These days, a dialogue about global food has to include biofuels – the two have become inseparable in recent years. At the World Food Prize Norman Borlaug Symposium this week in Des Moines many speakers are addressing how biofuels fit in the global food outlook. The keynote speaker for the symposium kickoff Wednesday was Sir Gordon Conway, who is chief …
Distillers Grains Conference
A major by-product of ethanol production will be the focus of an international conference next week in Indianapolis. The U.S. Grains Council and USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service are co-sponsoring the International Distillers Grains Conference with approximately 140 major foreign buyers, nutritionists, and feed ingredient importers expected to attend. The meeting will be held October 19-21 at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. …
Panda Ethanol Restructures
Panda Ethanol has announced the successful restructuring of funding arrangements on a 115-million gallon-per-year, biomass-fueled ethanol refinery in Hereford, Texas. The restructuring was made with the support of the project’s lenders and will allow for the completion of construction and startup of the facility. “The successful restructuring of the Hereford project’s funding arrangements represents a vote of confidence in our …
Ethanol Benefits Outweigh Costs
A senior economist with the nation’s largest general farm organization says the benefits of ethanol outweigh the costs. During the Association of Equipment Manufacturers AgExecutive forum in St. Louis last week, American Farm Bureau senior economist Terry Francl said that the consumer is seeing a benefit from ethanol. “The bottom line on the ethanol side is that although it has …
Cellulosic Ethanol Company Goes Public
A South Dakota-based cellulosic ethanol company has gone public and changed its name. KL Process Design Group is now KL Energy Corp, a move that will help the company generate funding to develop its second commercial scale cellulosic ethanol production facility. Since January of 2008, the KL has been producing cellulosic ethanol using waste wood as feedstock, at a commercial …
Ethanol in Focus at AEM Ag Executive Forum
Ethanol and biofuels in general were in the spotlight at a forum for agribusiness executives held this week in St. Louis by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. About 100 executives of farm equipment companies and other agribusinesses attended the one day event, which featured a number of presentations that focused on biofuels. Even those speakers who were addressing other topics …
Ethanol Supports Oil for Music Tour
Bartering musical talent will result in more than just entertainment for more than 3.2 million Americans; it will turn into free fuel. On Saturday, October 11 at 11 am eastern time, the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), along with 2020 Vision, 3 Kingdoms Entertainment, Exxon, Lehigh Gas, International Reciprocal Trade Association, Pennsylvania Gasoline Retailers and Allied Trades, will stand …
USDA Studies Ethanol From Farm Waste
Leftovers from fields, orchards, and vineyards could be combined with other household garbage to make ethanol and other kinds of bioenergy. USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists are investigating the possibilities at the agency’s Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif. Agricultural wastes like rice straw, almond hulls, and the oversize outer leaves of iceberg lettuce – as well as municipal …
Extreme Makeover: Ethanol Edition
The Dirk Devries family of Albert Lea, Minnesota are not only the recipients of a new home, courtesy of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. They are also the proud owners of a new F150 crew cab flexible-fuel vehicle, courtesy of the ethanol industry. Five Minnesota-based POET Biorefining facilities, in conjunction with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) and Dave …
Government Releases Biofuels Action Plan
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy today released the National Biofuels Action Plan (NBAP), an interagency plan detailing the collaborative efforts of Federal agencies to accelerate the development of a sustainable biofuels industry. The departments jointly chair the Biomass Research and Development Board. The plan was developed in response to President Bush’s call to change the way America fuels …