Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack were keynote speakers at the 2012 United Soybean Board Biobased Products Stakeholders’ Workshop at the Ford Research and Innovation Center in Dearborn, Michigan this week to show their strong support for new products made from agricultural commodities.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” said Sen. Stabenow. “I don’t believe you have an economy unless you make things and grow things.”
She noted that soybeans are at the top of the list when it comes to developing biobased products. “There’s not a more exciting opportunity than focusing on soy,” Stabenow said. “It’s really extraordinary how we’re going to be able to focus on giving new markets to our farmers, get us off of foreign oil and create jobs, all at the same time.”
The senator made a few comments about the inability of Congress to get a new “farm bill” completed before leaving for August recess and talked about the bill that did get passed by the Senate. “We expanded the energy title beyond biofuels,” she said. “To be able to focus on our biobased marketing program and our biopreferred program.”
Listen to or download Sen. Stabenow’s remarks here: Sen. Debbie Stabenow
Secretary Vilsack spoke directly to the many students who attended the workshop and encouraged them to work in the field to develop new products. “This is an unlimited future that you have before you and you get to shape it,” he said.
Vilsack also talked about the lack of a “food, farm and jobs bill” out of Congress. “The risk that we run in delay is not just that we create uncertainty … it runs the risk of having this discussion wrapped into a much larger discussion … what are we going to do about the budget deficit,” he said. “Agriculture is already doing its part.”
Listen to or download Vilsack’s remarks here: Secy. Vilsack at USB Biobased Workshop
Lots more to come on this event – especially about how Ford is getting back to its roots in using soybased products to build vehicles in addition to running them. Cool stuff!
Check out the photo album below and the SoyBiobased.org website as well.
2012 USB Biobased Products Stakeholders Workshop Photos