Spurred by oil prices hovering near $100 a barrel and a clean energy industry hitting unprecedented growth levels, the eighth annual Harvesting Clean Energy Conference in Portland reached record attendance levels before its Monday morning opening.

Over 630 farmers, ranchers, energy developers, venture capitalists, energy entrepreneurs, utility officials, and government leaders from throughout the Northwest have registered for the conference, held this year at the Red Lion on the River, Jantzen Beach, in Portland. That beats the previous high water mark for attendance set at last year’s conference in Boise, which drew 600 people.

The Harvesting Clean Energy Conference brings agriculture and clean energy producers to advance rural economic development through wind and solar power, biofuels, biogas and other clean energy technologies. It is the Northwest’s largest annual conference focused on energy production in agriculture, and one of the largest ag-energy conferences in the nation.

“From Silicon Valley and Wall Street to Eastern Oregon and Washington, investors and farmers are recognizing that clean energy is now a hugely attractive investment and profit opportunity,” said Rhys Roth, Director of Clean Energy Programs and Chair of the Conference.  “There’s a genuine gold rush in agricultural and rural communities, where investors and land owners are already experiencing significant revenue and job growth in wind power and bioenergy.”

The Conference kicked into high gear Monday morning with a welcome message from Barry Bushue of the Oregon Farm Bureau  followed by a keynote from California Energy Commission member John Geesman and plenary panel on rural economic opportunities in clean energy featuring Oregon Agriculture Department Director Katy Coba and David Chen, a leading Northwest venture capitalist and chair of the Oregon Innovation Council.