3/12/04

Contact:
Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-7033, jmcguire@iastate.edu

Biobased Industry Conference Addresses the Future of the Bioindustry

"We are at the dawn of the bioeconomy," Stanley Johnson, vice-provost, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension, said as he opened the Biobased Industry Outlook Conference.

Iowa State University hosted the 2004 Biobased Industry Outlook Conference on March 7 and 8 in Ames. The conference, targeted to those interested in the bioindustry, highlighted different aspects of the bioeconomy and gave attendees a look at what the future holds for biobased products.

"The conference demonstrated again that Iowa is a leading force at the dawn of the bioeconomy. Researchers, growers and manufacturers shared their current successes, and expanded their networks for future needs. The continued involvement of the USDA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in Iowa is also stimulating new partnerships that will produce significant results," said Jill Euken, ISU Extension field specialist.

The conference opened with an evening reception on March 7, featuring research projects funded by the Iowa Biotechnology Bioproducts Consortium and the Ames Laboratory Biorenewables Consortium. Researchers from ISU and the University of Iowa were on hand to showcase their accomplishments and discuss the impact their research will have on Iowa and the Midwest.

George Anderl, CEO, Genencor, Intl., and president, BIOWA Board of Directors, welcomed guests and presented the state of the bioindustry in Iowa. Merlin Bartz, USDA, and James Fischer, U.S. DOE, followed with presentations about their respective departments' plans and projections for the bioindustry.

Floyd Barwig, director, Iowa Energy Center, explained the State Technologies Advancement Collaborative (STAC) program and its impact on Iowa and the Midwest. This program is a formal intergovernmental agreement among the U.S. DOE, the National Association of State Energy Officials, and the Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions.

Following a success story panel consisting of Kevin Kephart with the Sun Grant; Diane Neuzil, Blake Hollis and Lou Honary with the University of Northern Iowa's (UNI) Ag-Based Industrial Lubricants (ABIL) Research Program; and Jeff Stroburg from West Central Cooperative, Mike Blouin spoke about areas in which Iowa needs to excel to bring more economic development to the state.

Blouin, director, Iowa Department of Economic Development, explained that the bioeconomy is one of three areas in which Iowa can grow. According to Blouin, Iowa has the potential to be a world leader in producing biomass and now is the time to start growing the bioeconomy.

The first afternoon session broke down each link of the biobased value chain. Experts from ISU provided a description of the challenges and opportunities of each link. They also highlighted the current and future directions of research for each link of the chain.

The final session focused on the new Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement Program (FB4P) developed by the USDA. Marvin Duncan, USDA, explained the section of the 2002 Farm Bill, which outlines the FB4P and how it will affect the bioindustry. Other speakers explained specific ways producers can get involved in the program and where the legislation currently stands.

The 2004 conference sponsors were the Office for Biorenewables Programs, BIOWA Development Association, Iowa Biotechnology Byproducts Consortium, Biorenewable Resources Consortium, Iowa State University Extension, Iowa Energy Center and Center for Crops Utilization Research.

For more information about the Biobased Industry Outlook Conference or to view the presentations from the conference, visit the Web site at www.ciras.iastate.edu/bioindustry/bioconference.

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