A plant breeding program to improve sorghum varieties for biofuel production could now help meet growing food demands in Africa. The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center has announced a three-year $6.1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand and accelerate the development and deployment of advanced sorghum phenotyping and breeding technologies in support of improved varieties …
Crappie Masters Helping Educate Boaters about Ethanol
The 2017 Crappie Masters Tournament Trail gets underway today in Florida with a new addition this year – ethanol as a co-title sponsor with Bass Pro Shops. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White says the purpose of the sponsorship is to help spread the word about ethanol to boaters. “It was an excellent opportunity to …
Biodiesel Fueling Future from Coast to Coast
The closing session of the 14th National Biodiesel Conference & Expo last week provided a look back at the accomplishments of the past year and how biodiesel is fueling a low carbon future. Led by Don O’Connor, a Vancouver-based international expert on greenhouse-gas emissions, the panel discussed biodiesel opportunities from coast to coast. From the west coast was Simon Mui, …
FS Bioenergia Names CEO
FS Bioenergia has announced that international agribusiness executive Henrique Ubrig will serve as the chief executive officer for the corn ethanol production facility being built in Brazil as a collaboration between Brazilian agribusiness Fiagril and U.S.-based Summit Agricultural Group. “This is an exciting opportunity to make a significant difference in agriculture and renewable energy here in Brazil,” Ubrig said. “FS …
No Impact on RFS Expected from Regulation Freeze
As soon as he took office, President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on regulations that were promulgated by the federal government before he took office, including the Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) requirements for this year under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which were announced in late November. In a statement, Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen said the …
Nebraska Ethanol Board Elects Executive Committee
The Nebraska Ethanol Board has elected new officers for 2017. Mike Thede, who farms near Palmer, Nebraska, and represents general farming, was elected chairman of the board. Jan tenBensel, who farms south of Cambridge, Nebraska, and represents wheat, was appointed vice chairman. Mark Ondracek, business manager for Steamfitters & Plumbers Local Union #464 and represents labor, maintains his seat as …
Former Congressman to Talk Biodiesel at Iowa RFA Summit
Fresh off his annual appearance at the National Biodiesel Conference last week in San Diego, former U.S. Representative Kenny Hulshof will be heading to Altoona, Iowa next week to talk about “Biodiesel: America’s Advanced Biofuel” at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit on January 31st. While biodiesel is the most readily available source of advanced biofuel, challenges remain. Hulshof will speak …
2016 #Biodiesel Market Hits Record Highs
The good news is that the amount of biodiesel and renewable diesel available to U.S. consumers last year increased by almost 40 percent. The bad news for domestic producers is that imports increased by more than 50 percent in 2016. “We are proud to be delivering record gallons of American made biodiesel, but that success is undermined by the fact …
Meet New NBB Chairman
Kent Engelbrecht of ADM was elected chairman of the National Biodiesel Board in November, marking the first time that company has moved into the leadership position for the organization. “We’ve been involved in biodiesel since 2006,” said Engelbrecht. “We’ve got four plants in North America producing a lot of biodiesel, and that uses a lot of soybean oil, and that …
John Deere Continues Biodiesel Support
John Deere green was on display at the National Biodiesel Conference Vehicle Showcase last week in San Diego. Chuck Studer, Director of Industry Relations, highlighted John Deere’s vast diesel equipment product line and long-standing involvement with biodiesel. John Deere was one of the first original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to get involved with biodiesel, approving B5 biodiesel blends for use in …