American users of farm equipment help power the country by providing food and fuel.
Recently, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said his department had entered into a five-year agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration in an effort to develop new sources of jet fuel. The goal is to reduce the country's dependence on foreign sources of oil.
The plan involves creating airline fuel from crop and forest residues. The availability of these resources will be researched, as will their capacity for becoming a source of power for planes.
Vilsack's announcement about jet fuel was one of a number of biofuel initiatives unveiled by his department. He also said the USDA has published a final rule on its Biomass Crop Assistance Program, which gives farm equipment users payments for growing plants used as sources of energy.
"BCAP will help the nation's power, biobased product, and advanced biofuel industries produce energy from sustainable rural resources and create jobs that will stimulate rural economies across the nation," Vilsack said.
The USDA has a number of other environmental programs, including one that sets farmland aside for conservation.
USDA announces partnership with FAA
The FAA and USDA have entered into an agreement to help support biofuels for airplanes.