Secretary Perdue Unveils Agriculture Innovation Agenda

(IARN) — U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue today rolled out the Agriculture Innovation Agenda at the Department’s annual Ag Outlook Forum.

Secretary Perdue says the agenda is “a Department wide effort to better align USDA resources, programs, and research to provide all farmers with the tools they need and to position American agriculture as a leader in the global effort.”

Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy, says, “It’s exciting to see the USDA come out with an innovative agenda that recognizes, encourages, and accelerates agriculture’s ability to address climate change constructively, while doing fantastic things for the farming community.”

“We’re thrilled (that) the Secretary is recognizing the role biofuels play in not only spurring the rural economy, but in reducing our climate footprint as a nation. The Secretary announced a goal, in terms of blending E15 and E30. We applaud the Secretary for putting a stake in the ground, (but) we think we can expedite that timetable,” Skor said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to support renewable fuels, including ethanol, biodiesel, and biomass, by increasing biofuel feedstock production, and biofeul production efficiency and competitiveness to achieve market-driven blend rates of E15 in 2030 and E30 in 2050.

Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.

Photo from KIWA Image Archive