CDFA Secretary Karen Ross joined former CDFA and USDA secretary Ann Veneman this week for a circular bioeconomy roundtable discussion with local government, civic and academic leaders at Modesto Junior College as well as other activities. The discussion focused on the Stanislaus 2030 Investment Blueprint and the Northern San Joaquin Valley BioEconomy, Agriculture & Manufacturing (BEAM) Initiative.
By definition, a circular bioeconomy utilizes renewable resources that are sustainably managed, recovered, and reused as much as possible. In agriculture, that includes converting organic byproducts from crops, food and beverage processing to products for commodity inputs, soil amendments, renewable energy, and other potentially useful bioproducts that create value.
At the meeting, the Almond Board of California presented an overview of its almond byproduct research and the development and exploration of market opportunities.
The discussion was followed by bioeconomy site visits to an Aemetis biofuel production facility and a site visit to a dairy digester project funded by a CDFA grant. The renewable natural gas generated at the dairy goes into a pipleline at the Aemetis site for treatment and distribution by a utility company.
The secretaries also visited Travaille and Phippen Company to learn more about almond hulling and shelling operations that creat reliable sources of biomass as a key driver of the region’s bioeconomy initiative.
“This is exactly what we need for the future,” said Secretary Ross. “This is about solving problems and finding productive solutions for our renewable resources, and about creating sustainable, community-inclusive economic growth and jobs support families in the rural communities of the Central Valley.”