The latest word in biofuels is...slime.

    Algae, that slimy stuff on your farm pond, could be pickng up speed in the race for an economical alternative to fossil fuels. That's according to an article in The Economist, which you can read here http://www.economist.comsciencetechnologydisplaystory.cfm?story_id=14029874. Exxon Mobil, working through Synthetic Genomics in San Diego, Calif., has so far sunk $300 million into a pilot algae based biofuel project. And if the pilot is successful enough, the company has earmarked another $300 million for the project.
     Most biofuels now on the market are made either from corn, sugar cane or plant oils, such as soybean oil. Algae could do it better, Exxon believes, and in the process use the carbon dioxide from power generation utilies and other producers of greehouse gases.
     Synthetic Genomics is headed up by Craig Venter, a pioneering geneticist who led a privately financed version of the human genome project.
    Many algae produce oil, which they store in their bodies as a hedge against lean times. It is difficult to extract this stored oil. Venter is developing a strain of algae that excrete oil, which floats to the top of the culture medium. There could be a time in the next decade or so when Exxon just skims the oil off its algae tanks, puts it into a tanker truck and ships it to your tractor.

     Pretty on the outside, gorgeous on the inside. Our annual Dairy of Distinction supplement is included in the current edition of Lancaster Farming. More than a dozen family dairy farms are featured this year, and it's apparent from reading the articles that it takes more than a pretty face to earn the Dairy of Distinction honor. It also takes a family, lots of hard work, a good bookkeeper and great cows.

     Speaking of slime... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNIktyQcgRE