The Iowa Secretary of Agriculture candidates emphasized that Iowa has a “unique” chance to take hold of the biofuel market at a barbecue Saturday afternoon held by the Story County Democrats.

Brent Halling, Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and one of the candidates for the secretary position, said biofuels could be very profitable if Iowans take advantage of their resources.

“As the nation comes on board, Iowa is in a unique position,” Halling said.

“At the federal level, we’re starting to see a much bigger push to renewable fuels and mandating the use of biofuels.”

Halling said Iowa energy opportunities could be economically beneficial.

“The biofuels, the ethanol blend, have been less expensive,” he said.

Some examples of biofuels that Iowa may be interested in are biomass, which is made from grasses, ethanol and biodiesel.

Denise O’Brien, co-founder of the Women, Food and Agriculture network and a secretary candidate, said although ethanol has potential, there are also questions about its efficiency needing to be answered.

“We’re not having the savings – it’s costing us more to make it than it is to put it out there,” she said.

O’Brien said biomass is a better alternative at the moment because unlike ethanol, which is derived from corn, switch grass is a perennial plant, meaning it doesn’t have to be replanted every year.

Dusky Terry, an adviser on policy issues to Gov. Tom Vilsack, said Iowa needs to work to become a leader in biofuel production.

“We must make a firm commitment to biofuels,” he said. “There’s no reason we shouldn’t be producers of that here in Iowa.”

Terry also said the state needs to do a better job getting younger people to want to move to Iowa to farm.

“We need to invite young people to make their future in Iowa,” he said.

The candidates believe conservation is important to preserve Iowa’s resources.

Mike Blouin, former director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development and gubernatorial candidate, was also present at the event, advocating for better education. He said Iowa has made a promise to educate their children, but they are falling behind.

“It’s no surprise to any of you that we are in danger of breaking that promise,” he said. “It carries K through 12, it carries post-secondary. We need to refocus ourselves and make public education number one.”

A fourth candidate, Eddie Petersen, a Webster County supervisor, was scheduled to speak but was not present.