KEY MEMBERSHIPS
- Farm Foundation Round Table Member
- University of Minnesota Bio Products Bio Engineering Advisory Council Member
- Evangelical Environment Network Board Member
- E-2 Environmental Entrepreneurs Advisor
- Badger State Ethanol Board Member
- American Coalition for Ethanol Board Member
- STEM-Fuse Board member
- Cap CO2 Solutions Consultant
- Our Farms Advisor
ENERGY FARMERS
The farm community has long been suppressed with low commodity prices and overproduction. The transition to renewable energy became an opportunity, and farmers, being doers, took action. Farmers committed cash and commodities to build, own, and operate their own bio-facilities. Today over half (104) of bio-fuel facilities are owned or started by farmers.
Once farmers realized the opportunity and need for new sustainable products, innovation kicked in. The examples are numerous and dramatic:
- CO2 to Green Methanol (Cap CO2 Solutions)
- Corn to Fuel Ethanol
- Soybeans to Bio Diesel
- Fats and Waste Cooking Oil to Renewable Diesel
- Multiple Crops to Sustainable Aviation Fuels (GEVO)
- Wind Farms
- Solar Farms
- Carbon Farming (Carbon Co-op 2.0)
- Inland Aquaculture (trū Shrimp)
- Bio Products
- Bio Plastics
- Agri-Tourism
- Education (STEM-Fuse)
It seems odd to see these two words together. However, farmers learned early on that investing in projects that address environmental issues can lead to long-term economic benefits.
Agriculture and rural America is often overlooked as a solution to environmental concerns. Through the mindset of environmental capitalism, we see agriculture’s role on the climate shifting from a problem to a solution. Starting in the early 2000s with the ethanol boom. Since then, it has evolved into climate smart farming, regenerative agriculture, renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), wind farming, solar energy, renewable natural gas and more.
The chart below shows the increase in equity for U.S. farms over 60 years. Note most of the increase came in the last 20 years when farmers began seeing the benefits from the solution of energy farming.
Farmers like individuality, but by working together they can dramatically increase profitability of their operations. Many of the biofuel facilities are jointly owned by several hundred farmers. Many farmers have investments in multiple facilities. Farmers have and grow feed stacks that are the base of many products. New companies have unique technology but limited amount of feedstock. This is a natural collaboration which is beginning to take place. Traceability, sustainability, blockchain, and etc. are all buzzwords that start with the Energy Farmers.