USDA: Ag Innovation Agenda Will Benefit Biofuels, Bioenergy

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February 23, 2020

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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The USDA unveiled its Agriculture Innovation Agenda on Feb. 20. The initiative, in part, aims to support renewable fuels, including ethanol, biodiesel and biomass. This includes a goal to achieve market-driven blend rates of E30 by 2050.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the launch of the Agriculture Innovation Agenda at the USDA’s 2020 Agricultural Outlook Forum being held in Arlington, Virginia. According to the agency, the department-wide initiative aims to align resources, programs, and research to position American agriculture to better meet future global demands. Specifically, the USDA said it will stimulate innovation with the goal of increasing U.S. agricultural production by 40 percent while cutting its environmental input in half by 2050.

“We know we have a challenge facing us: to meet future food, fiber, fuel, and feed demands with finite resources. USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda is our opportunity define American agriculture’s role to feed everyone and do right as a key player in the solution to this challenge,” Perdue said. “This agenda is a strategic, department-wide effort to better align USDA’s resources, programs, and research to provide farmers with the tools they need to be successful. We are also continually mindful of the need for America’s agriculture industry to be environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable to maintain our position as a leader in the global effort to meet demand. We are committed as ever to the environmental sustainability and continued success, of America’s farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers.”

As part of the initiative, USDA will create a comprehensive U.S. agriculture innovation strategy to align public and private research efforts. Over the next year, the agency said it will utilize innovation breakthrough opportunities identified the National Academies of Science in its 2019 report, titled “Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030,” to form the basis for an upcoming request for information (RFI) focused on the most important innovation opportunities to be addressed in both the near-term and long-term. Using input gathered from the RFI, the USDA will identify common themes across the agriculture customer base to inform research and innovation efforts.

The USDA also said it will help farmers access and adopt new technologies and practices to help producers meet productivity and environmental goals. Over the next year, the agency said will improve internal coordination to better identify, customize and fast-track the best emerging innovation technologies to integrate and deliver to its customers through USDA programs. The USDA will also develop a standardized OneUSDA process that includes a “fast pass” progress for immediate in-take and integration of proven technologies.

In addition, the USDA said it will improve data collection and reporting, including the delivery of a new tool to measure and track progress on conservation practices. READ MORE

Secretary Perdue Announces New Innovation Initiative for USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture)

RFA LIKES USDA’S “BOLD NEW VISION” FOR ETHANOL (Brownfield Ag News)

RFA Welcomes Trump Administration’s Bold Vision for Renewable Fuels (Renewable Fuels Association)

Ethanol Blog: Potential Market Developments Announced on Biofuels (DTN Progressive Farmer)

Biofuels Part of USDA Innovation Agenda (Energy.AgWired.com)

HIGHER BIOFUEL USE IS GOAL OF USDA INNOVATION AGENDA: AT PRESENT, BIOFUELS, ACCOUNT FOR SLIGHTLY MORE THAN 10% OF FUEL. (Successful Farming)

USDA: Ag Innovation Agenda is a solution for farmers, environment (Biodiesel Magazine)

Corn growers promote conservation at Commodity Classic (Kenosha News)

Trump agriculture chief Sonny Perdue walks back apparent endorsement of carbon pricing (Washington Examiner)