A new report from the Iowa State University Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) revisits history to look at the impact of ethanol and ethanol subsidies on corn prices. The analysis by Bruce Babcock and Jacinto Fabiosa uses a computer model to “rewrite history” by re-creating what actually happened in agricultural markets then removing government incentives to produce and …
USDA & EPA Tour REG Biodiesel Plant in Newton, IA
Renewable Energy Group (REG) executives hosted USDA Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson as well as leaders from the ethanol industry at their REG Newton biorefinery to discuss the role of advanced biofuels in meeting the President’s energy independence goals. Also on hand for the event were representatives from Green Plains Renewable Energy (GPRE) and POET. Both …
BioProcess Algae Dedicates Grower Harvester Bioreactors
On Friday April 15, BioProcess Algae, dedicated its Grower Harvester bioreactors signaling the final phase of construction for its commercial scale algae biorefinery. On hand for the event in Shenandoah, Iowa, were USDA Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack along with Green Plains Renewable Energy (GRPE) CEO Todd Becker and Mary Rosenthal, the executive director of the Algal Biomass Association. After touring …
Corn Ethanol Policy Forum Held in DC
There have been numerous Senates hearings recently discussing elements of the country’s energy plan. A recent forum on Corn Ethanol Policy took place in the 112th Congress. While the forum was not broadcast, expected to give the opening remarks were Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Representative Joe Crowley (D-NY) and Representative Earl Blumenauer. Flake’s aniti-ethanol amendment was passed in the House …
Ethanol Production, Ethanol & DDG Exports Remain Steady
Ethanol production for April remains fairly steady with the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reporting daily ethanol production falling slightly to 898,000 barrels per day (b/d) or 37.7 million gallons per day for the week ending April 8, 2011. The four-week average for ethanol production at the time of the report was 904,000 b/d, with the annualized rate equating to 13.85 …
USDA Tours ICM Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
USDA Administrator for Rural Business Cooperative Services Judith Canales is on a tour of Kansas and Missouri to promote the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) along with the development of renewable energy technologies. She was joined by several USDA state directors, and along the tour they stopped in St. Joseph, Missouri to tour ICM’s cellulosic ethanol pilot plant Lifeline …
Study: Algae Could Replace 17% of Oil Imports by 2022
In a new study released by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (NPPL), algal fuels could replace 17 percent of the United States’ imported oil by 2020. The paper was published in the journal of Water Resources Research but warned that biofuels production, including algal fuels, can require a lot of water so the study cautioned that being …
USDA Report Changes Ethanol Corn Use Term
USDA’s new supply and demand report makes a subtle, but significant, change in the way it reports corn use for ethanol, acknowledging for the first time the livestock feed produced as a by-product of ethanol. Instead of calling the usage category “ethanol for fuel” USDA has changed the wording to “ethanol & byproducts,” with a footnote reading “Corn used to …
Ethanol Industry Comments on WASDE Report
The USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) released this morning that shows corn ending stocks unchanged despite a 50 million bushel increase in corn use for ethanol also shows a gain in global grain stocks. According to the report, global coarse grain supplies for 2010/11 are projected 6.3 million tons higher this month with a 1.8-million-ton increase in …
USDA Raises Corn Use for Ethanol
USDA’s latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate released this morning shows an increase in corn use for ethanol. U.S. corn ending stocks are unchanged this month as a projected increase in corn use for ethanol is offset by a reduction in expected feed and residual use. Corn used to produce ethanol is raised 50 million bushels as strong blender …