MAES News
June 1, 2008
- MAES Scientist Discusses Food and Fuel with Renewable Fuels Commission
- MAES Scientist Edits Special Journal Issue on Biofuels
- MAES Forest Entomologist Goes Prime Time with EAB Awareness
- MAES Scientist Selected as 2008 Leopold Leadership Fellow
- Research Team Has High Asparagus Aspirations
- MSU Water Fellows Outline Water Quality Protection Needs to Joint House, Senate Committee
- New Faculty Member
The Michigan Renewable Fuels Commission (RFC) heard from an MAES expert on factors affecting the current food versus fuel debate at its May 13 meeting.
"Having both food and fuel are possible, but it hinges on the resolution of several critical issues such as continued global population growth and subsequent diet transformation, the capacity of the agribusiness sector to improve its productivity, water and land use, and carbon impact," said H. Christopher Peterson, MAES agricultural economics scientist, who holds the Homer Nowlin Chair of Consumer-Responsive Agriculture and serves as the director of the MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources. "The fact that Michigan has a Renewable Fuels Commission dedicated to tackling these tough issues offers tremendous opportunity."
At its meeting, the RFC outlined issues related to the expansion of biobased fuels, including the need to evaluate Michigan's supply and production chains to determine the long-term sustainability of biofuels.
"The production and supply inventory underscores the need to see where we've been and where we are in order to help pave the way for the future of biofuels in Michigan," said Don Koivisto, Michigan Department of Agriculture director and RFC chair. "Creating a baseline will help us evaluate the long-term sustainability of present and post-corn ethanol while utilizing our vast natural resources to advance other biofuel technologies such as cellulosic ethanol, which is made from non-food feedstocks."
At the meeting, Peterson presented information on biofuels' impacts on food prices. Ethanol production is only one of many factors contributing to higher food prices, he pointed out. Others include skyrocketing fuel costs (which increases the cost of transporting food), increased food demand due to population and income growth, worldwide weather conditions and dwindling carryover stocks of agricultural commodities.
Two of the most important factors affecting food prices are:
- The growing middle class in China and India. With more disposable income, this group is now able to afford to buy more protein-based foods, including meat and milk. Producing those foods is boosting demand for feed.
- The declining value of the U.S. dollar. The fluctuations in the value of the dollar create a twofold issue: increasing worldwide demand for U.S. exports while simultaneously making food and fuel imports more expensive. The United States now spends $1.4 billion a day on imported oil.
"At MSU, our research and development emphasis is on making renewable fuels from cellulose -- trees, stems and stalks that aren't food products," said Steve Pueppke, director of the MAES and MSU Office of Biobased Technologies and RFC member. "If the cellulose comes from crops that we're already growing, we can increase the amount of fuel we make from crop residues without affecting food prices any further. Developing a strong cellulosic biofuel industry also would allow the state to tap forestland -- land that isn't in the food system -- to make fuel."
The Renewable Fuels Commission, appointed by Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm, is charged with promoting the use of alternative fuels and vehicles, encouraging the production and use of biodiesel and ethanol products in the state, increasing the viability of Michigan's agribusiness industry and advancing alternative fuel research.
MAES Scientist Edits Special Journal Issue on Biofuels
Sustainably harnessing plant biomass for use as biofuels and other bioproducts is the focus of a special issue of The Plant Journal, co-edited by MAES biochemistry and molecular biology researcher Christoph
Benning.
The issue, published in May, features three articles written by MAES scientists and is available online.
"The special issue contains a series of reviews that describe the multiple biochemical processes that plants can or could use to convert their fixed carbon into fuels and other useful products," Benning explained. "Rather than advocate a specific process or compound, these invited peer-reviewed articles by leading plant biologists and biochemists focus on the scientific facts behind the production of plant biofuels such as ethanol or biodiesel, as well as other important chemicals that are often unique to plants."
Papers by MSU scientists in the special issue are:
- "Cell-wall carbohydrates and their modification as a resource for biofuels," by Markus Pauly, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and Ken Keegstra, MAES scientist and university distinguished professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and plant biology.
- "Plant triacylglycerols as feedstocks for the production of biofuels," by Tim Durrett, plant biology postdoctoral researcher; Benning; and John Ohlrogge, MAES scientist and university distinguished professor of plant biology.
- "Harnessing plant trichome biochemistry for the production of useful compounds," by Anthony Schilmiller, biochemistry and molecular biology post-doctoral researcher; Rob Last, MAES plant biology and biochemistry and molecular biology scientist; and Eran Pichersky, from the University of Michigan.
Pichersky also served as co-editor with Benning.
To go along with the special issue, The Plant Journal also produced a podcast with Benning, which is available online.
MAES Forest Entomologist Goes Prime Time with EAB Awareness
As the only forest entomologist on campus, MAES scientist Deb
McCullough is used to being the point person for all manner of insects that attack trees. So when the folks at The Weather Channel were looking for information on the emerald ash borer, McCullough was one of the first people they called.
McCullough, along with former graduate student Andrea Anulewicz, current graduate student Andrew Tluzcek and EAB communications manager Robin Usborne, are featured in the Forecast Earth show that will air on The Weather Channel at 5 p.m. June 7. Watch the segment online.
McCullough and her colleagues discuss what EAB is doing to communities, the research she and others are doing to combat the pest, and what the loss of ash trees will mean for Michigan and the United States.
"People are beginning to realizing that this pest could wipe out an entire species of tree in North America," McCullough says. "The ramifications of this are widespread. This was a good opportunity to get information out to the public, even in areas that currently are not infested."
Since its first identification near Detroit in 2002, the EAB has killed about 30 million ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone and cost municipalities, property owners, nursery operators and forest product industries tens of millions of dollars. The bug also has been found in Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ontario, and quarantines and fines have been imposed to prevent people from moving ash trees, logs or firewood out of infested areas.
MAES Scientist Selected as 2008 Leopold Leadership Fellow
MAES scientist Scott
Swinton, professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, is one of 19 environmental researchers from across North America selected as Leopold leadership fellows for 2008.
Pamela Matson, scientific director of the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program, said the members of the group were selected through a highly competitive process on the basis of their exceptional scientific qualifications, demonstrated leadership ability and strong interest in communicating science beyond traditional academic audiences.
Each of the fellows will participate in two weeklong intensive training seminars in June and September to learn to become stronger communicators with audiences outside of academia, including journalists and policymakers.
"Like many MSU professors, I've learned how to reach academic audiences via classroom teaching, journal article publications and conference presentations," Swinton said. "But making scientific learning accessible to the general public and to policymakers is a greater challenge."
Swinton's areas of research include environmental economics, ecosystem services, pest management, sustainable agriculture, natural capital and agricultural issues. He studies how farmers make management decisions about agricultural systems, and he has a special interest in how farmers' attitudes combine with price and policy incentives to influence their technology choices.
His current research with the National Science Foundation Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) agroecological site in Michigan focuses on management decisions to enhance the provision of ecosystem services from row-crop agriculture and explores farmers' awareness, attitudes and incentives to adopt low-input cropping practices.
"My work with MSU's Long-Term Ecological Research site at the Kellogg Biological Station has persuaded me that the greatest ecological challenge today is to create incentives for humans to make more ecologically sustainable choices," Swinton said. "I am an economist, and incentive design is central to what economists think about."
The Aldo Leopold Leadership Program, located at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University, was founded in 1998 to fill a gap in environmental decision making: getting the best scientific knowledge into the hands of government, nonprofit and business leaders to further the development of sustainable policies and practices. The program recognizes the fact that environmental scientists are increasingly called upon to explain their research, provide comments on public policy and give advice within the public sector and helps build their communication skills. The fellows also become part of a network of Leopold leadership alumni and program advisers who are leaders in conducting scientific outreach beyond traditional academic and scientific circles.
"Aldo Leopold was committed to science that informs policy and makes a difference. I look forward to learning more about how to do that," Swinton said. "The Leopold program draws from leading researchers with interests in ecology and associated policy. So, it looks like a promising chance to build the kind of professional ties that will enable both better research and research that makes a difference for society."
A list of 2008 fellows and more information about the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program are available online.
Research Team Has High Asparagus Aspirations
Michigan is a big player in the asparagus field, ranking second nationwide only to California in total planting -- about 12,000 acres, valued at more than $15 million.
That may be a lot, but it's 30 percent less than the 18,000 acres the state boasted in 1997.
After the first crop, asparagus farmers face declining yields over time because pathogens such as Fusarium and Phytophthora build up in asparagus fields.
To regain some lost asparagus yields, a team of MSU experts funded in part by Project GREEEN will explore ways to reduce soil disease and increase plant vigor by finding the best possible soil fumigants, fungicides, herbicides and planting methods.
"Because of the complexity of asparagus replant suppression, we have adopted a multidisciplinary approach to fighting the problem," said Mathieu Ngouajio, MAES horticulture researcher. "If nothing is done in the short term, the decline in asparagus acreage will likely continue as more and more growers are forced to abandon unproductive fields."
Others on the research team are Mary Hausbeck, MAES plant pathology scientist; Darryl Warncke, MAES crop and soil sciences researcher; Norm Myers, Oceana County Extension director; Bernard Zandstra, MAES horticulture scientists; John Bakker, executive director of the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board; and several farmers.
Through extensive research, the team hopes to find a fumigant that cleanses the soil of toxic diseases, a nutrient management program that strengthens asparagus plants' vigor, an appropriate herbicide to control weeds, disease-free planting methods to reduce the spread of disease and new cultivars with improved replant performance.
MSU Water Fellows Outline Water Quality Protection Needs to Joint House, Senate Committee
As residents of the Great Lakes state, Michigan citizens place a high value on the state's water resources, be it the surrounding Great Lakes, inland lakes and rivers, wetlands or groundwater. To protect these water resources, a report released by Michigan State University suggests that a better job needs to be done monitoring water quality to detect pathogens and protect public health.
The report, "Waterborne Pathogens: Where Michigan Stands Now and Recommendations for Our Future," was presented to a joint meeting of the Michigan House Committee on Great Lakes and Environment and the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Environment. The report summarizes the findings and recommendations of a group of Michigan water resource fellows, participants in a workshop series on waterborne pathogens offered by the MSU Center for Water Sciences.
The report recognizes the scientific advances made recently for detecting the many problems associated with pathogens in our waters and suggests that standard tests are inadequate, leaving critical questions unanswered and making remedies difficult. The report focuses on the need for more research and monitoring to learn the extent of Michigan's waterborne pathogen problems and to find solutions and make informed decisions on where to invest limited resources.
"The Michigan water fellows tackled pathogens that may be affecting the state's beaches, rivers, lakes, groundwaters and drinking waters," said Joan Rose, who holds the Homer Nowlin chair in water research at MSU and is affiliated with the MAES. "The fellows' recommendations were formulated to move Michigan into a leadership role in the Great Lakes region and nationally, as well as to protect public health and enhance economic development. Their recommendations would move the state toward development of technology tools and programs for monitoring E. coli, source tracking markers and pathogens, as well as establishing the effectiveness of water protection and restoration programs."
The five-workshop series, presented between February and May 2007, focused on five topics: basic information on waterborne pathogens, harmful algal blooms, microbial source tracking, transport of pathogens in the environment, and tools and techniques -- predictive models and rapid detection methods.
The water fellows program was initiated in 2005 with a seminar series on the role of science in shaping water policy. The waterborne pathogens workshops were designed to bring together nationally respected water scientists and individuals, or fellows, with a stake in the future of Michigan's water systems.
The group consisted of an executive steering committee and 35 water resource fellows selected to represent government, industry, agriculture, academia and environmental organizations, said Erin Dreelin, associate director of the Center for Water Sciences at MSU.
"Our abundant clean water resources -- already important to Michigan's economy in terms of recreation, tourism, industry and community growth -- will offer a tremendous competitive edge in the future," Rose said. "The recommendations in this report offer a plan for quickly bringing the state's water monitoring up to best-in-the-nation status to protect our water resources."
Among the group's recommendations:
- Develop a monitoring program for E. coli and other pathogens. The fellows recommend an improved statewide program that would use E. coli for larger scale monitoring and then use monitoring of actual pathogens in hot spots. Hot spots are areas where E. coli concentrations are high and/or problems with pathogens have been identified. The U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment Program could be used as a model for designing an ambient microbiological monitoring program.
- Create a monitoring fund. The fund would provide assistance to hot spot areas so that communities and watershed coalitions can cooperatively investigate pathogen sources, fate, transport, predictive models and potential control technologies at the watershed level.
- Develop a technology fund. The fund would provide financial resources for developing new methods for testing pathogens and rapid detection techniques. The fellows recommend that this fund be allocated in a way that also promotes high-tech jobs in the state. The 21st Century Job Fund could serve as a model program. The fund should focus on development of new technologies; partnerships among government, industry and academia; and promotion of Michigan as a leader in high-tech jobs. Michigan can be a leader for the country in developing monitoring and control technologies for water quality.
The report and a full list of participants are available online.
New Faculty Member
The MAES is pleased to welcome a new affiliated faculty member.
Richard Hula, professor and chairperson of the Department of Political Science, became affiliated with the MAES in May. His work will include development of a set of questions around the issue of brownfield redevelopment in Michigan. These questions will probe public awareness and attitudes toward contamination and redevelopment efforts in the state and will be included in the annual State of the State survey. Survey results will be used to assess current public perspectives and positions on the issue and will be compared with the results of a similar survey conducted five years ago.
Before coming to MSU in 1991, Hula taught at the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Maryland. His current research and teaching interests focus on urban politics and policy. He has projects exploring state/local environmental policy, the impact of faith-based organizations on social service delivery and state-level interventions into local policy arenas. Hula received his doctorate in from Northwestern University in 1975.
