01/24/07 Harvesting Clean Energy Conference

Farm and Ranch January 24, 2007 The 7th Harvesting Clean Energy Conference is coming up January 28th through the 30th in Boise, Idaho at the DoubleTree Riverside Hotel. The event is described as the premiere gathering for agriculture and energy interests in working to advance new opportunities for agricultural producers and rural communities in clean energy production. One of the speakers at the Harvesting Clean Energy Conference will be Read Smith, an eastern Washington farmer who is co-chair of the National Ag Energy Working Group. Their goal is to have 25 percent of U.S. energy needs come from renewable energy by the year 2025. Smith says the Pacific Northwest doesn't producer the traditional energy crops like corn and soybeans, but he says the region has plenty of biomass which will be a key ingredient of renewable energy. Smith: "Not only our existing crop residue but certainly the idea of dedicated energy crops, whatever grasses are appropriate for our climates. That's forest products, forest waste and even plantations that are produced just for their energy value are going to present tremendous opportunities." Other speakers at the conference include Vice-Admiral Dennis McGinn, Manager for Battlelle Institute's Energy Division and Richard Hess, Biomass Program Technology Manager for Idaho National Lab. Get more information about the conference at www.harvestcleanenergy.org I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.