Transition to a Bioeconomy: Environmental and Rural Development Impacts

Water quality and quantity issues, land use changes and economic impacts are among the byproducts of the evolving bioeconomy to be examined at the Oct. 15-16 conference, Transition to a Bioeconomy: Environmental and Rural Development Impacts. The conference is at the Hyatt Regency-Union Station, St. Louis, Mo. Featured speakers include U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer, who will discuss public policy challenges for the bioeconomy, and Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas Dorr, whose comments will focus on rural development issues. The program also features representatives from industry, special interest groups and academia discussing global land use issues, jobs in the bioeconomy, green technologies, and local community challenges and opportunities. "As the biofuels industry evolves, it is important to understand the impact of the industry on environmental resources and rural regions," says Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin. "This conference is designed to build understanding of the challenges and opportunities, and identify issues that must be addressed as we move forward." Conference program details and registration information are available at the Farm Foundation Web site, www.farmfoundation.org. Registration is $225 if paid by Sept. 30, after which it will be $300. A special conference room rate of $155 per night plus tax is available for single or double occupancy for reservations made by Tuesday, Sept. 23. The Transition to a Bioeconomy conference series is a collaboration of Farm Foundation, and four USDA's agencies-Office of Energy Policy and New Uses, Rural Development, Economic Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service. The U.S. Forest Service is also a collaborator for this event. This conference series is designed to inventory current knowledge of key issues of the bioeconomy, identify options for the future, and determine information and research needs. The conferences provide government, industry, academic and community leaders with objective information and analysis on key issues of the evolving bioeconomy. The October conference is the third in the series. The fourth, scheduled for early 2009, will address global issues. Previous conferences examined the integration of agricultural and energy systems, and risk and infrastructure issues. Materials from those conferences are available on the Farm Foundation Web site, http://www.farmfoundation.org/.

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