Media contact:
Misti Preston
Phone: (573) 751-8596
Misti.Preston@mda.mo.gov

For Immediate Release: April 23, 2007

Missouri Joining in Advancing Bioenergy and Fuels Resources and Development

(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) – The Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) along with the University of Missouri, Columbia have partnered in a 12-state collaborative effort in leading the way for renewable energy, rural development and providing opportunities for Missouri’s producers. The newly formed effort, the North Central Bioeconomy Consortium, is comprised of directors of Departments of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Services and University Agricultural Experiment Stations from Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

“The North Central Bioeconomy Consortium is helping create energy independence and provide opportunity for our rural areas across our state,” said Matt Boatright, acting director of MDA. “With the support of Gov. Matt Blunt’s biofuel initiatives and through this consortium, we are guiding Missouri into the next generation of biofuel and energy technologies ensuring long-term economic viability.”

The North Central Bioeconomy Consortium recently received a $100,000 grant from the Energy Foundation of San Francisco to coordinate regional public policy development and research for renewable energy. The 12-state consortium met for the first time in February to reach a memorandum of understanding among the three participating organizations and recently submitted summary work to the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture for consideration in the 2007 Farm Bill debate.

“Missouri’s involvement with this Consortium will provide us with the opportunity to collaborate with our neighboring states in the area of bioenergy research and development,” said Boatright. “This is a great chance for our state’s to pool our resources and move our country to become more energy independent.”

For more information regarding Missouri efforts, contact Chris Klenklen with MDA at (573) 751-5514 or David Baker with the University of Missouri Extension at (573) 882-6385.

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