USDA’s 2011 Agricultural Outlook Forum, Feb. 24-25, will present 25 breakout sessions, including two on energy: “Renewable Energy Policy Perspectives” and “Renewable Energy: Next Steps.”
The first session is policy oriented and will present an overview of existing policy such as implementation of the RFS2 and related issues such as the E15 and meeting future mandates. The second speaker will focus on climate change and carbon sequestration related to the growth in renewable energy. A third speaker will discuss future directions, particularly the next farm bill and pending energy legislation. The speakers include: Paul N. Argyropoulos, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Transportation & Air Quality, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Bill Hohenstein, Director, Office of Global Climate Change, OCE, USDA; and Jerry Hagstrom of The Hagstrom Report. Harry Baumes, Director, OEPNU, OCE, USDA, will moderate the session.
The “Next Steps” session will focus on renewable energy produced on farms and ranches in the United States. The National Agricultural Statistics Service will discuss the results of the 2009 On-Farm Renewable Energy Production Survey, which targeted solar panels, wind turbines, and methane digesters. Speakers include: Joe Prusacki, Director of Statistics Division, National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA; Jeffrey Steiner, National Program Leader, Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Agricultural Research Service, USDA; and Luke Brubaker, Brubaker Farm, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. To register for the Forum, please go to our website.
