The latest Crop Production report from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is forecasting record corn and soybean yields this year, with higher total production for soybeans and slightly lower for corn. Corn production is expected to be down 1% from last year at 15.1 billion bushels while soybean production is forecast to be 10% higher than 2023 at a …

EPA’s Rod Snyder Steps Down
The head of EPA’s newly created Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced he was stepping down this week, after only five months in the new position. Rod Snyder became senior adviser for agriculture at EPA in October 2021 after serving as president of Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture for seven years. EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced …
Vilsack to Speak at ACE Conference
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will be a keynote speaker at the American Coalition for Ethanol 37th annual conference in Omaha next week. Secretary Vilsack will speak on Thursday, August 15, at 9:00 AM Central. “Under Secretary Vilsack’s extraordinary leadership, USDA has provided critically important support to expand ethanol use and help ensure corn ethanol is part of the climate solution,” …
Amazon Joins SAF Coalition
Amazon has joined the growing membership of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Coalition. “We are thrilled that Amazon has joined the SAF Coalition. Their addition to our growing membership marks a pivotal moment for our collective efforts to scale SAF production and create a more sustainable future,” said SAF Coalition Executive Director Alison Graab. “With a significant presence in the …
Business SAF Coalition Comments to USDA
The Business Aviation Coalition for Sustainable Aviation Fuel is urging the Biden administration to follow the approach the government uses for existing biofuel programs when it develops rules to quantify and verify greenhouse gas emissions from various feedstocks for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to determine the level of Inflation Reduction Act tax incentives available to SAF producers. “The BizAv …
Ethanol and DDGS Exports Down But Still Strong in June
The latest export figures for the month of June were lower than the previous month but still strong for the year, according to the latest report from the Renewable Fuels Association. U.S. ethanol exports hit a record high for the month of June, reaching 145.9 million gallons (mg), though this marked a 6% decline from May. Shippers targeted just thirteen …
Fluid Quip Commissions Largest MSC™ Protein System
Fluid Quip Technologies (FQT) has completed the world’s largest MSC™ System to date at Tharaldson Ethanol in Casselton, North Dakota. This is the 12th system installed which is designed to expand the production of corn fermented protein, a high-quality protein ingredient in animal feed. “Our MSC™ Technology is critical to not only creating a high-quality protein ingredient for pet food, …
Farmers Touting Tech to Lower Carbon Score
Farmers discussed the potential for technology to help lower their carbon intensity (CI) scores at the recent Tech Hub LIVE conference in Des Moines. Brad McDonald, an Iowa farmer and Chief Operating Officer of Continuum Ag, talked about how incentives for adopting regenerative agriculture practices such as cover crops and no till to lower CI scores could generate a new …
Minnesota Awards $3 Million for E15 Infrastructure
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture recently awarded over $3 million in infrastructure grant funding to 16 retail service stations in the state to increase access to Unleaded 88. “With the EPA’s recent decision to allow year-round E15 sales for 2024 and beyond, the MDA is pleased to partner with these service stations to expand access to this lower-cost, cleaner fuel …
Verbio Starts Ethanol Production at Iowa Plant
Verbio officially began commercial production this week of corn-based ethanol at its biorefinery facility in Nevada, Iowa. The plant is a subsidiary of Germany-based Verbio SE and is the first industrial-scale biorefinery in North America to couple renewable natural gas and ethanol production. Verbio has installed a total capacity to produce 60 million gallons of corn-based ethanol per year and …