News Release
For Immediate Release — October 28, 2010
UT Policy Analysis Advocates Linking Climate Policies
to Existing Bioenergy Policies
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A new study conducted by the University of Tennessee’s Agricultural Policy Analysis Center finds that U.S. farmers would win if the federal government were to link goals associated with the Renewable Fuels Standard with emerging cap-and-trade legislation expected to govern carbon offsets.
The Renewable Fuel Standard requires the U.S. to produce 36 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022. Most of the additional ethanol has to be cellulosic, made from woody materials such as switchgrass, corn and wheat residues, and that represents an opportunity for the nation’s farmers, particularly if incentives to farmers become part of emerging cap-and-trade legislation governing carbon emissions.
Assistant Professor Dr. Chad Hellwinckel analyzed the two policies with an emphasis on carbon offsets for herbaceous grasses, such as switchgrass, and conservation tillage. Herbaceous grasses can increase carbon in the soil through the growth of deep roots, and conservation tillage can increase soil carbon by leaving a base amount of these crop’s residues in farmers’ fields. UT has served as a global leader in research and education on conservation tillage, such as no-till.
Hellwinckel’s study identified areas of the two policies that could act synergistically to ensure that climate goals are met and the economy of the agricultural sector is protected, by offering offset payments to herbaceous grass production and conservation tillage, and by restricting residue removal in order to keep soil carbon from declining. Such synergistic policies would simultaneously accomplish reductions in carbon emissions, meet ethanol requirements and increase agricultural net returns. Hellwinckel’s analysis is featured in the current special issue of Global Change Biology Bioenergy, a bimonthly journal that focuses on the biological sciences and the production of fuels directly from plants, algae and waste.
“The results of our study indicate that a change is needed in the standard policy toward meeting the Renewable Fuel Standard by acknowledging that we cannot increase the emissions from our agricultural soils if we want to mesh well with carbon legislation. It’s best if these policies operate in such a way that they would not conflict with each other. To do that we modeled a limit on the amount of crop residues farmers can move off of agricultural land, while paying farmers for any increases in soil carbon that occurs on their land.
“Farmers have been really skeptical of climate change legislation, yet it can be a great benefit to them if it is done the right way. What our study found is that the most beneficial way is to offer incentives to herbaceous grass production, conservation tillage and to restrict residues in corn and wheat moving off farmers’ fields. This form of policy interaction can be a great benefit to farmers even if they’re not receiving carbon offset payments for their practices through increased market prices.”
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Dr. Hellwinckel holds expertise in soils and climate change and bioenergy and regenerative agriculture analysis. The UT Agricultural Policy Analysis Center is operated by UT AgResearch, a unit of UT’s Institute of Agriculture. APAC examines policies, regulations and conditions that affect how farmers operate their businesses and how the agricultural sector performs.
UT AgResearch has offices and labs on the campus of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture in Knoxville, Tenn., and also operates 10 outdoor laboratories across the state. In addition to its agricultural research programs, the Institute of Agriculture also provides instruction and public service through the UT College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine and UT Extension offices in every county in the state. UT Extension, in cooperation with Tennessee State University, brings research-based information about agriculture, family and consumer sciences, 4-H youth development and resource development to the people of Tennessee where they live and work.
For more information on the Global Change Biology Bioenergy journal, visit its website at
http://www.gcbbioenergy.org.
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Contacts:
Dr. Chad Hellwinckel, 865-974-5006, chellwin@utk.edu
Margot Emery, UTIA Marketing and Communications, 865-974-7141, memery@tennessee.edu