Ethanol plants that have been hurt by dramatic fluctuations in commodity prices this year could be eligible for assistance from the US Department of Agriculture. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer told reporters after an address to the World Food Prize breakfast in Des Moines Friday that “some plants are under pressure because they’ve been speculating on corn.” Schafer said there …
Soybean Board Building Demand for Biodiesel
The United Soybean Board has been actively building demand for biodiesel on behalf of soybean farmers since 1990 and the opportunities continue to grow on a global basis. USB was one of the soybean industry sponsors of the World Food Prize luncheon in Des Moines this week which gave CEO John Becherer, pictured here with one of this year’s WFP …
Senator Grassley at World Food Prize
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa paid a visit to the World Food Prize breakfast on Friday morning to introduce the secretary of agriculture and make a few comments of his own about the importance of American agriculture in feeding the world, as well as honor his colleagues from the Senate, George McGovern and Bob Dole, who are this year’s …
American Farmers Can Help the World Produce Food and Fuel
The answer to feeding a growing world population lies with building on the success of the American farmer, according to Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer, who addressed the World Food Prize breakfast Friday morning in Des Moines. “Our focus should be on sharing our technology, equipment and know-how, processes and procedures to help farmers all over the world boost the productivity …
Biodiesel Sustainability
Next to productivity, sustainability is the word being used most often at the World Food Prize symposium this week to talk about what is needed in global production of both food and biofuels. The National Biodiesel Board formed a sustainability task force earlier this year, and one of the members of that task force is Victoria Carver with the Iowa …
World Bank President on Biofuels
The president of the World Bank made an appearance at the World Food Prize symposium Thursday on World Food Day and commented on world production of food and biofuels during a press conference. Robert Zoellick noted that some biofuels are more efficient than others, like sugarcane ethanol in Brazil, and he believes that “biofuels in the future are going to …
World Food Prize Winners on Food and Fuel
The ability of the world to grow enough agricultural crops to produce both food and fuel was a topic of discussion at the World Food Prize symposium in Des Moines on Thursday, which was also World Food Day. This year’s World Food Prize honorees, former Senators George McGovern and Bob Dole, pictured here with 2003 World Food Prize laureate Catherine …
Soy Biodiesel Means Fuel and Protein
Making soybeans into biodiesel is no food versus fuel competition – rather it is food AND fuel. “When you talk about soy biodiesel, you can actually burn the soy and eat it too,” says Jim Hershey, who is executive director for both the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) Program and the World Soy Foundation. During a World …
Biotech for Biofuels
Pioneer Hi-Bred International continues to work on increasing agricultural productivity to both feed and fuel the world. Pioneer president Paul Schickler spoke on a panel at the World Food Prize symposium in Des Moines Wednesday and one of his points is that biotechnology can “address both the food availability issue as well as making a meaningful impact on our dependence …
Food and Fuel Production Co-Exist in Brazil
The promise of new science and technology for increasing food and fuel production was part of a conversation panel at the World Food Prize Norman Borlaug Symposium in Des Moines on Wednesday. Among the panelists was Brazil’s former minister of agriculture Roberto Rodrigues, co-chair of the International Biofuels Commission, who talked about the importance of biofuels development for developing nations. …