Partnership News
July 8, 2010
Our Mission:
Rural Partners is a member-driven forum that links individuals, businesses,
organizations and communities with public and private resources to
maximize the potential of rural Illinois.
Upcoming Events!
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July 10, 2010: Local Bioenergy: production and use of perennial energy grasses, Decatur, IL
July 12-14, 2010: Water in the World: Science, Society, & Scarcity, Minneapolis, MN
July 13, 2010: Building the Wind Supply Chain Workshop, Peoria, IL
July 21, 2010: National Rural Education Technology Summit, Washington, DC
July 26; August 3, 2010: Preserving Local Flavors: Jams & Jellies and Salsa, Quincy, Mt. Sterling, IL
August 9-12, 2010: Midwest Community Development Institute, Moline, IL
September 9-10, 2010: Economic Development in Underserved Communities, Kansas City, MO
September 30, 2010 – April 21, 2010: U of I Series of Local Government Tele-Institutes
November 9, 2010: Climate Change: Agricultural Solutions, Champaign, IL
National Rural Education Technology Summit – July 21, 2010 in
Washington, DC
PURPOSE: The U.S. Department of Education and the Smithsonian
Institution will convene experts in education and technology to share
innovative practices and effective models for improving teaching and
learning in rural schools. The presentations and discussions will focus on
how rural schools can use technology to overcome the challenges of
distance and isolation, while capitalizing on the positive opportunities in rural areas.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES: On Tuesday, July 20, the Smithsonian will offer behind-the-scenes
tours of its most popular museums and host a reception at the National Museum of Natural History.
Details on the tours and reception will be provided upon your registration.
Click here for more information. Due to meeting space constraints, attendance is limited to the first
170 registrants. Register!
Veterans Small Business Event
Hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration & The IL Department of
Employment Security
The event will allow veterans to obtain information on:
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Government Contracting
Business Financing and
Free Business Counseling:
 business start-up
 business expansion
 change-of-ownership
When and Where:
1. August 31st in Bloomington @ 207 East Hamilton Road
2. September 1st in Decatur @ 757 West Pershing Road
3. September 2nd in Springfield @ 1300 South Ninth
Times: 10:30 am until 1:30 pm
No registration necessary. For more information, contact Stephanie Schatz at 217-793-5020 Ext.
114 or [email protected].
University of Illinois Series of Local Government Tele-Institutes
Illinois communities are dealing with many changes and local government
officials are challenged with obtaining necessary information to make informed
decisions regarding policy and delivery of services. University of Illinois
Extension’s Local Government Information and Education Network is offering
eight Tele-Institute programs for local officials on legislative issues, economic
development, roles and responsibilities, and how to move forward with Census
data. The Tele-Institutes are broadcasted over a statewide audio-teleconferencing system to
Illinois county Extension offices. Local government leaders interested in participating in these
educational programs need to contact their local county Extension office for further information
and to register for the programs. List of Tele-Institutes offered 9/30/10 - 4/21/11.
Data Spotlight: How Many Utility Workers Are Retirement-Aged?
There’s concern over the potential workforce shortage in the utility industry
because of a rapidly aging workforce and increased demand for clean and
efficient energy sources. See how your state stacks up.
New USDA report on improved ethanol energy balance
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Energy Policy and New
Uses published a new report last week that demonstrates an improved
energy balance for corn ethanol. The 2008 Energy Balance for the CornEthanol Industry report surveyed corn growers and ethanol plants to
determine the net energy gain from converting corn to ethanol. The updated data from 2008 found
that ethanol production nets 2.3 British Thermal Units (BTU) of energy for every 1 BTU put into the
process. The improvement upon the previous estimate, a 1.76 to 1 ratio in 2004, is likely due to
increasing corn yields and refinements in ethanol technology. More >>>
Dane County, Wisconsin to turn food waste into electricity
Global engineering firm AECOM has been selected to develop one of the nation's first food waste-toelectricity systems in Dane County, Wisconsin.
Iowa State University to test fire biomass in coal boiler
Iowa State University is partnering with NextGen Biofuels Inc. on cofiring trials with coal, wood
chips and pellets to test feasibility of switching the school's coal-fired CHP plant to a biomass-coal
blend.
USDA releases roadmap for biofuel goals
Meeting biofuels goals set out in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) will be a massive
undertaking, according to the USDA in a report issued last week. Seeking to enhance biofuel
production models, identify challenges and opportunities, and help develop solutions to meeting
RFS2 goals for 2022, the USDA Biofuels Strategic Production Report provides a regional roadmap
for the biofuel industry. By leveraging regional resources and building an estimated 527 more
biorefineries, the nation could succeed in meeting RFS2 while providing a natural solution to its oil
dependence.
Rural Businesses Grow Faster Together - The Power of Clusters
The Daily Yonder reports that rural businesses grow bigger and faster when
they are closer together. Businesses are more efficient when they are clustered.
Workers generally earn more. Related business clusters can feed off each other.
Clusters are perhaps even more valuable to the economy in rural America than
in cities whose economies are more diversified. The raw numbers in rural America may be smaller
and clusters more difficult to identify, but the distinctive nature of rural economies can be tapped to
generate wealth. Read more.
Innovate Locally, Invest Regionally
by Rolf Nordstrom
Too often, Midwestern universities have spawned innovative
new technologies only to see them grow into businesses
someplace else. To reduce this "technology flight," states must
find ways to collaborate to create a regional investment
ecosystem that still spurs local innovation, but then helps those
innovations flourish here. That is the message from a high level
group of investors from seven Midwestern states and the
Canadian province of Manitoba who gathered late last month in
Columbus, OH. The meeting's purpose was to identify why so
much private investment flows to the coasts rather than the
Midwest, and what we collectively might do to better spur the new energy economy here. The
gathering was hosted by the Midwestern Governors Association and facilitated by staff from the
Great Plains Institute and Corporation for a Skilled Workforce. Although we in the Midwest are not
accustomed to thinking of ourselves as a region with a singular voice, brand or value proposition,
we could learn a lot from other regions of the country and world that have successfully done just
that.
For example, most states have some type of state-sponsored investment fund intended to spur
economic development and job growth in that state, such as Ohio's Third Frontier or Michigan's
NextEnergy initiatives. These are great efforts, but on some level also fundamentally at odds with
how the investment community operates. Investors want to know about -- and invest in -- the best
emerging technologies and companies across the whole region regardless of state borders. This
doesn't mean doing away with state-based initiatives to spur private investment, but it does mean a
change in mind-set, from purely state-centric to a more regional view. The experts who gathered in
Columbus last month offered potential solutions to this seeming paradox. As examples, Midwestern
states could:
1. Develop a unified message that would let investors know the whole region was going to do
what's necessary to become an attractive and hospitable place to grow new energy companies
and help legacy firms "pivot" into that sector.
2. Establish a regional investment "fund-of-funds" that could benefit businesses in any state and
new enterprises that span multiple states.
3. Work toward establishing investment-related public policies that are common across the whole
region (e.g., a common Angel tax credit).
4. Collaborate on winning competitive grants from federal agencies.
5. Work together to reform and harmonize university technology licensing policies, which are too
often commercially "unfriendly," and labor under a mixed mandate to both drive revenue for the
institution and spawn new businesses (which usually don't generate much revenue at first).
These ideas are only the tip of the iceberg, of course. Over the next year, these ideas and more will
coalesce into an action plan of recommendations to Midwestern governors. Please visit the
Midwestern Governors Association's website for updates.
Rural Co-op Development Grants
Available
On Friday, June 25, USDA announced the
availability of almost $8 million in competitive
grant funds through the Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program (RCDG). The RCDG
program is designed to improve the economic conditions in rural areas by funding the
establishment or operation of Coop Development Centers that can help start up, expand or improve
rural coops and mutually-owned businesses. Read more.
June ERS Reports: Opportunities & Constraints to Local and Alternative Production Systems
This June the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) published reports identifying the
opportunities and constraints facing both local food supply chains and grass-fed livestock
production systems. In response to the exploding demand for local foods the ERS published,
“Comparing the Size, Structure and Performance of Local and Mainstream Food Supply Chains.”
The report looks at the determinants of structure and size for local food supply chains and
compares the social, environmental and economic performance of local vs. mainstream supply
chains. Read more.
US Population Estimates Available
The US Census Bureau recently released population
estimates as of July 1, 2009, for the nation, each state, and the District of Columbia by age, sex, race
and Hispanic origin. The new estimates are not 2010 Census population counts. Rather, they are
based on 2000 Census data and updated by using administrative records to estimate components of
population change — namely births, deaths, and domestic and international migration. Annual
estimates for the 2000 to 2009 period are provided. The image below shows data for both the
nation and Illinois relating to median age rankings.
For the horizontal
axis:
1 – Total
2 – White
3 – Black or African
American
4 – American Indian
and Alaska Native
5 – Asian
6 – Native Hawaiian /
Pacific Islander
7 – Two or more races
8 – Not Hispanic
9 – Hispanic
10 – White Alone, Not
Hispanic
Click here to compare the population estimates of other US states.
A Business Plan for America's Energy Future
The American Energy Innovation Council has prepared a complete report on their
findings and recommendations. This report is available to download. From the
report, the graphs below show that US spending on R&D for energy lags behind
developed Asia and France, as well as its decline over the last 30 years.
Public spending on energy research
and development has been in decline
for 30 years, and is currently onequarter of its high point in 1979.
Among its major trading partners and
competitors, the United States spends the
smallest fraction of it GOP on energy
RD&D.
DOE study says algae commercialization still years off
While algae-based biofuels may provide very significant amounts of energy in the future, the
technology will require years of research before it becomes commercialized, according to the US
Department of Energy. The National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap, a DOE report unveiled
last week, provides a survey of current algae-based fuel production technology and stresses the
substantial amount of research that still needs to be done. Experts that contributed to the report
cited the need for biological study and genetic enhancement of algae strains before an optimized
production process can be formed. More >>>
U.S. Allocates up to $24 Million for Algae Biofuels Projects
The U.S. Department of Energy will award as much as $24 million in new grants to three research
projects aimed at commercializing biofuels derived from algae. The projects will be carried out by
three groups that include partners from academia, national laboratories and private companies,
according to a statement from the department. The Sustainable Algal Biofuels Consortium of Mesa,
Arizona, led by Arizona State University, will receive as much as $6 million to evaluate algal biofuels
as replacements for petroleum-based fuels. Research will investigate biochemical conversion of
algae to fuels and products, as well as chemistry properties of algal fuels and fuel intermediates.
The University of California, San Diego, will lead the Consortium for Algal Biofuels
Commercialization, which the Energy Department said will focus on developing algae as a “robust
biofuels feedstock.” The project will be supported by as much as $9 million in grant money. Cellana,
a joint venture formed in 2007 between Royal Dutch Shell Plc and HR BioPetroleum Inc., will lead a
third consortium based in Hawaii that will receive as much as $9 million. The group will research
large-scale production of fuels and feed from microalgae grown in seawater. Specifically, the
partners will work to integrate new algal harvesting techniques with pilot-scale “cultivation test
beds,” the department said. Researchers will also focus on developing marine microalgae to be used
as animal feed in the aquaculture industry.
Cleveland: The Garden City?
Cleveland, Ohio has pursued an aggressive policy of greening
its vacant and underused land. A program called Garden Boyz employs local youth to tend the
gardens, keeping the landscape vital and keeping the kids out of gangs. Policymakers, officials and
academics have been talking about the vacant land problem for years. So what’s different now? A
decade’s worth of programs, such as Ohio State University Extension’s Community Garden Program,
which has trained hundreds of urban farmers, are ratcheting up simultaneously with the need for a
response to the foreclosure and poverty crises.
Many powerful tools, collaborations and projects under the umbrella of how to make a shrinking
city more sustainable, are emerging. Cleveland is one of the only cities in the country to have
approved an urban garden zoning overlay, a response to local food advocates who wanted to
protect community gardens from being destroyed by developers. And last year advocates won a
battle for an ordinance allowing city residents to raise chickens, bees and even cows and goats in
their backyards. Last August, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson embraced sustainability at a summit
where 700 participants, from CEOs to high school students, created an agenda for rethinking land,
transportation and food as “an economic engine to empower a green city on a blue lake.” The city is
recognizing that its vacant land is not a source of shame, but a resource to tap.