Bioenergy offers farmers an alternative to petroleum-based energy sources, and new market opportunities for farm products. When biomass feedstocks are burned, fermented or reacted through an energy conversion process, they return some carbon dioxide and water and release the sun’s energy. Because plants have the capability to store and then release energy in this way, they act as a natural battery. This introduction to bioenergy offers a brief and non-technical overview of bioenergy feedstock production with discussion on how bioenergy is made.