Our new challenge, opportunity, and responsibility, is energy. The USDA is determined to apply the talent and technology of agriculture to bioenergy, and others should make a point of directing their energies to support this. The road forward toward our energy future is Science and Education. This is how we can move beyond a petroleum economy to make oil dependence a thing of the past, and safeguard our environment for future generations. The USDA has started the process of getting researchers together for a large, long-term cooperative effort. We all must take actions to make sure lab results get moved toward the market, with technology transfer partnerships with industry or university spin-off startups