On the eve of the deadline for providing comments to the Environmental Protection Agency on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) waiver request, the ethanol industry has released a new study that indicates a waiver could actually increase the cost of feed for livestock and poultry producers. The analysis, conducted by Cardno-ENTRIX and commissioned by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), finds …
Vilsack Defends Ethanol at Dairy Expo
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack held a town hall meeting at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin this week and took questions from the audience, one of which concerned ethanol and the impact it has had on livestock producers. The questioner, who was from California, said ethanol was “not a very popular word” with dairy farmers in her state. “Where …
RFA Expects RFS Waiver to be Denied
Responding to plans by livestock and poultry groups to seek a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard, the head of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) expects the request to be denied. “Given the flexibilities inherent to the RFS, and the fact that waiving the program would not result in any meaningful impacts on corn prices, we fully expect Administrator Jackson …
Ethanol Co-Product Prices Higher
Tight corn supplies, higher corn prices, low ethanol processing margins, export demand and high soybean meal prices are among the factors contributing to higher prices for dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS), the ethanol co-product used as livestock feed. South Dakota State University economics professor Darrell Mark says price for distillers grains usually declines going into summer as cattle feedlot …
Hog Producers Can Compete with Ethanol for Corn
An agricultural economist says hog producers are now able to compete with ethanol producers for corn. “This is an amazing difference from just five years ago,” said Purdue agricultural economist Dr. Chris Hurt. “The hog industry was largely set up with $2-2.50 corn going into 2006. After that we saw major increases in those corn prices.” Dr. Hurt spoke to …
Synergies of Livestock and Ethanol
There is a lot made about tensions between the ethanol and livestock industries but the distillers grains co-product of ethanol production is providing significant benefits for animal producers even as ethanol has helped prop up corn prices. A great discussion at the 6th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit featured corn and cattle organizations on the same panel talking about the …
USDA Report Shows Value of Ethanol Co-Product
A new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report finds that the ethanol co-product known as distillers grains or DDGS is replacing even more corn and soybean meal in livestock and poultry feed rations than previously thought. According to the report by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), “We found that, on average, for the past 5 crop years (2006/07-2010/11), 1 mt …
Wisconsin Cheese Factory Promotes Renewable Energy
Crave Brothers is promoting their commitment to the environment and renewable energy on the farm and in the farmstead cheese factory with a newly unveiled logo. The new Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese logo features a dairy cow inside a green circle with the words “Produced with Renewable Energy.” In producing their family of award-winning artisan cheeses, the Crave Brothers use …