Biomass South 2010: A New Horizon will be held October 14 and 15 at the University of Memphis in the Holiday Inn Conference Center and the FedEx Institute of Technology where over 200 attendees are projected drawing from over 20 states across the Southeastern Region.  Speakers will include State and Federal officials along with experts from Academia, Industry and the Financial Sector.

Exhibit spaces are SOLD OUT! Don’t miss our diverse group of exhibitors that include: Ceres, DOE Clean Applications Center, FutureFuel Chemical Company, National Farmers Union, RW Greenfields,  and more!

Biomass South Reception being held at the Smithsonian Rock N’ Soul Museum

Due to the generous sponsorships of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce, Battelle, and Mid-South Community College, the Biomass South 2010 reception on October 14th will be held at Memphis’ Smithsonian Rock N’ Soul Museum from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Don’t miss out! Register today!

Biomass South adds optional farm tour with Agricenter International

Agricenter International is a leader in agricultural field crop research. Through its work with agribusiness, University systems, and government and non-government organizations, Agricenter provides a professional forum for the unbiased development, evaluation, demonstration, education, and marketing of the latest and most advanced agricultural technologies and products.  The research farm includes projects for some of the largest agribusiness companies in the world for major commodity crops including corn, soybeans, rice, wheat and cotton. Agricenter is also helping lead the regional development of bioenergy crops through partnering with Memphis Bioworks Foundation and AgBioworks Regional Initiative. This had led to work with many crops including sunflowers, canola, biomass/sweet sorghum, energy beets, barley, and switchgrass. Since 2008, Agricenter has held an annual new crops field day showcasing the latest bioenergy crops to introduce farmers to these crops and contribute to a body of knowledge that will help grow the industry.

Keynote Speaker: Congressman Steve Cohen

Congressman Steve Cohen has confirmed as our October 15th morning Keynote Speaker. Congressman Cohen is a fourth-generation Memphian who has dedicated his life to public service. As a child, he was stricken with polio, but through hard work, he was able to beat this debilitating disease.  The challenges of living with polio as a youngster taught him early in life how to overcome obstacles through persistence and determination, values which would shape his career as a legislator.  Filing to run for office on the same day he first registered to vote, Congressman Cohen stepped onto the path that has defined his life and affected the lives of people in Memphis, across Tennessee and now across America throughout his career in national, state and local politics.

Upon election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006, Congressman Cohen immediately distinguished himself on the Hill for his thoughtful legislation and quick wit.   Speaker Nancy Pelosi even referred to him as the “conscience of the freshman class” in 2008.   In August of 2008, he was instrumental in passing a House resolution apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African Americans.  This historic legislation marked the first time the United States government has ever apologized for these past injustices.  He has remained a steadfast leader on issues of importance to the people of the 9th District, leading the policy debate on issues like infant mortality, universal health care, the economy, crime and criminal rehabilitation, transportation and infrastructure, and of course, education.

Press Release: Biomass South Attracting Wide Variety of Industry Pioneers and New Leaders in the Field of Biomass

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, September 30, 2010 – Biomass South 2010, presented by The Memphis Bioworks® Foundation’s AgBioworks™ Regional Initiative and the Southern Growth Policies Board, is proving to be the “must attend” event for entrepreneurs and pioneers in the field, and those who want to emulate them.  Biomass South is the premier event establishing the South’s leadership position in the critical transformation of the global economy from a fossil fuel economy to a bio-based renewable resource economy.

Among the impressive list of over 50 speakers are some of the major minds shaping the bioeconomy vision for the future. These include:

• John van Leeuwen, CEO of EcoSynthetix, Inc. of Lansing, Michigan and Burlington, Canada, will provide insight into how his successful biobased product company has evolved and their new product – EcoSphere® a biobased material that is an alternative to petroleum-based latex. It can broadly substitute for petroleum-based latex in diverse applications, such as paper and paperboard, architectural coatings, carpet backing, engineered wood products, insulation and roofing, cosmetics, textiles, nonwovens and drilling fluids. (www.ecosynthetix.com)

• Dave Jessen, CTO of Chromatin, Inc. of Chicago, Illinois which has emerged as a force in commodity agriculture through the licensing of its mini-chromosome technology, which simultaneously introduces multiple genetic traits into plants, reducing the time and cost typically required to develop novel crop products.  Recently the company moved into bioenergy and biomaterials through the acquisition of sorghum seed companies and the development of vertically integrated opportunities.(www.chromatininc.com)

• Tom Ballard, Director of the Partnerships Directorate for UT-Battelle, the managing contractor for Oak Ridge National Laboratory a leading organization that plays a key role in connecting commercialization ventures to the technology rich assets of ORNL, related to bioenergy and biobased products. ORNL has been deeply involved in the bioeconomy since the 1970s and is the home of DOE’s Bioenergy Science Center, as well as collaborations with University of Tennessee, Genera LLC., and DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol, LLC. (www.bioenergycenter.org)

Exhibit spaces are SOLD OUT!

You won’t want to miss our diverse group of exhibitors at Biomass South. They include:

AgBioworks

Arkansas State University

Ceres

Develop National Program

DOE Clean Energy Application Center

Future Fuel Chemical Co.

K. Gregg Consulting

Memphis Bioworks

Mississippi Technology Alliance – Strategic Biomass Solutions

National Farmers Union

RW Greenfields

Southeast Agriculture & Forestry Energy Resources Alliance

Tennessee Rural Development – USDA

United Sorghum Checkoff Program

Official Press Release: USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development to Keynote Biomass South

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, September 17, 2010 — Biomass South 2010, presented by The Memphis Bioworks® Foundation’s AgBioworks™ Regional Initiative and the Southern Growth Policies Board, is the premier event establishing the South’s leadership position in the critical transformation of the global economy from a fossil fuel economy to a bio-based renewable resource economy.  The conference will be held October 14 and 15 at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn Conference Center.

The basis of the bio-economy is the utilization of renewable biological raw materials called biomass – agricultural crops and forestry materials which can effectively harness solar energy – which can then serve as the building blocks to replace petroleum in many products such as biofuels, green chemicals, novel polymers, and many other materials.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager will deliver the keynote address on October 14.  Mr. Tonsager, who was appointed Under Secretary by President Obama, will be representing USDA’s strategy under Secretary Vilsack, who has been an outspoken proponent of biotechnology and advanced biofuels, focused on game changing ways to create opportunity for rural development.  Tonsager has more than 35 years of agricultural, business, cooperative and financial experience through his work as a farmer, businessman, and community, state and national leader.  The Rural Development division of the USDA has a network of 6,100 employees and 500 offices, a portfolio of business, housing, and infrastructure loans totaling $132 billion, and provides an estimated $20 billion annually to support economic and community development in rural America.

Under Secretary for Rural Development Confirmed as Keynote Speaker

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager will deliver the keynote address on October 14.  Mr. Tonsager, who was appointed Under Secretary by President Obama, will be representing USDA’s strategy under Secretary Vilsack, who has been an outspoken proponent of biotechnology and advanced biofuels, focused on game changing ways to create opportunity for rural development.  Tonsager has more than 35 years of agricultural, business, cooperative and financial experience through his work as a farmer, businessman, and community, state and national leader.  The Rural Development division of the USDA has a network of 6,100 employees and 500 offices, a portfolio of business, housing, and infrastructure loans totaling $132 billion, and provides an estimated $20 billion annually to support economic and community development in rural America.

Agenda Highlight – The Policy Environment

Public policy is an important aspect of how the bioeconomy will innovate and grow. This panel of experts will discuss (1) new research on how different biomass definitions affect the South’s bioenergy industrty; (2) what’s happening at the federal level in regards to climate legislation, energy standards, and agricultural programs; and (3) what federal regulations will help and hinder the development of new crops for the industry.

Expert speakers from North Carolina State University, National Farmers Union, and Los Alamos National Laboratory will present the most up-to-date research and legislative activity.

Agenda Highlight – New Horizons Panel

The New Horizons Panel features experts from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Southern Growth Policies Board, Memphis Bioworks Foundation, and Verdant Partners discussing  the opportunities for the South in the bioeconomy. They will discuss the need for innovation and investment and the opportunities for job growth and wealth creation.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the “Lab of the South,” a regional hub for innovation and scientific breakthrough. Southern Growth Policies Board is an economic development think tank focused on the area of science and technology as a means to job growth and wealth creation i. Memphis Bioworks Foundation through its AgBioworks program is dedicated to developing new agricultural technologies for a strong bioeconomy in the Mississippi Delta. And Verdant Partners brings expertise in the areas of finance, biotechnology, and field crops.

All of these organizations have unique perspective on where the biomass industry is headed and the opportunities for the South. You won’t want to miss it!

Only a few exhibit spaces left!

There are only a few exhibit spaces left for Biomass South 2010. To join exhibitors such as the DOE Clean Energy Application Center, National Farmers Union, Ceres, and USDA Rural Development, fill out the Exhibit Registration form today!