For immediate release

2/26/01  
                   
Contact:  Rich Dana
                 319-685-4270
                 319-321-0667 (cell)
                 <[log in to unmask]>
 
Press Release
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Renewable Energy: A New Cash Crop For Iowa

Renewable energy technology is offering the world new alternatives to
reliance on fossil fuels, while providing Iowa¹s farmers with new economic
opportunities. An informational meeting to discuss renewable energy and its
relationship to agriculture will be held in Fairfield on Saturday, March
10th at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds at 10 a.m.

With the California energy crisis and low commodity prices making national
news, Iowans are becoming aware of our state¹s vast potential for producing
a new crop: electric power.  On March 10th, the Iowa SEED Coalition
(Sustainable Energy for Economic Development) will hold the first of a
series of statewide meetings to discuss the economic potential of renewable
energy as well as the obstacles to the development of these new "crops" in
Fairfield.

Farmers in the northwest part of the state are discovering new economic
possibilities with the development of new "wind farms" - electric generating
facilities constructed by developers on private lands.  Lease agreements are
paying farmers an average of $2000 annually per wind turbine, which takes
only 1/4 acre out of production.

In the Southern part of the state where wind resources are less viable,
farmers are getting involved in the production of switchgrass, a hearty
native perennial plant that  provides an excellent clean burning alternative
to fossil fuels. Switchgrass can be co-fired in older coal plants to
decrease CO2 emissions, while reducing Iowa¹s dependence on outside fuel
sources.

Speakers at the Fairfield event will include John Sellers, a farmer and
field coordinator for the Chariton Valley Switchgrass Project, Ed Woolsey, a
member of the Board of directors of I-Renew (The Iowa Renewable Energy
Association) and Prof. David Osterberg, former Iowa legislator and renewable
energy advocate . Displays and information will also be available from
sponsor organizations including:

Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources
The Iowa Energy Center
The Iowa Farmers Union
The Iowa Renewable Energy Association (I-Renew)
The Iowa SEED Coalition
Iowa State University Extension
The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
The Wallace Foundation for Rural Research and Development
The Wallace House Foundation
The Union of Concerned Scientists

FOR MORE INFORMATION: call Rich Dana at (319) 685-4270 or visit:
http://www.geocities.com/energyfarming/meeting_schedule.html
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Iowa SEED Coalition Member Organizations:

The Iowa Citizen Action Network
The Union of Concerned Scientists
The Iowa Renewable Energy Association (I-Renew)
The Izaak Walton League
The Center for Energy and Environmental Education
 Iowa Farmers Union
Earth Care
Iowa Environmental Policy Project
The Iowa Coalition for the Housing and Homeless
The Iowa Community Action Associations
The Social Concerns/Rural Life Department Diocese of
Sioux City, Catholic Charities
The Iowa Environmental Council
The Iowa Family Farm Coalition
the Student Environmental Action Coalition at UNI
Environmental Action Group at Grinnell College
Drake Environmental Action League

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