National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition is just one of several ethanol-related exhibitors at the 2007 Commodity Classic in Tampa this week. Staff members Michelle Kautz and Haley Wansing were giving away t-shirts to growers who signed up at the booth to receive regular e-mail updates from the organization. Greg Krissek of ICM is NEVC’s Chairman of the Board and he was …
Vision 2020
Biofuels will play a major role in the soybean industry for the next 10 to 15 years under the United Soybean Board’s Soy 2020 released Friday morning at the Commodity Classic in Tampa, Florida. The objective of Soy 2020 was to “create a vision for the future of U.S. soybeans that would be a complete collaboration and that would ultimately …
Branding Program Gains Momentum
The ethanol industry is making progress towards the goal of helping consumers readily identify ethanol-enhanced fuel at the pump no matter where they are in the country. Seven states – Kansas, Michigan, Illinois, South Dakota, Nebraska, Arkansas and Ohio – have now officially approved labels that incorporate the “e” brand to mark pumps that dispense E10, or ten percent ethanol …
Ready for the Show
The 2007 Commodity Classic is underway in Tampa, Florida and biofuels are most definitely in the spotlight. From the policy making meetings for corn, soybean and wheat growers, to the informational sessions, to the trade show the influence of the energy business in agriculture dominates. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) has a brand spanking new booth set up …
Energy Department Awards Cellulosic Grants
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded cellulosic ethanol grants to help with the construction of cellulosic ethanol biorefineries. The Renewable Fuels Association released the full list of grant recipients. Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas, LLC of Chesterfield, Missouri, up to $76 million for a proposed plant in Kansas to use 700 tons per day of corn stover, wheat straw, …
UN Panel Recommends Increased Biofuels Use
The United Nations Foundation has released a report outlining a “roadmap for reducing risks from climate change.” Among the report’s recommendations are “mproving efficiency in the transportation sector through measures such as vehicle efficiency standards, fuel taxes, and registration fees/rebates that favor purchase of efficient and alternative fuel vehicles” and “expanding the use of biofuels through energy portfolio standards and …
Broin Receives Energy Department Grant
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the awarding of grants to fund six cellulosic ethanol projects nationwide. Among them is Broin Companies’ $200 million expansion of a conventional corn dry mill facility in Emmetsburg, Iowa into a bio-refinery that will include production of cellulosic ethanol from corn cobs, according to a Broin release. Energy Secretary Samual Bodman made the …
Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit
Top state officials will keynote the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Summit on Wednesday in Des Moines. The event will feature the latest news in Iowa’s biodiesel and ethanol industries with a keynote address by Iowa Governor Chet Culver and a special address by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. Iowa is the leader in renewable fuels production with 26 ethanol …
Sunshine State Energy Grants
The state of Florida has announced grants for a number of renewable energy projects using various types of biomass. Here are just a few of the projects being funded for 2007: Citrus Energy LLC, “Fuel Ethanol Production from Citrus Waste Biomass” ($2.5 million): Based in Clewiston, the company will construct a four-million-gallon-per-year ethanol bio-refinery to use citrus waste to produce …
Ethanol Drives Farmland Prices
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s latest AgLetter reports that ethanol is helping to fuel a surge in agricultural land prices. According to the report, the 2006 annual increase in farmland values was 9 percent for the Seventh Federal Reserve District, which includes Iowa and parts of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. The area with the biggest rise was northwest …