Interest Growing in Alabama’s Biofuel Potential

Auburn University Professor David Bransby, a nationally renowned biofuels expert, has described Alabama as a potential treasure trove of farm- and forest-generated renewable energy.

It appears that the message is not being lost on the state’s agriculture and forestry industry.

Reducing fossil fuel dependence through the use of forest-derived ethanol products will be the theme of the Forest Landowners Conference, scheduled Thursday, Oct. 12. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Farmers Federation Building in Lafayette.

Sponsored by the Chambers County Forestry Planning Committee, the evening conference will feature George Turnipseed of C.W. Industries in Prattville, who will speak on the future of ethanol and its impact on American forests. Later that evening, Dr. Tom Gallagher, an Auburn University assistant professor in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, will discuss the feasibility of producing ethanol from forest resources.

An open discussion will follow these two presentations.

In November, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs will mark the third annual Alabama Agriculture Energy Conference. The one-day event, which will be held at the Auburn University Hotel and Dixon Conference Center in Auburn, will focus on energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies and techniques for agriculture.

Other sponsors include the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, the Alabama Farmers Federation and the Alabama Poultry and Egg Association.

The conference is targeted to Alabama farmers, Extension agents, government leaders, academia and others interested in the potential for farm-generated energy sources.

Ron Sparks, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, will speak on the “Importance of Biofuels for Alabama Agriculture.”
Other guest speakers include Dr. David Bransby, a professor of energy crops and bioenergy with Auburn University’s College of Agriculture; Kathy Hornsby, manager of ADECA’s Renewable Energy Program; Wayne Keith, a Springville farmer who converted his pickup to run on wood; Dr. Jesse Chappell of Auburn University’s Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures; and Mark Hall, a regional Extension agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

Speakers from alternative energy companies will dominate the afternoon session. They include Gary Elliot, president of International Applied Engineering, who will speak on “Cellulosic Ethanol — Feasibility for Commercialization in Alabama;” and Donny Mecke of Earth Clean Technologies and Bill Sasher, chief executive officer of Dogwood Energy, who will discuss “Small-Scale Biofuel Production.”

The conference will begin with registration and breakfast at 8 a.m. and will conclude with a field trip to see Auburn University’s Integrated Aquaculture–Vegetable Production System. A poster session highlighting current ADECA Agriculture Energy Program projects will also be included.

Pre-registration is required. The cost is $35; registration after Nov. 15 is $45. Participants can download a registration form and conference agenda at https://ssl.acesag.auburn.edu/conference/agenergy2006/registration.php.

For more information, contact the ADECA Energy, Weatherization and Technology Division at 1-800-392-8098.

Posted by Jim Langcuster at October 10, 2006 10:48 AM | TrackBack