Wind Turbines Might Improve Crop Performance

Wind turbines in farm fields may be doing more than churning out electricity, researchers with an Ames, Iowa laboratory associated with the U.S. energy department report. The giant turbine blades that generate renewable energy might also help crops stay cooler and drier, help them fend off fungal infestations and improve their ability to extract growth-enhancing

Biomass Growers Need To Consider Costs Carefully

Farmers in the northern Plains have the potential to supply large quantities of biomass. With respect to demand for biomass, U.S. federal policies and the creation of a U.S. national renewable electricity standard, form important future market opportunities. Moreover, several state renewable energy initiatives foster additional regional demand. Before a farmer begins establishing a biomass


EU Biofuels Growth On Hold As Green Benefits Queried

The European Union’s biofuels industry is unlikely to expand until the debate about their impact on climate change is resolved and clear policies emerge, the head of a major U.K. biofuels firm said on Nov. 10. “The (biofuels) industry is being held back by a lack of robust discrimination between what is good and what

Letters – for Oct. 14, 2010

Eating local can be done While there may be some accurate points in Ronald L. Doering’s recent articleManitoba Co-operatorOct. 7 article regarding “locavores,” energy consumption of production, processing and preparing of certain foods and how it outweighs transportation of food, you cannot make the subject so “simplistic” that it applies to all food. For example,


Government Delivers Energy Loans For Farmers

Canadian agriculture producers and agribusiness operators who are considering the use of renewable energy sources in their business will soon have a new financing option thanks to a new Energy Loan announced Feb. 22 by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. The Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Energy Loan is designed to assist producers and agribusiness owners who

Biomass Crop Subsidy Carries Hefty U. S. Price Tag

Anew U. S. program that subsidizes biomass crops for energy use may cost $263 million this year – nearly four times its expected cost – with an opening emphasis on forest and sugar scrap. The Obama administration cited the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) Feb. 3 in steps to encourage clean energy production. It would


U. S. Invests $1 Billion In Expanded Biofuel

Th e Agriculture Department will spend $1 billion in the next 12 months to underwrite U. S. biorefineries and in cost-sharing payments for biomass, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Feb. 5. Half of the money would go to the Biomass Crop Assistance Program, now focused on use of forest and sugar cane scrap. Large amounts

BIMAT Maps Potential Green Gold Mines

“In Canada, we’ve always said that we’re going to use grain-based ethanol and biodiesel from canola as a bridge to get the market started. Longterm, we want to look at sustainable biomass conversion.” – MARK STUMBORG How long the world’s supplies of oil and gas will hold out is anybody’s guess. Some experts say the


GHG Emissions Reduction Needs Local Government Action

“If we can prove this works in fact rather than theory, it will benefit all municipalities.” – TOWN OF VIRDEN MAYOR BRUCE DUNNING World leaders returning from Copenhagen last month will submit plans by January’s end on how their countries will commit to lowering greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. But national and provincial governments won’t

Fault Lines Run Deep As EU Farm Policy Talks Heat Up

An “offensive strategy” by France to take the lead in shaping a reform of European Union farm policy may not be enough to shield French farmers from the far-reaching changes sought by other member states. The 27-nation bloc plans to overhaul its complex Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which often provokes fierce arguments, and wants to