Great thing about going to meetings is getting to meet people you only know by email. I got to meet a couple of fellow bloggers at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in St. Louis. Pictured here with me is C. Scott Miller, editor of the BIOconversion Blog. We started our blogs at about the same time and started communicating way back …
Hopping Into Ethanol
Many of the exhibitors at the 2007 Fuel Ethanol Workshop were offering new technology and equipment to make ethanol production better, faster, easier, more efficient – you name it. One example here is BetaTec hop products, which can be used to control bacterial infections in distilleries. “Controlling lactic acid bacteria increases ethanol yields,” says one of the company’s handouts. Hops, …
FEW Expo Walk Through
The growth of the ethanol industry was most obvious at the 2007 Fuel Ethanol Workshop last week in St. Louis on the expo floor. Some 700 exhibitors were there, an increase of 60 percent from last year alone. Kathy Bryan, president of FEW organizer BBI International, says the trade show portion of the 23 year old event is a relatively …
Meet the American Biofuels Council
There’s a new player on the block in the alternative energy group sector: The American Biofuels Council. Sean O’Hanlon is the executive director for the new group that he says has gotten a better-than-expected response in their first few months of existence. In an interview with energy.agwired.com, he explains that his council is different than other groups such as the …
Investors Still Want Alt Energy
Investors still seem to have quite an appetite for alternative energy… but their tastes might be changing a bit. This AP story posted on Forbes.com says energy sources such as solar and wind have made some gains, while ethanol investments became somewhat flat: According to IPOHome.com, 115 companies went public in the U.S. during the first half of the year. …
Soybean Acres Drop Despite Biodiesel Rise
In what might be considered a bit counter-intuitive, U.S. soybean acres planted have dropped to the lowest level in 12 years… despite increased interests in biodiesel… a product that often uses soy oil as its feedstock. This story posted on Forbes.com says the culprit is more farmers switching to corn to make the even more popular ethanol: The USDA reported …
E85 Amendment Passes Committee
A congressional committee has added an amendment to the Energy Bill that would require U.S. Government gas pumps to offer E85 ethanol. This release from the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition says Michigan Democrat Representative Bart Stupak’s measure would direct federal agencies to install pumps for renewable fuels like E85 at their fleet fueling centers: “I was pleased the Committee accepted …
US FEW Report
US Farm Report was on location this week at the 2007 Fuel Ethanol Workshop in St. Louis. Agribusiness Director Al Pell taped a segment of the weekly show on the trade show floor. His guests were ICM, Inc. president Dave Vander Griend, National Corn Growers Association chairman Gerald Tumbleson, and BBI International CEO Mike Bryan. The segment will be part …
FEW Award for POET
The chief science officer for POET received the 2007 Award of Excellence at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop this week. Steve Lewis accepted the award during Wednesday’s general session. The award was established in 2000 to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the fuel ethanol industry through their research, technical advisory and/or development activities. Lewis has 22 years of …
Growing Corn Acres
The latest report from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service shows that acreage planted to corn this year is now estimated at 92.9 million acres, up 19 percent from 2006 and 14 percent higher than 2005. Farmers increased corn plantings 3 percent from their March intentions, resulting in the highest planted area since 1944 when 95.5 million acres were planted for …