Corn production for this year was cut by four percent in the latest forecast out this morning from USDA, a bigger drop than expected by the industry. Corn production is now forecast at 12.7 billion bushels, down 3 percent from last year’s record production of 13.1 billion bushels. Yields are now expected to average 155.8 bushels per acre, down 6.7 …
Politics of U.S. Energy Policy
The politics of U.S. Energy Policy was the luncheon topic at the Export Exchange 2010 DDGS conference. Our presenter was Sara Wyant, President, Agri-Pulse Communications. Her company is a diversified communications firm with offices in Washington, D.C., Little Rock, Arkansas, and Camdenton, Missouri. As a veteran farm policy reporter, she is well recognized on Capitol Hill as well as with …
RFA President: DDGS and Ethanol Markets Inextricably Linked
The President/CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association addressed the Export Exchange 2010 today and highlighted the importance of U.S. ethanol policy and expansion into foreign markets which is critical for the DDGS industry. You can read his full remarks here as well as listen to them below. In his remarks, Dinneen said, “As a nation, failure to continue the growth …
NCGA President Says DDGS Sales Conference Critical
One of the attendees I spoke with this morning at the Export Exchange 2010 conference is the President/CEO of the National Corn Growers Association, Rick Tolman. I asked Rick what he thought about the conference and its importance to the industry. Rick says it’s critically important and that the DDGS export market is one of the bright spots in the …
Challenges and Opportunities For DDGS Trade Growth
Our keynote speaker at the Export Exchange 2010 is Dr. Robert L. Thompson, Professor Emeritus from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he held the Gardner Endowed Chair in Agricultural Policy. He is a Senior Fellow of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and serves on the USDA-USTR Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade and the International Food and …
The Business of Grain Trade and DDGS
This morning the Export Exchange 2010 program got started in earnest with opening remarks from Tom Dorr, USGC President/CEO. He says we have nearly 500 attendees from 33 countries. The proceedings will be translated into 7 languages. Tom says that the opportunity to trade across borders helps to improve lives. That opportunity needs to be done in a transparent way …
Export Exhange Conference Kicks Off
The Export Exchange 2010 got off to an official and social start this evening with welcoming remarks from U.S. Grains Council President/CEO Tom Dorr (left) and Renewable Fuels Association President/CEO Bob Dinneen. The conference is focused on connecting international buyers of DDGS and coarse grains with the U.S. market. I don’t know what the attendance totals are here but we …
Bioheat Focus of National Biodiesel Board Webinar
The success of New York City’s 2 percent biodiesel requirement in heating oil … a mix known as bioheat … was recently touted during a webinar hosted by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB). City Councilman James F. Gennaro, who spearheaded the Big Apple’s bioheat mandate, explained that New York started with using biodiesel in its heavy duty truck fleets. That …
Ethanol Report With New RFA Chairman
The board for directors for the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) last week elected Chuck Woodside, General Manager of farmer-owned KAAPA Ethanol in Minden, Nebraska as the new chairman for the organization. The election was held at RFA’s Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, DC. Woodside succeeds Chris Standlee, Executive Vice President of Abengoa Bioenergy, who served for three one-year terms. Chuck …
DF Cast: Cal. Grants for Ethanol, Biodiesel Infrastructure
It’s an issue we’ve talked about before … plenty of ethanol and biodiesel and vehicles that can burn the green fuels but not enough infrastructure to support those cars’ and trucks’ needs. But a little help from the government is changing that in one of the largest concentrations of privately-owned vehicles … and incidently, one of the largest concentrations of …