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More than 150 people attended the Ohio/Michigan Biofuels Conference in Perrysburg in mid-December. The meeting was such a success that planners are working on making it an annual event.

The purpose of the conference was to offer a forum for government, industry and agricultural producers to exchange information on the potential of developing biofuel production facilities in Ohio and Michigan, according to Mike Pullins, OFBF vice president of business services. OFBF was one of the conference sponsors.

The meeting was presented by BBI International, a biofuels consulting firm based in Colorado.

"We had candid presentations of the opportunities and challenges the biofuels industry faces in the future," Pullins said. Those presentations were overall optimistic, but "the challenges weren’t glowed over either."

Discussions during the day-long program included what role is played by agriculture, transportation, government and related industries that support biofuels such as soydiesel, ethanol and other fuels made from biomass resources like farm products.

Pullins said a concensus that attendees came to was that biofuels do have a future in the energy market in Ohio and Michigan.

"There’s a lot more happening out there than people within the industry were even aware of," he said. "The opportunities are there, but it’s going to take some more work."

He added that Ohio and Michigan are in a unique position. The raw product won’t be as plentiful as in other Midwestern states like Iowa or Illinois, but "there is great possibility for us to look for niche markets that might work," Pullins said.

"We are huge users of biofuels, particularly ethanol, and there are a number of companies and organizations looking at projects that are in their infancy stages that hopefully will work."

He added farmers are especially interested in biofuel production as they can benefit on both ends of the market as producers of raw materials and users of the end product.

But a lot of work still needs to be done, he said.

"This conference was very helpful and valuable in getting all of these entities together," Pullins said. "The discussion fosters greater networking and interaction as a follow-up to the conference to help move things ahead."

The conference was sponsored by Ohio Corn Growers, Corn Marketing Program of Michigan, Ohio Soybean Council, Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, Ohio Farm Bureau, Michigan Farm Bureau, Ohio State University Extension, Michigan State University Extension, Archer Daniels Midland, World Energy Alternatives, Delta-T Corporation, Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, Toledo Regional Growth Partnership, Zeeland Farm Soya and American Coalition for Ethanol.