognize that the value delivered extends far beyond
August 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Future Farm, Future Crop: Utopia or Dystopia? Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of 5
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As America’s farmers hit retirement age and technology options explode, what comes next? ... The average age of the US farmer reached 58.3 years in the USDA’s 2012 Census of Agriculture. For sure, farmers have been
August 10, 2015 Read Full Article
The Revolution in AgTech – The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) 1. Huge deal volume. A site worth knowing is AgFunder, here — whose slide deck on the transformation of agricultural technology is digested here. Bottom line, whether it is drones & robotics, precision ag, crop & soil
August 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Technology No Silver Bullet for Africa’s Farming Challenges, Says Entrepreneur
by Dinfin Mulupi (How We Made It in Africa) Africa is seeing a surge in mobile phone-based solutions promising to revolutionise the agricultural industry. Technology entrepreneurs have developed mobile platforms offering a variety of solutions, including online livestock and produce
August 04, 2015 Read Full Article
University of Wisconsin Study Based on Shaky Foundation of Faulty Data and Conclusions
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) A recent study published in Environmental Research Letters by authors at the University of Wisconsin uses error-prone satellite data to suggest that growth in U.S. corn and soybean production from 2008 to 2012 drove
April 13, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels Research Uncovers Natural Fungicide
by Krista Eastman (Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) Scientists at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) reported today (March 9, 2015) the discovery of a chemical compound called poacic acid that could eventually be used as a fungicide in
April 09, 2015 Read Full Article
The Wealth Effect, and Farm Impact on the US Economy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Though representing just 1.3% of the US GDP, if the farm sector has a major impact on US economic health, it may tie back to what economists call “the wealth effect”. In today’s Digest, we
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
National Farmers Union Concerned over Omission of RFS from GHG Reduction Plan
(National Farmers Union/Ethanol Producer Magazine) National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson recently expressed concern over the exclusion of the renewable fuel standard (RFS) in President Obama’s formal submission of a plan to the United Nations to cut United States greenhouse
April 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Digital Soil: The Four Secrets of the New Agriculture
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) To make fuel, chemicals, fiber, food more productively than ever before — it starts in the field with the New Agriculture. Here’s what’s happening as Silicon Valley converges with Silicon Farm. ... Well, ultimately land productivity
March 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Agricultural History of North Carolina
by J. Paul Lilly (North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) In order to understand both agriculture and forestry as they are today, I believe we need to know what they have evolved from. Thomas Isern, Professor of History
February 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Innovation and Investment in AgTech — The What, When, Who, Why, and How
by Vonnie Estes (Biofuels Digest) ... AgTech did not receive much attention from venture capital prior to 2012. Investment in 2012 was around $150M – and then it exploded to $1.8 B in 2014. Investment momentum is continuing into 2015. Much
February 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Organic Farming Not Always Best for Environment, Says Government Adviser
by Fiona Harvey (The Guardian) Lord Krebs claims that organic farming needs more land than conventional methods to produce the same yield Organic farming could be worse for the climate than conventional farming methods, one of the government’s scientific advisers has said,
January 12, 2015 Read Full Article
Area of Crops Grown For Bioenergy in England and the UK: 2008 - 2013
(UK Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) Key Messages An estimated 51 thousand hectares of agricultural land in the UK were used for bioenergy in 2013. The area of crops grown for bioenergy equated to 0.8% of all arable
November 30, 2014 Read Full Article
Summary of World Bioenergy Association Global Bioenergy Statistics 2014
by Milsa Vijayadharan (Advanced Biofuels USA) Bioenergy is considered to be an important source of energy for the next decades for several reasons. Most important reasons are: bioenergy can contribute to the reduction of CO2, and therefore decrease the greenhouse-effect;
June 27, 2014 Read Full Article
Scientific Results Presented at 2013 ASA Annual Meeting Indicated: The Environmental Benefits of Biofuels Are Much More than We Had Thought
by Danilo Gusmão de Quadros* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The substitution of fossil fuels by advanced biofuels per se has a huge impact on the environment through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, consequently mitigating global warming effects by the transportation
December 31, 2013 Read Full Article
USDA Agroforestry Effort Shows Ag, Forestry Sector Commitment to Sustainability
(25 x '25) The U.S. agricultural and forestry sectors have drawn some questionable, if not contradictory, criticism for their production of renewable energy feedstocks. In some circles, for example, it is claimed that corn production is insufficient to meet our
November 01, 2013 Read Full Article
Smarter Food: Does Big Farming Mean Bad Farming?
by Jane Black (The Washington Post) In high summer, fields of wildflowers bloom at Tony Thompson’s Minnesota farm: gray-headed coneflowers, phlox and white prairie clover. Those plants are designed to do more than just beautify. They prevent water runoff and
August 28, 2013 Read Full Article
New Pathways for Land Management Needed to Assure Clean Energy Future
(25 x '25) With global demand for food, feed, fiber and energy on the rise, the need for critical ecosystem services like flood control, water filtration, biodiversity and carbon sequestration is even greater. The development of new, renewable energy resources
May 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Cultivating the Promise of Agricultural Cleantech
by Dallas Kachan (Renewable Energy World/Kachan & Co.) ...In its new report on agricultural cleantech, Kachan uses the following criteria to differentiate cleantech developments from generic agricultural innovations: improved efficiency of resource use reduced ecological impact smaller carbon footprint sustained or enhanced profitability Technologies that reduce
November 28, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Fuelling Growth
by Peter Hemphill (Weekly Times Now) ...While ethanol production has become the largest use of the corn crop, it has also developed a high protein byproduct - dried distillers grains with solubles - now highly prized around the world as
February 16, 2012 Read Full Article
From Farm to Biorefinery: Ethanol Production Efficiency Improves
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) ...According to a landmark study by the Keystone Alliance (a group including both farm groups and environmental organizations, such as Environmental Defense Fund and The Nature Conservancy) the amount of water, energy, and land required
December 29, 2011 Read Full Article
DuPont and Rosetta Green Sign Research Agreement to Identify Drought Tolerance Genes in Corn and Soybeans
(DuPont) DuPont and Rosetta Green Ltd. have entered into a strategic research agreement to identify drought tolerance genes in corn and soybeans. “Drought can lead to losses for corn growers of up to $13 billion annually,” said John Bedbrook, vice president, DuPont Agricultural
December 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Cheap Grain: Winners & Losers
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Here is dilemma of agricultural prices. Reducing demand, and commodity prices, benefits meat and dairy producers, and oil & gas companies. High prices benefit farmers, and technology companies creating new markets and co-products from land
March 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Advancing Biocrop Alternatives in the Pacific Northwest
by Ann Perry (USDA ARS) Pacific Northwest farmers could someday be filling up their machinery's tanks with fuels produced from their own fields, according to ongoing research by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists. Since 2003, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) microbiologist Hal Collins and
February 07, 2011 Read Full Article
The Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission Has Published “Prospects for Agricultural Markets and Income 2010-2020”.
(IEA Bioenergy Task 39) The outlook consists of a set of market and sector income prospects elaborated on the basis of specific assumptions regarding macroeconomic conditions, the agricultural and trade policy environment, weather conditions and international market developments. The medium term
January 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Guest Column: Give Farmers Credit Due for Conservation
Dean Taylor (Des Moines Register/Iowa Corn Growers Association) ...Iowa farmers have made measurable progress in conservation and water quality. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, farmers' use of nitrogen and phosphorus per bushel has been drastically reduced over the
October 27, 2010 Read Full Article
Florida Farm Service Agency Holding Feedstocks for Florida Biofuels Townhall Meetings
by Julie (SoutheastAGNet) Florida Farm Service Agency State Director, Tim Manning, wants to inform and educate producers about the need to decrease our dependency on fossil fuels through their statewide “Feedstocks for Florida Biofuels” town hall meetings. ...The next Feedstocks for
September 09, 2010 Read Full Article
Study Claims Conventional Ag Limits Greenhouse Gas
by David Mercer (Associated Press) Advances in conventional agriculture have dramatically slowed the flow of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, in part by allowing farmers to grow more food to meet world demand without plowing up vast tracts of land, a
August 03, 2010 Read Full Article
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation by Agricultural Intensification
by Jennifer A. Burney, Steven J. Davis, and David B. Lobell (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) As efforts to mitigate climate change increase, there is a need to identify cost-effective ways to avoid emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Agriculture is
June 26, 2010 Read Full Article
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