July 22, 2020 – WASHINGTON – Tomorrow, American Biogas Council (ABC) Director Bryan Sievers will testify in front of the House Committee on Agriculture about “On Farm Energy Production: Impacts on Farm Income and Rural Communities.” An Iowa farmer, Mr. Sievers is Owner and Operator of Sievers Family Farms and the award-winning AgriReNew biogas system which recycles beef cattle manure, corn stover, and local food processing waste into renewable electricity and soil products. His testimony includes the importance of how several federal programs, including those in the Farm Bill’s rural development and energy programs, plus the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), support on-farm energy production and growth of the biogas industry.
Leading up to this hearing, the ABC has worked for many years with both the Senate and House Committee on Agriculture to shape and fine tune the 2018 Farm Bill to support increased sustainability and resilience in agriculture using biogas systems. “We thank the House Agriculture Committee for the opportunity to not only share the important role biogas systems play on farms for renewable energy production, but also the environmental and economic opportunities they afford to protect our air, water and soil and create additional jobs and investment in rural America,” said Patrick Serfass, Executive Director of the ABC.
“Since the subject of this hearing is ‘On-Farm Energy Production,” Mr. Serfass continued, “our testimony will focus on the value of reliable, baseload renewable energy production from biogas systems and how Congressional support for some programs will encourage further deployment. On farm renewable energy production has played a critical role in helping farmers mitigate the storm of trade wars, bad weather and even COVID-19.”
In addition to Mr. Sievers’ testimony, the Committee has also invited Mike McCloskey, Founder and Chairman of Fair Oaks Farms to testify. Dr. McCloskey is an Indiana dairy farmer who has been responsible for the construction of multiple biogas systems on his farms which recycle dairy manure into renewable biogas and soil products. In 2016, the Fair Oaks’ biogas system received the ABC Project of the Year award for upgrading their biogas to renewable natural gas (RNG) to fuel their milk delivery trucks and reduce diesel use by 2 million gallons per year. Mr. Sievers’ AgriReNew biogas system received the ABC’s Project of the Year award in 2014 for recycling multiple agricultural and food processing feedstocks plus the export of renewable electricity and a variety of soil products.
To watch live:
On-Farm Energy Production: Impacts on Farm Income and Rural Communities
Date: Thursday, July 23, 2020
Time: 10:00 am ET
Online: https://youtu.be/Cm4B8j4gI80
Mr. Sievers is expected to be in the first panel of witnesses.
For a PDF of this release, click here.
About the American Biogas Council
The American Biogas Council is the only national trade association representing the entire biogas industry in the U.S. We represent over 200 companies in all parts of the biogas supply chain who are dedicated to maximizing the production and use of biogas from organic waste. Biogas systems protect our air, water and soil by recycling organic material, like food waste and manure, into renewable energy and soil products. Learn more online at www.AmericanBiogasCouncil.org, Twitter @ambiogascouncil, and LinkedIn.