Description

Ethanol has a huge impact on agriculture in Wisconsin and the footprint it impacts on the markets and land leaves different farmers with different opinions. This webinar will include a dive into the effects of the ethanol industry on rural economies as well as the environmental implications of expanded corn production and ethanol manufacture and use.

Panelists include: 

Anne Steckel serves as a Senior Advisor for the National Farmers Union (NFU). Anne has over 20 years of Washington, D.C. experience, having worked on legislative, regulatory, advocacy, policy and political issues on and off Capitol Hill.

Anne has been advising NFU since 2017, where she helps craft policy and consults on political and regulatory issues in the renewable fuels space. In addition, she provides crucial advocacy in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill, the White House and the Administration.

Geoff Cooper, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). Collectively representing the majority of U.S. ethanol industry leaders and supporters, RFA is working to drive expanded demand for American-made renewable fuels and bio-products worldwide. Geoff has also focused on issues related to lifecycle analysis, sustainability and ethanol co-products. Prior to joining RFA, he served as Director of Ethanol Programs for the National Corn Growers Association, where he led research and promotional efforts to increase the production and use of corn-based ethanol. Cooper earlier served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, specializing in bulk petroleum supply and logistics. 

Tyler Lark is a scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), where he leads research on U.S. agricultural land use and its interactions with our nation’s land and water resources. He grew up in rural WI, worked on his neighbor's dairy farm, and got to experience the intersection of agriculture and conservation on a daily basis.  Today he continues to explore these themes while studying our nation's farmland and its relationship to food and bioenergy production.

Tyler will discuss some of the potential land use, environmental, and policy considerations surrounding ethanol.

Andrew Stevens is an Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research focuses on economic decision-making throughout the food supply chain from agricultural production to consumer demand. He is particularly interested in studying US agricultural production and applying modern econometric techniques to big data. By better understanding how individual producers and consumers make decisions, Dr. Stevens hopes to support producers, address market failures, and inform evidence-based policymaking.

Andrew Stevens will provide an overview of the economics of ethanol, highlighting key implications for the agricultural sector. His presentation will focus on federal policy, the impact of ethanol demand on corn prices, and the impacts of ethanol demand on land use.