BioChar and the US Governement

At the recent 1st North American BioChar Conference at the University of Colorado, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack praised the entrepreneurs within the BioChar field calling them innovators who potentially could help fight climate change and even create new economic opportunities for farmers.

Vilsack gave the keynote address at the conference, which is the first major biochar gathering in the United States. Biochar, created when organic materials are pyrolyzed in a low-oxygen environment, is an environmentally friendly way to turn infertile earth into nutrient-rich soil. Vilsack gave the keynote address at the conference, which is the first major biochar gathering in the United States.

Said Vilsach, "The manufacturing of Biochar is the kind of innovations I think we`re going to see all over the country," Vilsack said, and went on to point out that "biomass, biofuels and carbon offsets represent other income-generating possibilities for farmers". "We`re seeing more interest in renewable energy on the farms," he said. Revitalizing rural America -- and making it possible to earn a good living through farming -- is a priority for his department, he said.

Although being the first of its kind in North America, the conference drew a lot of attention, and Mr. Vilsach's key role at the event certainly indicate the focus and attention that the Administration is putting on BioChar, being a source of green, renewable energy and enhanced agricultural output.