Memphis, Tennessee - October 14-15, 2010

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

SAFER Alliance — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 10:47:52 +0000

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

SAFER Alliance — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 20:47:07 +0000

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.

The Biomass South 2010 tour will originate at the farm shop (directions will be provided) and attendees will see multiple parts of the research farm and hear about the projects that are underway. Crops that will be discussed include: biomass sorghum, sweet sorghum, switchgrass, and energy beets.

For more information contact: Bruce Kirksey, Director of Research, Agricenter International, (901) 355-9124, bkirksey@agricenter.org.

Keynote Speaker: Congressman Steve Cohen

SAFER Alliance — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 07:45:32 +0000

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

SAFER Alliance — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 13:35:03 +0000

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)

Dallas Tonsager, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Rural Development, will deliver the keynote address on the first day of the conference being held October 14 and 15 at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn Conference Center.

Other participating companies including: Buckeye Technologies, PMC Biogenix, FutureFuel Chemical Company, Arborgen, Ceres, AmeriFuels, National Farmers Union, ShowMe Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association and many more.

The interest in, the research on, the entrepreneurship about and the business of Biomass and the Bioeconomy have never been more important to the economy of the South. For more information on Biomass South, and to register, please visit www.biomasssouth2010.wordpress.com.

About AgBioworks:

AgBioworks™ is a non-profit regional initiative founded by Memphis Bioworks Foundation and BioDimensions dedicated to reducing the barriers to introducing new agricultural crops, farmer-owned processing, and new technologies which will result in a strong bioeconomy in the Mississippi Delta. AgBioworks has three regional offices co-located at the Regional Business Innovation Center at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky; Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce in Sikeston, Missouri, and at the Memphis Bioworks Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee. AgBioworks is also partnering with strong organizations in other states across the region. Memphis Bioworks Foundation is a non-profit organization leading the collaboration between public, private, academic and government entities to accelerate the growth of the biosciences in the Memphis region. For more information, visit www.agbioworks.org and www.memphisbioworks.org.

About Southern Growth Policies Board:

Southern Growth Policies Board is a non-partisan public policy think tank based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Formed by the region’s governors in 1971, Southern Growth Policies Board develops and advances visionary economic development policies by providing a forum for partnership and dialog among a diverse cross-section of the region’s governors, legislators, business and academic leaders and the economic- and community-development sectors. This unique public-private partnership is devoted to strengthening the South’s economy and creating the highest possible quality of life. For more information, visit www.southerngrowth.com.

Exhibit spaces are SOLD OUT!

SAFER Alliance — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:27:09 +0000

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