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Biofuels: Ready to Fly into the Future

September 13, 2021 Justin Bredlau, PhD, AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow, Office of the Chief Scientist and William Goldner, PhD, Senior Advisor for Renewable Energy, Natural Resources, and Environment, Office of the Chief Scientist

Imagine flying from Los Angeles to the Washington, D.C. region on a plane fueled with American farm products or forestry waste. Sounds farfetched? Well, it is already becoming a reality. Thanks to U.S. production of sustainable aviation fuel, airlines can help address climate change and create rural...

Climate Energy Research and Science

ARS Helps Farmers and Ranchers Prospect for Non-Fossil Oil and Gas

August 11, 2020 Scott Elliott, Agricultural Research Service, Office of Communications

Agricultural producers may soon hit a trifecta – the ability to clean up the environment, reduce dependence on fossil fuel, and create a new source of income.

Research and Science

Ag Research Extends Beyond Crop Fields into Forests

April 23, 2019 Scott Elliott, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

The word “agriculture” does not usually come to mind when one thinks of forests, but perhaps it’s time that it should. “The forest products industry employs nearly 1 million people and contributes $254 billion to America’s economy through sales and payroll,” said Eric Norland, a national program...

Research and Science

Bioenergy Bonanza Supports Rural Jobs, Minimizes Wildfires

March 23, 2017 Joyce El Kouarti, U.S. Forest Service Office of Communication

What if there was an endless fuel source that came from widely available natural waste products? And what if converting these products to energy supported tens of thousands of rural jobs? Wood can be just that fuel. In many places, it already is.

Forestry Energy

A Giant Crop-Scanner Is Turning Heads in Arizona

October 11, 2016 Dennis O'Brien, Public Affairs Specialist, Agricultural Research Service

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. With its 30-ton frame and 50-foot-high catwalk, the newest scanner for measuring crop plants in Maricopa, Arizona, can be...

Energy Research and Science

Tribal partnerships fuel sustainable aviation

November 25, 2015 Stephanie Pearl, science communicator, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

USDA celebrates National Native American Heritage Month in November with a blog series focused on USDA’s support of Tribal Nations and highlighting a number of our efforts throughout Indian Country and Alaska. Follow along on the USDA blog . Alaska Airlines will conduct a demonstration flight in...

Energy Forestry

Fueling our Future, from Wood to Wing

October 22, 2015 Stephanie Pearl, Science Communicator, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

U.S. airline carriers collectively used more than 16 billion gallons of jet fuel in 2014. Given growing concerns over energy independence and the environment, commercial airlines are looking for secure and reliable alternative jet fuels that reduce global emissions. To address this problem...

Food and Nutrition

Bioenergy, Bioproducts Education Program Builds Student Confidence, Equips Educators

August 06, 2015 Kelly Flynn, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Being an educator is in Morina Ricablanca’s blood. Growing up in a family of teachers in the Philippines, she knew she would someday pursue a career in education. Ricablanca participated in an outreach program assisting troubled youth while attending Manuel L. Quezon University Law School in Manila...

Initiatives Energy Research and Science

Study Finds Increasing Wood Pellet Demand Boosts Forest Growth, Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Creates Jobs

June 08, 2015 Robert Johansson, USDA Acting Chief Economist

An industry that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase forest growth, and create jobs sounds too good to be true. But that is the reality of the emerging wood pellets market in the Southern U.S. That conclusion is supported by independent economic assessments of wood bioenergy, including a...

Energy Conservation

Transferring Dead Trees from Source of Wildfire Fuel to Biofuel

May 26, 2015 William Goldner, Acting Director for the Division of Sustainable Bioenergy, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. Trees killed by bark beetles have, for years, been a source of fuel for forest fires. Now, those very trees are being turned...

Research and Science
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