The latest monthly figures from the Energy Information Administration show that U.S. ethanol production and demand reached record levels in November 2006. Production of ethanol in November averaged 343,000 barrels per day (b/d) while demand averaged 414,000 b/d. The Renewable Fuels Association released the new statistics, as they do every time the EIA report is issued.
Secretary of Agriculture Asked About Feed Prices
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns gave a speech during this morning’s general session here at the Cattle Industry Convention and afterward he held a press conference. He was asked about ethanol and the effect that increased production has had on livestock feed prices and offers some administration thoughts on the subject which include the promotion and development of cellulosic ethanol. …
A Cattleman’s Perspective
This week I’ve been attending the Cattle Industry Convention and like last week at the International Poultry Expo the buzz word is ethanol. I’ve heard it in the hallways and I’ve heard it in presentations. This morning I interviewed Mike John on the left and John Queen on the right. Mike’s the outgoing president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association …
Senate Energy Committee Holds Biofuels Conference
An all-day conference on biofuels was held Thursday by the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The conference featured six panels and 33 witnesses from industry, agriculture, infrastructure, research and development. Much of the testimony focused on the need for increased funding to develop cellulosic technology. National Commission on Energy Policy Counsel David Conover told the committee they …
Tennessee Wants to Become Biofuels Leader
It seems like just about every state lately is getting into the biofuels race wanting to become a leader. The latest is Tennessee, where Governor Phil Bredensen announced that his “proposed 2007-2008 budget will include $61 million for a comprehensive alternative fuels strategy to position Tennessee to be a national leader in the production of biomass ethanol and related research.” …
Ethanol Continues to Fuel ADM Profits
Shares for Archer Daniels Midland Co. took their biggest leap in over eight years as the world’s biggest corn and oilseed processor announced a second-quarter profit increase of 20 percent. ADM’s net income rose to $441.3 million, or 67 cents a share, in the last three months of 2006, compared to $367.7 million, or 56 cents, a year earlier. Sales …
Farm Bill Proposals Stress Cellulosic Ethanol
A word that few people even knew just five years ago when the last farm bill was written is all over the Bush administration’s 2007 farm bill proposals released Wednesday. That word is “cellulosic.” As announced last week, the proposals include $1.6 billion in new funding for renewable energy research, development and production, targeted for cellulosic ethanol, which will support …
Ethanol Representatives Witness First Indy Open Test
The IndyCar® Series held its first Open Test of the season Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway where for the first time all IndyCar Series cars ran on 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol. Ethanol Promotion and Information Council Executive Director Tom Slunecka said the IndyCar® drivers he talked to in Daytona are proud to be a part of the change to a …
Truth and Tortillas
Truth About Trade & Technology has posted a Wall Street Journal commentary on the tortilla crisis in Mexico. The op-ed piece contends that the “cause of the corn price spike is too much government intervention.” The sharp increase in Mexican corn prices, which fueled the tortilla price spike, followed big price increases for corn on international markets over the past …
“BioFuels or Bust” Seminar at Wash. U. in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is playing host to a seminar on the role biofuels will play in a sustainable economics world. Jim McLaren, President and founder of StrathKirn, Inc, a science and biotech business consulting firm in nearby Chesterfield, MO, will conduct the seminar on the “state of biofuels development in the Midwest,” at Simon Hall on the Wash …