The federal government will invest a total of $18.4 million over three years for 21 new biomass research and development and demonstration projects. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer and Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman made that announcement today at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference 2008 (WIREC). “These grants help fund the innovative research needed to develop technologies and systems that lead …
VeraSun and Enterprise Promote E85
Enterprise Rent-A-Car and VeraSun Energy today announced the first “VE85™/FlexFuel” rental branch location in South Dakota. The Sioux Falls location is the newest Enterprise branch to receive the E85/FlexFuel designation as part of a nationwide effort to promote the expanded availability and use of E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Enterprise will commit to fueling …
New EPIC Executive Director on the Job
The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) has a new executive director. She is Toni Nuernberg, who comes to EPIC from ACA International in Minneapolis where she worked for 29 years, the last 12 as chief operating officer of ACA International Holding Company Inc. and its for-profit subsidiaries. Nuernberg says when she decided to make a career move she was …
John Deere into Farming Wind
Noting runs like a Deere, except maybe the wind. John Deere Wind Energy is into lots of domestic energy projects these days and that includes investing in and providing value-added services to utility-scale wind projects that involve multiple wind turbines with a nameplate capacity of 1.25 megawatts or greater. For example, Corn Plus Cooperative, a farmer-owned ethanol plant in Winnebago, …
New EPIC Exec Announced
The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) has named Toni Nuernberg as the new executive director. “On behalf of the EPIC board and staff we are excited to have Toni as the new executive director,” said Tom Branhan, EPIC Board President and CEO and President of Glacial Lakes Energy. “Toni is joining a very strong team and will be taking …
Final 2007 Ethanol Numbers
It should be no surprise to anyone that the American ethanol industry produced a record amount of fuel ethanol in 2007. According to year-end figures released by the Energy Information Administration, U.S. ethanol production averaged 423,000 barrels per day, totaling 6.48 billion gallons for the year. That is an increase of 108,000 barrels per day over 2006. Ethanol demand, as …
Ethanol Baby
There were lots of babies at the 2008 Commodity Classic but this one really caught our attention. Her name is Danica – after Indy race car driver Danica Patrick – and her little onesie featured the IRL logo on the front and on back it said the “Smell of Ethanol.” How cute is that! Her parents were letting her pose …
John Deere Ethanol Risk Protection
John Deere Risk Protection has introduced the industry’s first-ever Ethanol Policy by providing coverage to corn producers who have delivery contracts for the purpose of ethanol production. The policy was officially introduced at the end of January and Deere has been talking with growers at events during the last month, including the Farm Machinery Show and last week’s Commodity Classic. …
Deere Running on Biofuels
John Deere sponsored one of the most popular and well attended Learning Center sessions at the 2008 Commodity Classic in Nashville this week. “Starch and Cellulose as Ethanol Feedstocks” discussed the importance of starch as today’s primary ethanol feedstock, harvesting challenges for increased corn yields as well as cellulose, and how to increase demand for biofuels. Don Borgman, director of …
Ag Secretary on RFS
Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer has only been on the job officially for about a month but he has been busy making the rounds of farm meetings. During his appearance at the 2008 Commodity Classic on Friday, Schafer expressed great optimism for agriculture – record prices, record farm income, record exports and the blending of energy and agriculture. During a …