A new study released this week makes a good case for allowing up to 15 percent ethanol in all vehicles, to avoid having different standards for older cars. The ethanol industry is hoping it will help the Environmental Protection Agency rule favorably on the request to grant a waiver allowing E15 that was requested nearly two years ago. “Indications are …
Corn Farmers Working to Keep Americans Safe
Last Saturday, most Americans took a moment to remember those lost on 9-11. I was at the Iowa versus Iowa State football game when more than 70,000 fans spent a moment in silence to honor those who died. During this time I reflected on things that our country can do to keep Americans safe and one such action is to …
Record Corn Crop Means More for Food & Fuel
The crop report was released last week and the USDA is predicting a record harvest – even after accounting for excessive rain in areas of the Midwest. This is promising news as there will be even more corn available for food and fuel. It is interesting to note that prior to ethanol, the excess corn produced had no home. Today, …
Ethanol Co-Product Exports Climbing
Distillers grains exports are hitting new highs. Exports of the ethanol co-product distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) hit a new record in July of 886,300 metric tons – which is more than was exported in the entire year in 2004. Total exports this year so far are 4.95 million metric tons, getting close to the total last year of …
Iowa Corn Fed Game Day Highlights Food and Fuel
Did you know that Iowa is leading the way in both corn production and ethanol production but corn is not only used for ethanol? It is also an ingredient in more than 4,000 products including toothpaste, pizza, tires, drywall, bubblegum and more. The Iowa Corn Growers realized that many people don’t know this so they have developed a consumer promotion …
Ethanol Co-Product Hitting “Feed Wall”
We hear a lot about the blend wall for ethanol in the United States market, but there’s also a wall that the ethanol co-product Dried Distillers Grains (DDGS) in hitting with the livestock industry. “We’ve already run into a feed wall,” says Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “While domestic markets for DDGS continue to expand, quite …
Access, Policy & Predictability Needed for Ethanol
“The 50th Anniversary of OPEC made our nation and others dependent on a few countries for oil – many that don’t have our best interest at heart,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy during a press conference at the Farm Progress Show currently being held in Boone, Iowa. OPEC was formed on September 14, 1960 and today, America’s dependence …
Charles Bronson “It’s Going to Work”
“I think people are going to catch on. That this thing is real and it going to work,” said Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles A. Bronson during an interview about Farm to Fuel. One of Bronson’s long-term goals has been to turn Florida into an alternative energy leader in areas such as biofuels. This year marked the fifth …
DF Cast: Getting Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles
With the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf being rolled out this fall across the country … and the more pricey Tesla Roadster already making its electric vehicle debut … the next concern is where to charge these electric vehicles. While most folks will have or will be getting the capability to do it at home, the lack of infrastructure for …
Process Optimization Seminar Sold Out
The third Process Optimization Seminar, coming up September 1-2 in Kansas City, is sold out. The interactive seminar focused on increasing ethanol plant process efficiency and profitability is sponsored Fremont Industries, Fermentis, Novozymes and Phibro Ethanol Performance Group. They have already held two successful workshops in Minneapolis last year and Indianapolis earlier this year and they will be announcing more …