Easy Garden Project: Planting Mara des Bois Strawberries into a Strawberry Pot

Below, are two nursery's descriptions of the Mara des Bois day neutral strawberry and each are sources for the plants.1) A French nursery introduced ‘Mara des Bois’ back in 1991, and it has become wildly popular in markets in that country, where the berries bring a premium price. This distant relative of the woodland Strawberry produces aromatic fruits about the size of acorns with a rich, sweet

Peak Oil Aware Biologist John Janovy, Jr. Predicts Future Human Evolution

photo: wikipediaBy now you thought you'd read them all. Joseph Tainter on the collapse of civilization due to complexity, Jim Kunstler on the demise of humans via their own stupidity of living in the suburbs while eating twinkies and relying upon the finite resource of oil, and you've read Jeff Rubin explain to you why your world is about to get a whole lot smaller. You've watched "The Road," "

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review for April 29, 2011

~April 29, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybeans closed lower. Grains opened the week higher as wet weather forecast sparked a rally in the corn and soybean floor. However, the market turned midweek as the forecast changed calling for less rainfall over the next week to 10 days across parts of the Midwest putting traders in a selling mode. Reports of planting in Northwest Iowa and

Hovis Wheat Farmer's Race Ad

How about something British today? They seem to have far more delightful TV commercials than we do. They had the Yeo Valley Ad, countless naked farmer fund raising calendars, and now, this.

Photo: Ohio Farm 1939

Farmers spray rasberriey bushes planted on the contour on a farm near Danville, Ohio. 1939.(Thursday is Luddite Day at Big Picture Agriculture)

Agriculture and the Oil Supply

photo: flickrThere have been a slew of great posts in the blogosphere lately about our oil dependency and supply situation, so I thought I'd devote a thread pointing readers towards some that I found especially informative. Global oil demand is growing while supply is not, at the same time that economic models built upon growth are growth-impaired by our current set of circumstances.There is

Foreign Policy Magazine Challenges the Accepted Notion that "More Than 1 Billion People Are Hungry in the World"

Photo: flickr. Caption: "Everywhere you go, the poorest looking house/person -- TV!Satellite dishes abound."Writers Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, for Foreign Policy's May/June 2011 issue, challenge the FAO "fact" that nearly a billion people in the world go to bed hungry each night. It starts out....But is it really true? Are there really more than a billion people going to bed hungry each

Regional Food Hub Models

It is no secret that efficiencies of scale contribute to successful business models and local food production is no exception. Food hubs are emerging which are aiding local farm producers in achieving efficiency of infrastructure, employees, and marketing. These really are essential for the survival of the small local producer, and when I attended a Boulder County farmer panel Q&A earlier this

Graph of U.S. Organic Food Sales Trends

Once available only in natural product stores and farmers’ markets, organic foods are now found in conventional supermarkets, value-priced big-box chains, and an expanding array of direct-to-consumer markets. U.S. organic food sales are expected to reach $25 billion in 2010, up from $3.6 billion in 1997. Organic products accounted for over 3.5 percent of food sold for at-home consumption in 2009.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner on Greenhouse Emissions from Livestock

Graph Showing World Production of Main Categories of Meat 1961-2007Friend Dr. Nevil Speer, W. Kentucky University, alerted me to some key talks from the 2011 Annual Conference of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture, held earlier this month in San Antonio, Texas, which he moderated. Today, I've chosen to feature the presentation by Dr. Frank Mitloehner, Associate Professor and Air

Charles Rice on Livestock's Contribution to Climate Change

Kansas State's Charles W. Rice, Ph.D. is a soil microbiologist who has served on the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Rice’s research has focused on soil dynamics and global climate change, including carbon and nitrogen emissions in agricultural and grassland ecosystems and the potential benefits of carbon sequestration in soil.Cattlenetwork recently featured a Q&A with Rice about

Canadian Citizens Aim for a National Food Policy

"Canada has never had a coordinated and explicit food policy, let alone one designed for the public good. The resulting patchwork of government policies that determine our de-facto food governance does not adequately prioritize the needs and wishes of the majority."~~~~~~~Somehow, those Canucks overtop of us seem to be on average, more "aware" than we sheeple here in the U.S. The latest is that

Agriculture News April 25, 2011

Staking out a farmland business, Globe and MailAdding moos and cruise to brews, Daily CameraU.S. rice farmers show increasing efficiency over 20-year span, Western Farm PressWant to Be a Dairy Farm Landlord? Smart MoneyIn Minnesota, copper mining runs afoul of wild rice, Yahoo News APU.S.-backed company proposes mega-quarry north of Orangeville, The StarSheep growers benefit from low supply, high

Jim Farrell of Farmer's National Company on Farmland Sales and Management

Reader Patrze sent to me a link to the FDIC's March 2011 "Don’t Bet the Farm Symposium" held in Arlington, Virginia. Among those who spoke at the symposium was FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair. I have reviewed the transcript [pdf] and have chosen to feature the presentation by Jim Farrell. Jim has served as President and CEO of Farmer's National Company in Omaha, Nebraska since 2004 and also serves as

Easter Bonnets

The name "Easter Island" was given by the island's first recorded European visitor, the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who encountered it on Easter Sunday 1722.(photo: flickr)

Tipi Exhibit and Video from the Brooklyn Museum

The video shows the remarkable construction of the tipi.For more go to Tipi: Heritage of the Great Plains.

Trailer: John Muir in the New World

MUIR QUOTES:"The civilized man chokes his soul.""The question was, for him, was whether every place on earth has to become an economic commodity.""How blind we selfish conceited creatures are to the rights of all the rest of creation.""In God's wildness lies the hope of the world."

Earth Days: Definition of Sustainability

~Mutts by Patrick McDonnell~

NOAA Seasonal Drought Outlook Map for the U.S.

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review for April 22, 2011

~April 22, 2011~Compared to last week, wheat and soybeans were higher with corn trading lower for the week. Wheat gained ground as draught conditions in the Southern Plains, snow and wet conditions in the Northern Plains had wheat trading higher for the week. Planting was very active last week, with strong thunderstorms moving into the Mid-West this week and could continue into next week keeping

Forces Affecting Investment in Agricultural Technology and Infrastructure

Note that this article is from Policy Pennings, produced by Daryll E. Ray and Harwood D. Schaffer from the University of Tennessee. In this writing, they refer to a previous post of theirs which is a must-read, if you haven't already, "Farmers had a major role in jump-starting ethanol-based increases in corn demand". (I've covered it here previously.)__________________________Recently, we wrote

Photo: Spreading Lime on an Iowa Farm Field with Horses

Farmers spread lime on cropland [year unknown]

Australia's "Grain and Graze" Farming Method Provides Peak Oil and Climate Change Resiliency

Pasture in Australia ~ photo: flickr

There is a 2008 report out of Australia worth featuring on this blog due to its big picture view of optimal farming methods in a program named "Grain and Graze" which plans for resiliency as both peak oil and climate change advance. Nature's way includes animals in good land management, and advocates of vegetarianism often miss this point. The more natural

Another Farmland Price Article

Russian Plot from Wikipedia CommonsBusiness Insider has a post up titled "A Quick Tour Of The World's Booming Farmland Markets," that many readers here might enjoy. The author summarizes farmland prices in sixteen countries including Russia, New Zealand and Brazil, and then lists reasons to invest in farmland.

At What Oil Price Does it Pay to Ship Agricultural Products?

Will Martin, who writes the blog "Peak Oil Proof Your Portfolio," has an amazing new post up speculating on how Australia will fare in future, in light of peak oil and climate change. Because he has a background in oil rig sales, he knows of what he speaks when he discusses vulnerabilities in shipping at higher and more volatile oil prices, so I chose a small portion of his section, "Sea

The U.S. and Canada: Guilty as Charged in Per Capita Energy Consumption

The above graph is taken from the latest writing critiquing energy use and discussing all of the latest energy infatuations by Canadian professor Vaclav Smil, titled "Global Energy: The Latest Infatuations - In energy matters, what goes around, comes around—but perhaps should go away."His writing challenges the U.S. and Canada to start using less energy since we are far past the point of it

Agriculture News April 18, 2011

1. Kudos to the DesMoines Register for showing us what a pickle the current ethanol policy has gotten us into: Planting season: High stakes sow seeds of anxiety across Iowa. Grocery shoppers could see meat prices soar because livestock producers - faced with frighteningly high feed costs - would further reduce their herds, resulting in another round of price increases for beef and pork. The U.S.

"Volatility and Record Risk in Agriculture?"

There is a report at Lubbock.online of a meeting involving 75 bankers and lenders from across the state of Texas for the "91st annual Agriculture and Rural Affairs Conference."Of particular interest was the summary of the comments by Mark Pearson, host of “Market to Market,” who presented his global outlook on agriculture:While there is some economic recovery and an improving consumer confidence,

Regional Focus: Uros Islands of Peru's Lake Titicaca and the Uru People

photo: flickrWoman cooking in the Uros Island, Lake Titicaca, Peru.The Uros are a pre-Incan people who live on forty-two self-fashioned floating islands in Lake Titicaca Puno, Peru and Bolivia. They form three main groups: Uru-Chipayas, Uru-Muratos and the Uru-Iruitos. The latter are still located on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca and Desaguadero River.The Uros use bundles of dried totora

Growing Food in Harmony with Nature in Ontario

This 4.5 minute VIMEO video features Punkle's Farm of Eastern Ontario. He explains the importance of livestock in the sustainable farm cycle and emphasizes soil health. The farm grows salad greens, fresh herbs and vegetables, plus chickens, turkeys, ducks and pigs.For more, go to Punkle's Farm's website.

Trailer: The Farmer and the Horse

A New Generation of Farmers... Tractors Optional...Organic... sustainable... self-sufficient... JerseyFilm WebsiteIt is my understanding that these horses now reside in the same county that I do, that is Boulder County, Colorado. Abbondanza Farm is an exemplary organic farm in Boulder County providing CSA members and the Farmer's Market with wonderful products. I do hope to feature them here on

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review for April 15, 2011

~April 15, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids were under pressure to close slight to moderately lower. Soybeans struggled with selling interest as harvest in Brazil is moving along adding pressure to the market. Wheat suffered double-digit losses in selling. Wheat remains in down mode despite flooding in the Northern Plains and draught in the Southern Plains. Precious metals,

Kansas City Fed Reports on the Rate of Nonperforming Agricultural Loans

Non-real estate loan performance strengthened in the fourth quarter. The volume of outstanding non-real estate farm loans at all commercial banks ended the year slightly below 2009 levels. Delinquent non-real estate loans have trended down since early 2010, comprising just 2.0 percent of outstanding farm production loans in the fourth quarter. Also, the volume of non-real estate loans 30 to 90

Kansas City Fed Reports on Farmland Sales in the Midwest

Rising farm incomes propelled farmland values higher at the end of 2010. Large year-over-year farmland value gains were seen across the Corn Belt and into the northern Plains, where energy production is booming. In fact, North Dakota enjoyed the strongest annual increase in farmland values largely due to land lease revenues from expanded oil production.Crop producing regions such as Northern

Fourth Quarter 2010 Farmland Value Map. Wow. That is Some Kind of Momentum.

This map shows the percent price change in the year from 4th quarter 2009 to 4th quarter 2010 of nonirrigated good quality farmland in the Midwest, as measured by the District Federal Reserve Office surveys.To see fourth quarter price movements compared to the third quarter annual change, see below:If any readers here have seen recent farm sales, please leave a comment about what you are seeing

USDA Report: Japan's Rice Situation After the Tsunami

The USDA report on the Japan tsunami's effects upon the rice supply and agriculture are in agreement with what I surmised a few days after the event. I have highlighted a few sentences of special interest.See:What Effect will the recent Tsunami, Earthquake, and Nuclear Disaster have upon Japan's Agriculture?Maps of the Japan Nuclear Reactors, Tsunami, and Farmland AreasUpdate on the Condition of

TED Talk: Missouri Farmer with a PHD in Fusion Energy Now Designs Farm Machinery

The Global Village Construction SetMarcin Jakubowski, originally from Poland, now a farmer in Missouri with a background PhD in fusion energy, is working on "Open-sourced blueprints for civilization". He is the director of "Open Source Ecology." This is truly one of the most amazing forward thinkers of today, in agriculture and for civilization, in my opinion. The GVCS can be used not only in

BRICS, Agricultural Trade, and the U.S. Balance Sheet

This week, the BRIC nations are meeting in China for their third annual summit. Brazil, Russia, India and China are now including South Africa. Already part of the G20, these nations are intent upon doing business with each other, lending to each other, and they are desirous of a new international reserve currency. All are feeling inflationary pressures and are concerned about excessive capital

Photo: 1949 Two Tractors

Oldest Mechanical Tractor ~ Plowline Images of Rural New YorkPhotographic negative. Image showing the oldest Mechanical tractor, another tractor and a crowd of people at The Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The two tractors may be a Hart-Parr #3? on the left and an Oliver Tractor on the right. On the side is written "Tranquille."(Thursday is Luddite day at big picture agriculture)

Graph of Farm Real Estate Debt

Farm debt headed upwards slightly in 2011: In February 2011, ERS estimated farm sector debt to increase from $240.3 billion in 2010 to $241.6 billion in 2011. The real estate debt component is forecast to fall by 0.6 percent from $132 billion in 2010 to $131.5 billion in 2011. The nonreal estate component is forecast to rise by 2.0 percent from $108.0 billion in 2010 to $110.1 billion in 2011.

Cotton Demand, Prices, and Supply

photo source: usdaCotton is one of the most important textile fibers in the world, accounting for around 35 percent of total world fiber use. While some 80 countries from around the globe produce cotton, the United States, China, and India together provide two-thirds of the world's cotton. The United States, which ranks third in production behind China and India, is the leading exporter,

Let's Protect our Soil, "the fertile legacy of thousands of years of geological processes"

Iowa’s weather is changing and so is farmland ownership. Society can no longer assume that landowners see or comprehend what is happening with their precious land and with our priceless waters. Government needs to step up enforcement of soil conservation laws, especially with absentee landlords who are not around to see and be responsible for what is happening. ---Duane Sand, Iowa Natural

The Aging American Farmer

One third of farm householders are 65 and olderIn 2009, about 30 percent of principal farm operators were age 65 or older. The average age of farm operators was 57 in the 2007 Census of Agriculture, and has been greater than 50 since at least the 1950 Census. The age structure of U.S. households in general is much younger. One reason for the advanced age structure of farmers is the farm's status

2010 Census: The Great Plains Continues to Depopulate

Change in Population by County in Percent from 2000-2010The WSJ reports that about 46 percent of rural counties nationwide lost population between 2000 and 2010, including almost 60 percent of rural counties that aren't adjacent to a metro area. Those statistics are based on an analysis of Census data by Kenneth Johnson, a senior demographer at the Carsey Institute at the University of New

Brazil and Argentina Overtake the U.S. in the Global Soybean Export Market

While U.S. soybean exports have grown over the last 25 years, the share of global trade has declined: Key to this development has been the phenomenal growth of foreign soybean output and exports, particularly by Brazil and Argentina. Foreign soybean output now exceeds that of the U.S., and Brazil and Argentina currently share more than half of the soybean export market, up from less than 15

Agriculture News April 11, 2011

Today's Comment: Help out a recent college grad, if you can. Our son is heading out to the funeral of a music loving friend who recently graduated from college with a degree in journalism with dreams of becoming a music journalist. Wrong field. Wrong time. After recently moving back home with his parents and taking a job at a call center, he committed suicide. Our son, incidentally, graduated

How does the need to double world crop production by 2050 compare with the growth in crop output of the last 40 years?

Note that the following article is by Daryll E. Ray, who holds the Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Policy, Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN and is the Director of UT’s Agricultural Policy Analysis Center (APAC). How does the need to double world crop production by 2050 compare with the growth in crop output of the last 40 years?Current

Celebrating Spring

Tulips in the Netherlands (source)A favorite Spring Sound New Farm Babies (source: flickr)

A Beekeeping Video from Cooking Up a Story

Glen Andresen has been a beekeeper for 20 years and teaches beekeeping in the Portland Metro area.For more, see Beekeeping Basics: Getting Started, at Cooking Up a Story.

Making Hope Butter in Minnesota

source: The Perennial Plate Episode 13: Hope Butter from Daniel Klein.

Density Map of Farmers Markets

In 2009, there were 5,240 farmers’ markets spread across 3,141 counties, parishes, and boroughs in the U.S. About a third of U.S. counties had no farmers’ markets. Across the Nation, large urban counties had the highest numbers of farmers’ markets, while less-populated rural counties had the fewest. The number of farmers’ markets per population tended to be highest in rural counties, after

Agriculture News April 9, 2011

Gas Prices Affect Farmers On Many Fronts - "They both hold about 300 gallons, and they'll burn her up in a day," said rancher Mike Hammond, referring to the two tractors he owns. "That's eleven hundred bucks to fill her up," Hammond added. Tractors, with their low fuel efficiency, are not the most economical of machinery to operate, much less so during times of high gas prices. Hammond said his

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review for April 8, 2011

~April 8, 2011~Compared to last week, grain bids were moderate to sharply higher with soybeans lower. Wheat posted solid gains due to hot and dry weather in the HRW region. The weekly winter wheat conditions report posted 37 percent of the crop rated good to excellent condition as compared to 65 percent last year and 52 for the 10-year average. Weekly export sales for wheat came in at 458,800

A Comment About the Lower Food Price Index

What a difference a couple of months makes. During the past 24 hours "everybody" is reporting the food price index drop, the first in eight months, from the monthly FAO report. There has been much fear-mongering from the media over the past six months about the world running out of food. Perhaps, so much so, that the general public accepts this as a given. Furthermore, some have assumed that the

World-wide Food Category Expenditures

Please note that the following is from the recent USDA report, "International Evidence on Food Consumption Patterns - An Update Using 2005 International Comparison Program Data":

The above graph illustrates how the marginal share for a food category varies by country based on the level of affluence. With low-income countries, a greater portion of an additional unit of food expenditures is

IEA Report: Where is the New Energy Coming From? Coal.

The world continues to rely heavily on coal as an energy source; for the past decade, coal has met 47% of new electricity demand globally. There is also a growing difference between the use of coal for power generation between OECD and non‐OECD regions. Though contributions from hydropower, nuclear and natural gas use are increasing, growth in energy demand in these countries is largely being

Kenya's Horticulture Industry

This is a fascinating well-done "globalization" story about the horticulture industry in Kenya, by the guardian.co.uk. There are good aerial views of the rose growing industry fields and greenhouses accompanied by many interviews. This serves as an example of multi-level problems faced by developing nations as a result of globalization.

Photo: New Jersey Tractor Mounted Corn Picker

Tractor Mounted Corn PickerPlowline Images of Rural New York
Photographic Negative. In the image, Sunny Hill is on a tractor with a mounted corn picker. The tractor is attached to a wagon. Written on the side of the corn picker is the manufacturer's name NEW IDEA. The machinery also has a warning on the side stating "KEEP HANDS AWAY FROM MOVING PARTS." Per Edward Garretson, Sunny Hill was hired

Update on the Condition of Japan's Agriculture Following the Tsunami

MINATO, Japan (March 18, 2011) An aerial view of Minato, Japan, a week after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated the area. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ethan Johnson/Released) [source: flickr]
~~~
The WSJ has reported "the United Nations indicated as many as 60,000 acres of agricultural land in several prefectures were damaged" due to the March 11, 2011 tsunami

Geographic Wheat Class Areas in the U.S.

As U.S. wheat production lags this year due to weather, let's look at the big picture of where and what types of wheat are produced here, as well as our changing global role in this commodity.
The United States is a major wheat-producing country, with output typically exceeded only by China, the European Union, and India.Wheat ranks third among U.S. field crops in both planted acreage and gross

The Cow Jumps Over the...

[source]

Rate of Increased Use of Genetically Engineered Soybeans, Cotton, and Corn in the U.S.

U.S. genetically engineered (GE) crop adoption has grown steadily since their introduction in 1996: Adoption of herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops, which carry genes that allow them to survive certain herbicides that previously would have destroyed the crop along with the targeted weeds, has been particularly rapid since they first became available to farmers in 1996.
HT soybeans expanded to 93

Reminder: This Blog's Tabs Feature

Readers,Please note that the tabs at top have ongoing updated information on: corn, soybeans, rice, wheat, climate change, food security, farmland values, and water issues as related to agriculture. Each tab has its own updated Google news thread to find the very latest on the respective subject. Also, every two months the corn, soybean, wheat, and rice 1-year and 5-year charts are updated and

TED Talk on the Next Farm Bill

This 14-minute TED talk is by Ken Cook, a founder of the Environmental Working Group, located in Washington D.C. He explains the current Farm bill and how the money is divided. This is informative for anyone who wants the basics on farm and food program spending, plus it includes conservation issues. He urges us to become proactive and make a difference in the outcome of the next bill.

Agricultural Data for Individual States

Select a State or the U.S. summary: (Data last updated on March 30, 2011)

Size and Costs of Beef Cow-Calf Production

Note that the following is a short excerpt from the recent USDA report, "The Diverse Structure and Organization of U.S. Beef Cow-Calf Farms":

The above graph illustrates the relationship between costs of production and size of operation for beef cow-calf operations using data from the 2008 ARMS. Operating, operating plus capital, and total economic costs per cow are highest among the smallest (

A Low Dollar is Good For Agricultural Trade

The depreciation of the U.S. dollar since 2002 has helped increase the real (adjusted for inflation) value of U.S. agricultural exports to record levels. A relatively low dollar means that U.S. exports are less expensive in foreign currency terms and helps make U.S. agricultural exports competitive in foreign markets. The recent depreciation of the euro implies some competition for agricultural

Meet Nutkin

The first time I spotted her was on a fencepost within 30 feet of the Denver-Boulder turnpike. I continued to see her in the same small area almost daily as I used that busy bike/walking path. Some days she'd be hunting mice between the turnpike and the fence, just a few feet from the turnpike. Sometimes she'd be back on her fencepost. Her "home" bordered a large, open grassy field known to be

Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome

Fusarium solani f.sp. glycine
(source: purdue)
Spores of the SDS-pathogen: Left-Numerous macrospores like these make the blue stain that’s visible on the outside of soybean roots with severe SDS. Right-Chlamydospores are long-lasting and can survive in soil and plant debris.

From the LATimes... ... Farmers call this "sudden death syndrome," a plant disease that has plagued the country's

Map: Number of Ethanol Refineries Per State

Ethanol refineries locate near feedstock sources: Corn is the feedstock for 97 percent of the ethanol produced in the United States, so refineries are heavily concentrated in the Corn Belt. Ethanol must be shipped long distances, usually by rail, to reach the major fuel markets on the east and west coasts. Refineries also locate near markets for coproducts such as distillers’ grains, which are

Photo: Pigs at Polyface Farm

Pigs at Polyface Farm in Virginia
photo: wikipedia

Does Your Small Farm Need a Jang Seeder?

The Jang Clean Seeder

The Jang Automation Co., Ltd., of South Korea, produces precision seed planters with a wide variety of sizes and options, appealing to the organic vegetable farmer or CSA provider. This is one of the best seeders on the market today.

In this video, a Pennsylvania Jang dealer shows the many options available when deciding which type of Jang seeder to purchase.



Carriage

TED: Restoring the Streams

In this 8-minute TED talk, Rob Harmon explains "How the market can keep streams flowing." With streams and rivers drying up because of over-usage, Rob Harmon has implemented a market mechanism to bring back the water. Farmers and beer companies find their fates intertwined in the intriguing century-old tale of Prickly Pear Creek in Montana.
(source: TED)

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review for April 1, 2011

~April 1, 2011~Compared to last week, wheat and soybean bids were higher with corn trading mixed. Grains had some struggles early in the week ahead of the Planting Intentions report. Soybeans saw early gains from renewed buying interest and continuing harvest delays in Brazil due to wet weather. Corn saw spillover support from soybeans and wheat. Wheat rallied on poor crop ratings for some areas

Obama's Pipe Dream: Cellulosic Ethanol

"Another substitute for oil that holds tremendous promise is renewable biofuels – not just ethanol, but biofuels made from things like switchgrass, wood chips, and biomass."---President Obama March 30, 2011

Let's look back and see how we did with our mandated cellulosic ethanol production last year. According to a January 2011 Reuters article, "Congress initially set 100 million gallons as the