More than 800 community leaders from across Iowa participated in the second round of discussions about what the emerging Bioeconomy means for the future of the state and its residents.
NEW: A two-page executive summary (.pdf file) of the findings reported from these discussions is now available.
Participants in Community Conversations II heard from a variety of Iowa State University experts on topics related to the issue. Videos of their presentations are provided below:
You must have the Flash player installed to play these videos. For a full screen view, click on the icon at the lower right corner of the screen when the video starts playing.
Bioeconomy Community Conversations II: Food, Feed and Fuel (Overview) [Time: 12:56]
Jack Payne, Vice President for Extension and Outreach
This video is a brief introduction to current research and trends related to the six Bioeconomy Conversations II topics. It sets the stage for local group discussions. In his welcome, Jack Payne recaps the Bioeconomy Conversations I comments that provided direction to Conversations II.
Iowa's Position in Global Agriculture and Bioenergy [Time 13:35]
Chad Hart, Department of EconomicsHart describes how the larger world population, higher incomes worldwide and demand for biofuels have played on Iowa’s bioeconomy. He takes a look at where agriculture production is headed with the increases in livestock feed, fuel, fertilizer and land costs.
Renewable Energy's Place in the High Energy Cost Picture [Time 16:22]
Dan Otto, Department of Economics
Otto explains that energy supplied by alternative sources currently makes up a relatively small portion of overall energy consumption in the United States. He describes future renewable fuels opportunities in terms of new technologies, alternative fuel production and increased conservation by consumers..
Food and Fuel: Enough Grain but Not Enough Processing [Time 14:30]
Charles R. Hurburgh, Jr., Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Biofuels are transitioning agriculture, and in the process are creating some very real benefits and challenges in terms of the food and fuel supply and distribution. Hurburgh speaks of Iowa’s enviable position – should we choose to exercise the leadership and attitude required of any successful business enterprise.
Factors that Determine the Cost of Food [Time 16:55]
John Lawrence, Department of Economics
Lawrence looks at driving factors behind higher prices of food by discussing the U.S. food marketing system that links farms to food consumers. Learn about current trends in consumer food consumption, the makeup of the food dollar and impact of higher grain prices on food prices.
Rising Energy and Food Prices: Effects on Families [Time 13:05]
Cynthia Needles Fletcher, Department of Human Development and Family Studies
Making ends meet became an increasingly difficult task as prices for food and fuel rose faster than wages in 2007 and 2008. Fletcher reviews recent trends in consumer prices and wages, and explores implications for families and communities by looking at the growing disparities in income, widening gap in consumption levels and increasing unmet basic needs.
From Vulnerability to Resiliency: Iowa Agriculture in the Age of Biorenewables [Time 23:36]
J. Arbuckle, Department of Sociology
With a growing urban and rural non-farm population there is an increasing demand for ecological health in rural areas. Differences in the way that nature is valued can lead to conflicts between productive (i.e., growing crops) and consumptive (i.e., fishing) uses of the landscape. Arbuckle looks at the environmental challenges, opportunities and solutions as we move into new era of biorenewable production.
In addition to the video presentations, each speaker also provided a background paper covering the topic under discussion. Copies of those papers are provided below.
White Papers: Following files are .pdf documents (Acrobat Reader required), 4 to 8 pages each.