Ethanol exports from Brazil could drop by as much as 18% this season compared to last year, according to the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA). UNICA is expecting a slight increase in ethanol production this year, however. “Ethanol production should reach 25.51 billion liters in the 2011/2012 season, a 0.52% increase compared to the last harvest, when the total reached …
Farm, Biodiesel Maker Seek Canola Growers
DRM Farms and SunPower Biodiesel have teamed up to find farmers in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and the Dakotas to grow canola for SunPower’s Cumberland, WI refining operation to make its Premium Cold Flow Biodiesel: Canola is quite adaptable with regard to soil type, and has shown profitability on marginal crop lands where other crops are not as feasible. It has …
Biodiesel Board Backs Obama’s Backing of Biofuels
The National Biodiesel Board has joined the chorus of biofuel groups applauding President Obama’s call for boosting the production of domestic fuels: “The biodiesel industry is already poised for a record year in which we will displace nearly a billion gallons of petroleum with a renewable fuel produced right here in the United States,” said Manning Feraci, NBB’s Vice President …
DF Cast: Community Solar a Good Choice for Individuals
Community solar projects have always been good for the environment, but a company in New Jersey is making them pay for individual investments, especially senior citizens living on fixed incomes. In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, I talk with Pete Ramsey, the Director of Business Development for GeoGenix. He explains that having an entire neighborhood put in a …
Ag Secretary Promotes Biofuels for Jobs
U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made a visit to St. Louis earlier this week where he was the keynote speaker at the St. Louis Agribusiness Club meeting. As part of his address, he noted the importance of biofuels production for rural economies. Vilsack noted that there are about 600,000 people in rural America who would describe themselves as …
RFA Analyzes USDA Report for Ethanol
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) hosted a webinar this morning to discuss the new USDA Prospective Planting and Grain Stocks reports and what they indicate for America’s supply of corn and how demand from ethanol production might play into food pricing this year. Some of the main points made by RFA VP of Research and Analysis Geoff Cooper about the …
Corn Stocks are Down, Plantings Expected Higher
USDA expects more five percent more corn to be planted this year according to the Prospective Plantings report released this morning, but stocks are down 15% from last year at this time. Corn growers intend to plant 92.2 million acres of corn for all purposes this year, up 5 percent from last year and 7 percent higher than in 2009. …
Book Review – Climate of Corruption
In the past several years, there seems to be a growing number of people who believe that global warming is a very orchestrated political and environmental hoax. As hype around Earth Day is growing (April 22, 2011), I thought it would be interesting to read, “Climate of Corruption: Politics and Power Behind the Global Warming Hoax,” by Larry Bell. Now …
Obama Sticks to His Guns on Biofuel Policy Support
President Obama is sticking to his guns in his support of biofuels, among other energy sources, as viable ways for America to reduce its dependence on foreign sources of oil. This morning, his administration released its plan for a comprehensive energy policy their report, “Blueprint For A Secure Energy Future.” As a result of the report, the biofuel and biotech …
Ethanol Group to Host Webinar on Plantings Report
The first big crop report of the season is due out on Thursday and the ethanol industry is ready to interpret what it means for them. Following the release of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s prospective plantings forecast in the morning, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) will host a webinar to detail what the report means and how America’s supply …