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Food News- Farm Income and CostsThe Farm Income and Costs briefing room provides indicators of economic performance for the U.S. farm sector and major crop and livestock farm groups. Farm balance sheet estimates are used by USDA and other public and private sector clients to form a perspective about the financial health of the U.S. agricultural economy. Distributional analyses identify sub […]
- Outlook for U.S. Agricultural TradeOffers the latest forecast of value and volume of U.S. farm exports, by commodity and region, as well as the agricultural trade balance for the coming year. Keeps readers abreast of how U.S. agricultural trade stacks up in a global market. NOTE: Hog imports are revised on page 10 from 200 million head to 200,000 head. […]
- Vegetables and Melons OutlookProvides current intelligence and forecasts the effects of changing conditions in the U.S. vegetables and melons sector (including potatoes, pulses, and mushrooms). Topics include production, consumption, shipments, prices received, trade, and more. […]
- Monthly Milk Cost of ProductionMonthly milk cost of production estimates are available by State from January 2006 to the previous month. […]
- Wheat DataThis data product contains statistics on wheat - including the five classes of wheat: hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, white, and durum - and rye. Includes data published in the monthly Wheat Outlook and previously annual Wheat Yearbook. Data are monthly, quarterly, and/or annual depending upon the data series. […]
- Farm Income and Costs
- What Everyone Should Know About Energy
- How much of the world's electricity supply is generated from wind and who are the leading generators?Worldwide wind power generation exceeded 200 billion kilowatthours in 2008, which is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of over 18 million average households in the United States. Wind generation increased by about 25% from 2007 to 2008, and has more than tripled since 2003. […]
- How much of our electricity is generated from renewable sources?Americans used renewable energy sources — water (hydroelectric), geothermal, wind, sun (solar), and biomass — to meet about 7% of our total energy needs in 2008. […]
- What are greenhouse gases and how much are emitted by the United States?Greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun and warm the planet's surface. Of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, 87% are related to energy consumption. Since 1990, greenhouse gas emissions in the United States have grown by about 1% per year. In 2005, about 21% of the world's total energy-related carbon dioxide was emitted by the United States. […]
- How much of the world's electricity supply is generated from wind and who are the leading generators?
- Invasive Species
- Burning Invasive Juniper Trees Boosts Perennial Grass Recovery (Aug 27, 2010) August 30, 2010Burning Invasive Juniper Trees Boosts Perennial Grass Recovery (Aug 27,... […]
- Grants Respond to the Spread of Invasive Mussels in the West (Aug 24, 2010) August 25, 2010Grants Respond to the Spread of Invasive Mussels in the... […]
- Burning Invasive Juniper Trees Boosts Perennial Grass Recovery (Aug 27, 2010) August 30, 2010
Three Steps to Boost Biofuels
President Barack Obama announced three actions that the federal government is taking to boost U.S. biofuels production. The measures include: the final rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) of 36 billion gallons by 2022; a proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), which provides financing to increase the production of biomass for bioenergy; and the release of Growing America’s Fuel,the first report from the president’s Biofuels Interagency Working Group. The report lays out a strategy to advance the development and commercialization of a sustainable biofuels industry.
The primary measure is the change in the RFS program, required by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which mandates that biofuels production will grow from last year’s 11.1 billion gallons to 36 billion gallons in 2022. The 2022 goal includes 21 billion gallons to come from advanced biofuels, defined as those that cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50%. For the first time, some renewable fuels must also achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions, compared to the gasoline and diesel fuels they displace, in order to be counted towards compliance with volume standards. According to the EPA, meeting the 2022 goal could reduce U.S. dependence on oil by more than 328 million barrels per year.
The EPA final rule sets the RFS for 2010 at 12.95 billion gallons of renewable fuel, all of which must be used in transportation fuels over the course of the year. For the first time, the EPA has also set volume requirements for specific categories of renewable fuels. For 2010, the cellulosic biofuel standard is 6.5 million gallons, and the total volume of advanced biofuels must be at least 950 million gallons. Biomass-based diesel is expected to contribute 650 million gallons of that total, but because a regulatory structure was not implemented to achieve the 2009 requirement of 500 million gallons of biomass-based diesel, the new rule combines the two years, requiring a total of 1.15 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel for 2009 and 2010.with the biomass-based diesel standard is being set at 1.15 bg by combining the 2009 and 2010 standards. See the full EPA rule.
As a second measure, the USDA has also proposed a rule for the BCAP program, which has already begun to provide matching payments for the collection, harvest, storage, and transportation of biomass to eligible biomass conversion facilities. The third part of the biofuels effort was the release of Growing America’s Fuel, the first report from the Biofuels Interagency Working Group, which was created by the president last May and led by USDA, DOE, and the EPA. The report focuses on both short-term growth and the long-term roadmap for biofuel growth, using strategies such as public-private partnerships. Among other things, it calls for increased government consumption of biofuels along with an integrated management approach.