According to Purdue University agricultural economist Chris Hurt, grain crops are being “gobbled up” faster than farmers can grow them. This could lead to trouble down the road if production doesn’t catch up. Hurt says there have been two major demands surges on commodities in the past five years. One is the rising use of corn for ethanol production being …
Is Ethanol Really Outpacing Feed Use for Corn?
The latest USDA supply/demand forecast out this week says that corn use for ethanol will outpace livestock feed use for the first time, but some are questioning those figures and that interpretation. The July 12 World Agricultural Supply Demand report increased corn beginning stocks by 150 million bushels, while total U.S. corn use for 2010/11 was lowered by 145 million …
Report Finds “No Strict Food Versus Fuel Tradeoff”
A new report from Informa Economics released today concludes that ethanol production is not causing a “strict food-versus-fuel tradeoff” that automatically drives consumer food prices higher. The report, which was prepared for the Renewable Fuels Foundation, is an historical analysis of corn, commodity and consumer prices from 1985-2010. One of the key findings of the study was that no single …
Ethanol Report on Senate Compromise
An agreement was announced Thursday by U.S. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that would end the existing 45 cent per gallon Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit and associated import tariff at the end of this month, reducing the nation’s deficit by $1.3 billion while still providing $668 million for renewable fuel incentives such …
Senate Compromise Reached on Ethanol Tax Credit
A deal has been reached in the Senate that would eliminate the ethanol blenders tax credit but still provide incentives for infrastructure development. U.S. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) announced the agreement “that allows for a transition to a more sustainable model of incentives for domestic renewable fuel production while reducing the nation’s deficit by $1.3 billion.” …
Industry Questions Ethanol Hearing Witness List
The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on Energy and Environment is holding a hearing today on “examining the science” of 15% ethanol in fuel, but the corn ethanol industry is questioning the list of witnesses, which appears to be somewhat lopsided. “The Environmental Protection Agency has been thorough in its work on the E15 waiver request and …
Loan Guarentee Offered for Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
The government is paving the way for the nation’s first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in Iowa. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement today of a $105 million loan guarantee to support the development of Project LIBERTY, sponsored by POET and located in Emmetsburg, Iowa. “This project will help decrease our dependence on oil, …
Load Toad Available for Ethanol Producers
The Load Toad™ was on the loose in Indianapolis last week. The patented Load Toad™ technology that evenly distributes distillers’ dried grains onto rail cars was unveiled for the first time at the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Indianapolis, IN. It was first announced at the end of last year. “The Load Toad is used with conventional loading to enhance …
Corn Growers Proud to Promote American Ethanol
At the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop last week, the CEO of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) accepted an award for promoting the advancement of ethanol on behalf of the corn industry as a whole. “It’s more of an award for the people that I work with, the farmers, our leaders, our great staff, the state groups,” said Rick Tolman …
SDSU Helping to Improve Ethanol Plant Efficiency
South Dakota State University (SDSU) is helping to improve the efficiency of ethanol plants. The SDSU Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department recently invested in small scale, corn milling and ethanol processing equipment to let ethanol plant mangers test process adjustments in order to optimize efficiency. “This small equipment allows them to test small adjustments and see how they work without …