I finally caught up to NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace today during the hospitality event for Illinois corn and soybean growers. Here’s Kenny signing autographs. I’ve been following some race car advocates for clean burning ethanol for a while but I think Kenny has them all beat. I wish I had recorded his remarks to the crowd of farmers gathered here …
Corn On Display At Chicagoland Speedway
I have now shifted my location and focus to Chicagoland Speedway. It’s set up and practice day for the Nationwide Series drivers. I’ll be meeting with Kenny Wallace who will be driving the Family Farmers car in his garage in a few minutes. Earlier today I stopped by the Illinois Corn Marketing Board display that is being set up in …
Illinois Corn Grower Advocates NASCAR Promotion
One of the Illinois corn growers who send his product into Marquis Energy is Jim Rapp, Princeton, pictured on the far right next to NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace and Jim’s sons, Nick and Ben. Jim says that the NASCAR promotional opportunity that the industry has become involved in proves that a fifteen percent blend of ethanol works. He’s a major …
Marquis Energy Feeding and Fueling Local Economy
One of the dignitaries attending the Marquis Energy Appreciation Day was Darin LaHood, Illinois Sen. 37th Dist., pictured (left) with NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace. Darin represents ten counties and agriculture is the number one industry. He says that the economic impact that ethanol makes on their communities is tremendous. He says that Marquis Energy talks about feeding and fueling the …
Marquis Energy and NASCAR
The President of Marquis Energy is Mark Marquis, seen here introducing NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace to the crowd attending yesterday’s event held at the Hennepin ethanol plant. I spoke with Mark and learned that Marquis Energy is a real family type business that he had built after growing up on a family farm in this area and branching out into …
Gearing Up For A NASCAR Weekend
Domestic Fuel goes NASCAR this weekend. I’ll start things off with the Nationwide Series STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday with support from the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. Then Cindy will pick up at the Sprint Cup Series STP 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday with support from the National Corn Growers Association. It is going to be fun. …
ICM Files for Corn Oil Separation Patent
ICM has announced the company has filed for a non-provisional patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and an international patent application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) with the U.S. as receiving office. The patent will cover ICM’s newest development to its Advanced Oil System, a corn oil extraction technology. Also filed was a petition to …
New Study Breaks Link Between Land Use, Biofuels
In a new study released today by Michigan State University (MSU), biofuel production in the United States through 2007, “probably has not induced any indirect land use change.” The report was conducted by Seungdo Kim and Bruce Dale, both MSU scientists, and the results will be published in the next issue of the Journal of Biomass and Bioenergy. ILUC is …
Record Corn Crop Forecast as Ethanol Exports Grow
Despite flooding of farm land and delayed planting in many areas, USDA is forecasting a record corn crop for this year. The World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate for May represents USDA’s initial assessment of U.S. and world crop supply and demand prospects. The report projects corn production for 2011/12 “at a record 13.5 billion bushels, up 1.1 billion from …
New Corn Oil Extraction Technology Increases Yield
Inedible corn oil is an emerging co-product for the ethanol industry. Today, about 1/3 of all ethanol plants in production are producing some type of inedible corn oil. However, many current technologies on the market don’t deliver high yields. This may change with the announcement from Ashland Hercules Water Technologies who has released a patent-pending corn oil extraction aid, PTV …