NABC R Eport 20 Reshaping American Agriculture to M Eet Its
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NABC R eport 20 eport Reshaping American Agriculture to Meet its Biofuel and Biopolymer Roles NABC Report 20 Reshaping American Agriculture to Meet its Biofuel and Biopolymer Roles 2008 Library of Congress Control Number: 2009925969 2008 NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY COUNCIL REPORT i ii NABC Report 20 Reshaping American Agriculture to Meet its Biofuel and Biopolymer Roles Proceedings of the twentieth annual conference of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council, hosted by the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, June 3–5, 2008 Edited by Allan Eaglesham, Steven A. Slack and Ralph W.F. Hardy Published by the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council Ithaca, New York 14853 iii NABC Report 20 Reshaping American Agriculture to Meet its Biofuel and Biopolymer Roles The National Agricultural Biotechnology Council provides an open forum for the discussion of issues related to the impact of biotechnology on agriculture. The views presented and positions taken by individual contributors to this report are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of NABC. The National Agricultural Biotechnology Council grants permission to copy the Conference Overview and Workshops Summary. Permission to copy other chapters should be sought from the authors. SALE of This reporT in whoLE or parT is prohibiTED. Additional copies of NABC Report 20 are available for $7.50 to cover post and packaging. Please make checks or purchase orders payable to: NABC / BTI. National Agricultural Biotechnology Council Boyce Thompson Institute Rm. B15 Tower Road Ithaca, NY 14853 607-254-4856 fax–254-8680 [email protected] http://nabc.cals.cornell.edu ©2008 NABC All rights reserved. Library of Congress Control Number: 2009925969 Page layout and design by Raymond C. Wiiki ([email protected]) Printed on recycled paper at the Jacobs Press, Auburn, NY (http://www.jacobspress.com/) iv National Agricultural Biotechnology Council Providing an open forum for exploring issues in agricultural biotechnology NABC, established in 1988, is a consortium of not-for-profit agricultural research, extension and educational institutions. Member Institutions Agriculture Research Service/USDA University of Arizona Boyce Thompson Institute University of Arkansas Clemson University University of California-Davis Cooperative State Research, Extension, University of Florida and Education Service/USDA University of Georgia Cornell University University of Guelph Iowa State University University of Idaho Kansas State University University of Illinois at Louisiana State University Urbana-Champaign Agricultural Center University of Kentucky Michigan State University University of Minnesota Mississippi State University University of Missouri-Columbia North Carolina State University University of Nebraska-Lincoln The Ohio State University University of Saskatchewan Oklahoma State University University of Wisconsin-Madison Oregon State University Washington State University The Pennsylvania State University Purdue University Affiliate Member South Dakota State University California Community Colleges Texas A&M University Economic Development Network Other NABC Reports Available: NABC Report 6, Agricultural Biotechnology and The Public Good(1994) NABC Report 8, Agricultural Biotechnology: Novel Products and New Partnerships (1996) NABC Report 9, Resource Management in Challenged Environments (1997) NABC Report 10, Agricultural Biotechnology and Environmental Quality: Gene Escape and Pest Resistance (1998) NABC Report 12, The Biobased Economy of the Twenty-First Century: Agriculture Expanding into Health, Energy, Chemicals, and Materials (2000) NABC Report 13, Genetically Modified Food and the Consumer(2001) NABC Report 14, Integrating Agriculture, Medicine and Food for Future Health (2002) NABC Report 15, Biotechnology: Science and Society at a Crossroad (2003) NABC Report 16, Agricultural Biotechnology: Finding Common International Goals (2004) NABC Report 17, Agricultural Biotechnology: Beyond Food and Energy to Health and the Environment (2005) NABC Report 18, Agricultural Biotechnology: Economic Growth Through New Products, Partnerships and Workforce Development (2006) NABC Report 19, Agricultural Biofuels: Technology, Sustainability and Profitability(2007) v AcknowLEDgmenTS NABC’s twentieth annual meeting—Reshaping American Agriculture to Meet its Biofuel and Biopolymer Roles—was hosted by Steven Slack at The Ohio State University (OSU), Columbus, OH, with excellent administrative assistance from Mary Wicks and Shelley Whitworth, to whom we are most grateful for a highly successful conference. Thanks are due to the members of the planning committee1 for an excellent agenda and first- rate choice of speakers: Steve Slack (program chair, OSU), David Benfield (OSU), Wayne Earley (PolymerOhio), Denny Hall (OSU), Alex Kawczak (Battelle Memorial Institute), Susanne Lipari (NABC), Stephen Myers (OSU), Gary Mullins (OSU), Randy Nemitz (OSU), William Ravlin (OSU), Sarah Sieling (OSU), Ken Vaughn (PolymerOhio) and Mary Wicks (OSU). Seamless operation of the proceedings resulted from the excellent efforts of the following: Moderators David Benfield (OSU), Richard Heggs (Battelle), Stephen Myers (OSU) and William Ravlin (OSU). Workshop Facilitators David Benfield (OSU), Colin Kaltenbach (University of Arizona), Bryan Kinnamon (Delta Plant Technologies), John Kirby (South Dakota State University) and Bruce McPheron (The Pennsylvania State University). Workshop Recorders Karunanithy Chinnaduari (South Dakota State University), Sarah Kiger (OSU), Srilakshmi Makkena (OSU), Lisa Meihls (University of Missouri-Columbia), Sachin Teotia (OSU) and Thu Van Vuong (Cornell University). Student Voice Program Administrator Susanne Lipari (NABC). OSU Audio/Visual Team Chris Dicus, Mauricio Espinoza, Randy Nemitz and Walter Warkus. Graphic Designer Kim Brown (OSU). Photographer Ken Chamberlain (OSU). Thanks go to M&G Polymers, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Ohio Soybean Council, Poet, Schmack Bioenergy and The Andersons for defraying costs of meals and refreshments, to Genencor for assistance with student expenses, and to Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center, OSU College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, OSU Extension and OSU Office of Research for programmatic support. On behalf of NABC, we thank Alan Wildeman (University of Guelph) for his leadership as NABC’s chair for 2007–2008. Ralph W.F. Hardy Allan Eaglesham President Executive Director NABC NABC December 2008 1RWFH and AE also served on the planning committee. vi Preface The National Agricultural Biotechnology Council’s twentieth annual meeting (NABC 20)—Reshaping American Agriculture to Meet its Biofuel and Biopolymer Roles—was the second in as many years to emphasize the importance of biofuels. The 2008 conference was built not only on the success of NABC 19 (Agricultural Biofuels: Technology, Sustainability and Profitability) but also on that of NABC 12 (The Biobased Economy of the Twenty-First Century: Agriculture Expanding into Health, Energy, Chemicals, and Materials). The cover of this volume illustrates the challenge to agriculture to establish an equilib- rium that will enable the needs of traditional markets (food, feed and fiber) to be met while also serving the needs of new markets (energy, chemicals and materials). The presenta- tions and discussions at NABC 20 addressed the issues of food and feed, biofeedstocks, research and technology, economics, education and workforce development, ethics and policy, towards establishing this essential balance. In 1998, NABC issued a Vision Statement1for agriculture and agricultural research in the twenty-first century. It envisioned improved food, feed, and fiber, but importantly it predicted agriculture’s expansion into energy, chemicals, and materials (including biopolymers). This biobased economy, balanced with a reduced fossil-based economy, is projected to contribute to national security, sustainability, minimization of global climate change, expanded farmer-market opportunities, and rural development. Word- ing in the Vision Statement can be found in Executive Order 13134—Developing and Promoting Biobased Products and Bioenergy—signed by President Clinton in 1999. In 2000, NABC 12, which was hosted by the University of Florida, Gainesville, focused on these opportunities. It was the first conference to explore benefits from, and concerns about, the biobased economy. From that meeting grew the annual World Congress on Industrial Processing and Biotechnology: Linking Biotechnology, Chemistry and Agriculture to Create New Value Chains, the sixth of which will convene in Montreal, July 19–22, 20092, co-organized and sponsored by the Biotechnology Industry Organization, the American Chemical Society, the US Department of Energy, and NABC. In 2007, NABC issued Agriculture and Forestry for Energy, Chemicals and Materials: The Road Forward 3, an updated and expanded version of the Vision Statement describing opportunities for agriculture and forestry to be the basis for a hybrid bio-/petro-based economy with 100+ billion gallons of transportation fuel and value-added chemicals and materials produced from domestic biomass, and a structure for attainment. 1Vision for Agricultural Research and Development in the 21st Century: Biobased Products Will Provide Security and Sustainability in Food, Health, Environment, and Economy. http://nabc.cals.cornell.edu/pubs/vision.html. 2The Summary Proceedings from the 2008 World