"It's imperative that we here at Iowa State, and all of us in Iowa, not rest on today's successes. We have to start looking ahead to the next evolution in renewable fuels."

Report, recommendations from bioeconomy summit

Theodore Crosbie urges summit participants to support research to address erosion issues and help create environmentally sensible crop and livestock systems. Photo by Bob Elbert.

The final report from the Nov. 28 summit on "Ensuring Iowa's Leadership in the Bioeconomy" makes more than 100 recommendations to state lawmakers. Those include calls for a state energy policy, investment of state funds to attract federal and industrial research money, policies that encourage consumers to use biofuels and agricultural polices that balance the interests of biofuels manufacturers with crop, biomass and livestock producers. The report states, "An overarching recommendation from the summit is that the State of Iowa will develop a broad and comprehensive bioenergy policy that will demonstrate its commitment and support for the bioeconomy and help us make the most of the emerging new technologies to ensure Iowa's continued leadership in the area of bioenergy."

Bioeconomy summit spotlights Iowa's future

In the biofuels race, Iowa leads the pack. Superior corn-growing attributes and entrepreneurial farmers have propelled Iowa to the No. 1 ethanol-producing state in the nation. Can the state hold that front-runner position? That was the question Nov. 28 when representatives of academia, industry and government joined other state leaders on campus to talk biofuels. See story.

Leaders discuss Iowa's role in bioeconomy

More than 400 leaders from Iowa industry, government and higher education gathered on the Iowa State campus Nov. 28 for a day-long discussion of Iowa's leadership role in the bioeconomy. Following is video of some of conference sessions. (The Breeze video works in any Web browser that supports Flash media.)

• Welcome, Board of Regents President Michael Gartner
• "Growing the Economy in Iowa: Fueling the Future," ISU President Gregory Geoffroy
• "The Future of Biorefining in Iowa," Robert C. Brown, ISU Office of Biorenewables
• "Implications of Bioenergy on Agricultural Production," Craig Lang, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
• "Economic and Social Impact of a Growing Bioenergy Industry on the State and its Policy Implications," Bruce Babcock, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, ISU
• Innovating for the Future," Ted Crosbie, chief technology officer for the state of Iowa
• Presentations by summit work groups

Is Iowa ready to lead the era of cellulosic energy?

Iowa has made tremendous strides in developing its ethanol industry, and we are, without question, the nation's leader in production of grain ethanol from corn. But we have taken only the first step in achieving our shared vision of Iowa sustaining its leadership in the emerging bioeconomy. See essay by Gregory Geoffroy, Robert C. Brown and Bruce Babcock.