July 23, 2020. American Biogas Council (ABC) director Bryan Sievers will testify in front of the House Committee on Agriculture on 23 July about the benefits of biogas for farmers as part of the ‘On-Farm Energy Production: Impacts on Farm Income and Rural Communities’ hearing.
An Iowa farmer, Sievers is the 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 programmes, including those in the Farm Bill’s rural development and energy programmes, plus the renewable fuel standard (RFS), support on-farm energy production and the growth of the biogas sector.
Leading up to the hearing, the ABC has worked for many years with the Senate and House Committee on Agriculture to “shape and fine-tune” the 2018 Farm Bill to support increase sustainability and resilience in agriculture, using biogas.
Patrick Serfass, executive director of the ABC, said: “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 the rural US.
“Since the subject of this hearing is ‘On-Farm Energy Production’, our testimony will focus on the value of reliable, baseload renewable energy production from biogas systems and how Congressional support for some programmes 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.”
Mike McCloskey, founder and chairman of Fair Oaks Farms, which received the ABC Project of the Year Award in 2016, will also testify.