The 2011 Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop was a good one. Please scroll down through the posts to listen to the various speakers in addition to personal interviews with some of them.

Our moderator for the program was USB Bioproducts Development Director Mike Erker, seen here welcoming everyone when the program got started.

Please feel free to visit our workshop photo album The link is below.

Click here for: USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop Photo Album

One of the farmers attending the Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop was Lewis Bainbridge, South Dakota. Lewis is also involved in livestock production. I spoke with him following the conference to get his perspective on this United Soybean Board initiative.

Lewis says it’s very interesting to get to this point finally now that there is a biobased certification program. As a farmer he’s very encouraged since he says farmers often grow more than is needed and these programs provide a new market opportunity. He says the biobased market is huge and includes products he uses in his own home and work shop.

You can listen to my interview with Lewis here: Interview with Lewis Bainbridge

Click here for: USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop Photo Album

Providing an update on the USDA BioPreferred program at the Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop was Jeffrey Goodman, USDA Environmental Management Division Chief. The program has two main initiatives which are product labeling and federal procurement preference.

The purpose of the USDA Biopreferred program is to promote the increased purchase and use of biobased products. To the extent that the Biopreferred program achieves its purpose, the increased purchase of biobased products may be expected to reduce petroleum consumption, increase the use of renewable resources, better manage the carbon cycle, and, may contribute to reducing adverse environmental and health impacts. The program is also expected to promote economic development, creating new jobs and providing new markets for farm commodities.

You can listen to Jeffrey’s presentation here: Jeffrey Goodman - USDA Environmental Mgt. Div. Chief

Click here for: USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop Photo Album

One of our speakers at the Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop was Paula Brooks, Franklin County Ohio Commissioner (pictured on left with Dep. Ag Secretary Kathleen Merrigan). Paula says she learned a lot during her tour of the Nutek Green facility in which the workshop was held. She also talks about being part of the green government initiative.

Paula was introduced by South Dakota soybean farmer Lewis Bainbridge. I’ll have a personal interview with Lewis coming up in one of my next posts.

You can listen to Paula’s presentation here: Paula Brooks - Franklin County Ohio Commissioner

Click here for: USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop Photo Album

The final company to make a presentation during the Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop was NatureWorks LLC represented by Steve Davies, Director of Communications and Public Affairs.

He not only provides an overview of his company but answers these questions: What’s your biobased plastic product made in to? BioPreferred, what does it mean to NatureWorks and why do you care? How does the biobased value proposition resonate around the world? The main product is Ingeo, a biobased plastic and you’ll be amazed at how many products it’s being used in today.

NatureWorks LLC is one of the first companies to receive the new USDA BioPreferred Label on their products.

You can listen to Steve’s presentation here: Steve Davies - NatureWorks LLC

Click here for: USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop Photo Album

Participants at the Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop heard from Ohio’s Deputy Director of Agriculture, Rocky Black. He talks about the economic realities of the department’s budget but also how they’re working to increase economic growth in the state.

You can see what the department is doing in the area of bioproducts on their website.

Rocky was introduced by Ohio Corn and Wheat Association Leader and farmer, Gary Evans. You can listen to Rocky’s presentation here: Rocky Black - Ohio Deputy Director Of Agriculture

Click here for: USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop Photo Album

One of the companies attending the USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop was Universal Textile Technologies, represented by their Director of Marketing Doug Giles. He’s on the far right in this photo of a group of textile industry representatives posing with Deputy Ag Secretary Kathleen Merrigan.

In Doug’s presentation he talks about how the company uses soy to reduce the petrochemical content in its backing of carpet and synthetic turf. He also announced Project Yellowstone, a new recycling partnership that was forged with Universal Textile Technologies (UTT), Four Corners Recycling, CPE Inc. and the United Soybean Board (USB). The program will reduce and ensure the reuse of plastic bottles that go into landfills, protecting American jobs and helping Yellowstone National Park meet its recycling goals.

USB helped forge the partnership through its long-standing relationships with both UTT and Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone represents one of the first national parks to use biodiesel and is a nationally recognized trailblazer in the use of other biobased products as well as recycling.

UTT incorporates the use of recycled bottles to manufacture BioCel™ and EnviroCel™ environmentally friendly polyurethane backing systems for carpet and synthetic turf. Both BioCel and EnviroCel utilize recycled plastic bottles combined with naturally renewable soybean-based polyols, derived from U.S. soybeans.

You can listen to Doug’s presentation here: Doug Giles - Universal Textile Technologies

I also conducted a short interview with Doug. In both his presentation and the interview you’ll hear his excitement for working with the United Soybean Board on these projects and as a carpeting company he proudly proclaims that you can “Walk on Soy!”

You can listen to my interview with Doug here: Interview With Doug Giles

I also conducted an interview with John McIntosh, VP Sales, Signature Crypton Carpet (pictured 3rd from left). John was very involved in the Yellowstone Park project and describes in more detail how the program works and the new products they are selling as a result of it.

You can listen to my interview with John here: Interview With John McIntosh

Click here for: USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop Photo Album

Dave Rapaport is Director of Corporate Consciousness for Seventh Generation and was one of the presenters at the USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop. Dave provided an overview of the company and talked about their use of plant based materials in their products.

Seventh Generation is a leading company in the natural household and personal care products market. It is also one of the first companies to obtain the new USDA BioPreferred Label for some of their products.

Listen to Dave’s presentation here (mp3)

Click here for: USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop Photo Album

One of the farmer leaders attending the USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop was Dale Profit. Dale is a board member of both the USB and the Ohio Soybean Council. He handled the introduction of Deputy Ag Secretary Kathleen Merrigan at the event.

Dale is solidly behind the Soybean Checkoff investing money into research and with companies who are now producing products made with what they grow on the farm. He thinks that the whole area of new uses for soybeans is still in its infancy and there’s a lot of potential. He says, “We’ve just picked off the low hanging fruit. There’s a lot more ahead of us. It’s going to get more complicated as we go. It’s going to take additional dollars as we go. But, this is the future.”

You can listen to my interview with Dale here: Dale Profit - Soybean Farmer/USB Board Member

Click here for: USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop Photo Album

Our host for the USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop was Cathy Horton, Nutek Green, seen here (left) while conducting a tour of the facilities in Glenwillow, OH, with Deputy Ag Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. Following the tour Cathy was a presenter talking about the “bright biobased ideas” she has brought to the marketplace. In her presentation she talks about the importance of biobased products and shares some wonderful anecdotes. One that stands out is the development of a product called Gas Off. These are biodegradable heavy duty wipes that clean your hands, mowers, power tools and more. The idea was actually proposed by her son!

You can listen to Cathy’s remarks here: Cathy Horton - Nutek Green

Click here for: USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop Photo Album

During the Biobased Products Stakeholders’ Workshop today at Hoover, Inc., our featured speaker was Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan who announced the first 11 companies whose products have been certified to feature USDA’s new BioPreferred Label. “The USDA BioPreferred label assures the consumer that a product or package contains a verified amount of renewable biological ingredients.” You can hear her comments below as well as a short interview I conducted with her.

We also had soybean farmer representatives with us as well as representatives from a variety of companies that are now certified or working on it. I’ll be posting interviews with them later on. Companies receiving the certification include:

Nutek Green, a division of Hoover, Inc., (Glenwillow, Ohio); Seventh Generation (Burlington, Vermont); Betco Corp. (Toledo, Ohio); Clear Lam Packaging, Inc. (Elk Grove Village, Illinois); DuPont Corporation (Wilmington, Delaware); ElastiKote (Akron, Ohio); Green Earth Technologies (Celebration, Florida); National Industries for the Blind Agencies (Lighthouse for the Blind, St. Louis, Missouri and Travis Association for the Blind, Austin, Texas); NatureWorks LLC (Minnetonka, Minnesota); Rochester Midland Corporation (Rochester, New York); Bio-Lub Canada (Quebec, Canada).

Deputy Ag Secretary Merrigan told us, “When consumers see the BioPreferred label in a store, they’ll know that the product or its packaging is made from renewable plant, animal, marine or forestry materials.” She also told me how happy she was that this program will help our farmers since it will continue to open up and develop new markets for their commodities.

You can listen to or download her comments here: Dep. Ag Secretary Merrigan's Remarks

You can listen to or download my interview with her here: Interview with Dep. Ag Secretary Merrigan

You can find photos from the event here: USB Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop Photo Album

Today the United Soybean Board (USB) will convene a Biobased Stakeholders’ Workshop. The day will kick-off with Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan who will announce the first 11 companies to receive USDA’s Certified Biobased Product label including several soy products. Deputy Merrigan will then try-out some of these certified products.

Following this, USB Director Dale Profit will talk about what Biopreferred products mean for his farming operation and representatives from companies receiving the biobased label will discuss their newly certified products.

The event will bring together a broad array of biobased stakeholders from private industry and the government to examine how biobased products revitalize rural America.

During the day I will be posting photos and some interviews and audio from the event. Check back often to get all the updates.

Marty Ross grows soybeans as well as other crops and poultry at his family farm near Delmar, Del. Read Marty's full bio.

Have a question about biobased products? Ask a question.

Ford Motor Company recently announced it is expanding its use of biobased soy foam through nearly all of its vehicle lineup this year as part of an ongoing effort to use more renewable and recyclable materials.

Ford was the first automaker to demonstrate soy-based foams could be formulated to pass stringent requirements for automotive applications, pioneering its use in seats for the 2008 Ford Mustang and in headliners for the 2010 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner.

The United Soybean Board’s New Uses Committee has worked closely with companies like Ford in an effort to get soy-based technology commercialized.

Ford also has capitalized on its greener material technologies by licensing its soy-based foam to companies such as Deere & Company for agricultural applications.

Learn more about Ford’s use of soy foam and other renewable, recycled and recyclable materials at http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=32832

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s BioPreferredSM Program currently includes 42 BioPreferred Designated Items representing approximately 5,600 biobased products.

Click here to see a full, alphabetical listing of the designated items, along with definitions.

What are state and local governments doing to green their procurement programs?

Look no further than the state of Ohio where not only has the state government enacted the nation’s strongest state biobased preferential purchasing program, but also colleges, universities, cities and towns are getting in on the act.  A unique feature of the Ohio program is that it allows entities beyond the state government to participate including colleges and universities and local governments.

On June 22, Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee kicked off the university’s new Soy Toner Alliance, in which laser printers on campus will start using a new soy-based toner offered in remanufactured cartridges. By the end of June, three municipal governments, the cities of Grove City, Hilliard and Marysville, had enacted resolutions urging their various purchasing agents to participate in the state program.

Read more about what’s going on in Ohio.