The U.S. is combining its strengths in agriculture and manufacturing to develop new technology, such as biotechnology, and to grow our economy and jobs.
Grow It Here, Make It Here
The “Grow It Here, Make It Here” campaign is led by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture. According to Stabenow, “More than 3,000 companies in the U.S. either manufacture or distribute biobased products. This shift toward using bio-degradable and renewable materials grown on farms here in the U.S. displaces the need for foreign-based petroleum, and helps to create American jobs.”
Many states have already experienced growth in biobased manufacturing. For example, New York has more than 150 companies, Ohio has more than 135, and Minnesota and Pennsylvania have more than 120 each that manufacture biobased products. Likewise, more than 1,000 products have been certified by the USDA to carry the BioPreferred label. The BioPreferred label identifies the percentage of renewable biobased content in the product. Consequently, a recent report prepared for the USDA estimates biobased products will boost the U.S. economy by $775 million by 2017 and grow to $3 billion in annual economic activity by 2022.
Recently, 35 companies and organizations from 25 states had their work on display in Washington, D.C., and representatives of the companies explained how they use or incorporate biobased products into their business. Manufacturers present at the hearing included The Coca-Cola Company, Lear Corporation, Cargill Industrial Specialties, Cargill Inc., Novozymes North America Inc.,DuPont, Ultra Green, and Hankins, Inc. Scott Vitters, general manger of PlantBottle Innovation Platform for Coca-Cola, explained how the company is using renewable and recyclable biobased resources to develop bottles. Likewise, Coca-Cola is rethinking traditional approaches to innovation by sharing technology with competitors and broadening innovation by working with unique collaborators, such as SeaWorld, the Fort Motor Company and Heinz.
Access a recorded video of the hearing at the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition & Forestry website.
Farm Bill
Every five years, Congress passes a bundle of legislation, commonly called the “Farm Bill.” The 2014 Farm Bill was signed into law in February and included initiatives to help companies utilize agriculture resources to develop their manufacturing business and create jobs.
At the hearing, Stabenow addressed how the Farm Bill is uniting U.S. manufacturing and agriculture. Grow It Here, Make It Here is aimed to make Farm Bill energy programs more effective for U.S. companies. For instance, the campaign created a path to combine manufacturing products with homegrown renewable agriculture resources. As a result, the Farm Bill’s energy programs now support companies that make biobased products and renewable chemicals.
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