AMES, Iowa -- The bioeconomy will be a focus of Iowa State University’s exhibit at the Farm Progress Show Aug. 26 through Aug. 28 near Boone. Several displays will show ISU’s research in exploring alternative fuels in response to record-high gas prices.

Iowa State University’s Bioeconomy Institute display will address the facts about alternative fuels, along with tackling the misconceptions concerning corn ethanol and rising food prices.

“The link between biofuel production and increasing food prices is a lot smaller than most people think,” said Jill Euken, assistant director, Office of Biorenewable Programs, ISU Bioeconomy Institute. “The cost of corn in corn flakes is a tiny portion of what we pay for cereal. Commodity prices have contributed very little to our overall grocery bills.”

Visitors will be able to learn about the federal energy bill that requires ethanol manufacturers to produce alternative fuel from cellulose obtained from plants and other sources.

“This new energy law mandates that cellulose will play a much larger role in the bioeconomy of the future,” Euken said. “The next generation of biofuels will come from many places. Corn ethanol will be just part of the picture. Other crops such as switchgrass, miscanthus, crop residues, and wood also could be important feedstocks.”

In addition, visitors will want to hear twice daily presentations from Agronomy Extension specialists including climatologist Elwynn Taylor, soybean agronomist Palle Pedersen, and corn agronomist Roger Elmore. Taylor will be presenting information on current weather conditions and trends while Pederson and Elmore will give a timely overview of the year's impending crop harvest and conditions along with planting recommendations for 2009.

The Department of Agronomy faculty and researchers will be on hand to answer questions and discuss current trends in agriculture and agronomy research. Visitors can interact with a hands on display of biofuels crops from current research plots, find out more about new methods of nutrient cycling and get a subterranean view of the impact of soil compaction on plant growth.

Also, plans for the ISU’s New Century Farm will be displayed. The New Century Farm, the first integrated biomass production and processing facility in the United States, will incorporate both teaching and research. The main building will be completed in fall 2008 west of Ames.

“People envision a farm as a place, but here it’s a concept or an approach,” said Mark Honeyman, coordinator of Iowa State’s Research and Demonstration Farms. “The New Century Farm includes the whole sphere of biomass—everything from growing a crop to refining it.”

The Research and Demonstration Farms also will offer plot tours both the afternoon before and the morning after the Farm Progress Shows. Tour topics are herbaceous and woody biomass crops, biochar and its use, biomass effects on soil and water, and biomass harvesting equipment. For more information on the tours, call (515) 294-5045.

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