Department of Energy to Provide $68 Million for Bioenergy Crop Research

Jul 29, 2020

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $68 million in funding over five years for basic research aimed at making bioenergy feedstock crops more productive and resilient.

“One key requirement for sustainable bioenergy production is feedstock crops that can be grown on marginal lands that are not traditionally suitable for growing food,” said Dr. Chris Fall, Director of DOE’s Office of Science. “This research will help us understand the molecular mechanisms that lead to crops with greater productivity and survivability in stressful environments.”

The research will cover several common bioenergy feedstocks, including sorghum, pennycress, and poplar, among others. The focus will be on the complex interactions among crops, soil, and soil microbes that impact productivity and stress resistance. The research will combine controlled field studies with computational modeling.

Projects were chosen by competitive peer review under a DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement for Systems Biology Research to Advance Sustainable Bioenergy Crop Development, sponsored by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) within DOE’s Office of Science.

Total funding is $68 million for projects lasting five years in duration, with $13 million in Fiscal Year 2020 dollars and outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations. A list of projects can be found on the BER homepage under the heading, “What’s New.”

Source : energy.gov

Video: What is Anhydrous Ammonia and Why Do We Use It?

Border View Farms is a mid-sized family farm that sits on the Ohio-Michigan border. My name is Nathan. I make and edit all of the videos posted here. I farm with my dad, Mark and uncle, Phil. Our part-time employee, Brock, also helps with the filming. 1980 was our first year in Waldron where our main farm is now. Since then we have grown the operation from just a couple hundred acres to over 3,000. Watch my 500th video for a history of our farm I filmed with my dad.

I started making these videos in the fall of 2019 as a way to help show what I do on a daily basis as a farmer. Agriculture is different from any other industry and I believe the more people that are showing their small piece of agriculture, helps to build our story. We face unique challenges and stressful situations but have some of the most rewarding payoffs in the end. I get to spend everyday doing what I love, raising my kids on the farm, and trying to push our farm to be better every year. I hope that I can address questions or concerns that you might have about farms and agriculture.