A Tale of Two Tortillas

Cindy Zimmerman

There are two sides to the stories out this week about the increased cost of tortillas in Mexico, being blamed partly on increased demand for corn to be made into ethanol. One is that it will cause the poor in Mexico to go hungry because they can’t afford to pay more for the basic staple of their diet. The other …

Ethanol

Sorghum Growers Sweet on Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Other crop producers are reaping the benefits of higher corn prices driven by ethanol. Among them are the sorghum farmers, who are meeting this week in New Mexico. Brownfield Network’s Peter Shinn reports that ethanol was the focus of Monday’s general session at the National Sorghum Producers (NSP) annual meeting. NSP President Greg Shelor, a Kansas sorghum grower, told Brownfield …

Ethanol, News

BIO Supports Governors

Cindy Zimmerman

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) supports the incentives outlined in the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition report, Ethanol from Biomass: How to Get to a Biofuels Future. According to a BIO release, “The technology for commercial production of ethanol from cellulosic biomass is ready today, but no modern biorefineries are currently operating to make use of the technology,” said BIO President and …

Ethanol, News

Greener Snow Blowing With Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Clearing the driveway in the winter months can help clear the air if you use ethanol-enriched gasoline in your snowblower. According to the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, small engines can efficiently burn 10 percent ethanol blends and the use of E10 reduces greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 30 percent. “It’s important to think green year round,” said …

EPIC, Ethanol, News

Ethanol Means Big Business For Small Railroads

Cindy Zimmerman

Small railroads are seeing big opportunities in hauling corn to ethanol plants and then transporting the finished product and by-products back out again. An Associated Press article discusses the potential ethanol is presenting for the Minnesota-basedTwin Cities & Western Railroad with its mere 200 miles of track. Chief operating officer Mark Wegner said his trains carry mainly corn and soybeans. …

Ethanol, News

Brunei Biodiesel

Cindy Zimmerman

Even some oil-rich nations are getting on the biodiesel bandwagon. Check out this article in the Brunei Times. Apparently, the sultanate on the coast of Borneo in the South China Sea has inked an agreement with a private company to build two biodiesel and glycerine production facilities. The facilities can produce 100,000 metric tonnes of biodiesel per annum in Phase …

Biodiesel, International

Welcome New Blogger

Cindy Zimmerman

Domestic Fuel welcomes our newest blogger, John Davis. John is a 20 years+ veteran of traditional news and is getting his first taste of this “new media.” We’ve known John since Chuck hired him to work at the Brownfield Network in January, 2000 after he served an 11 year stint in the U.S. Air Force as a broadcast journalist. He’s …

Miscellaneous

US BioEnergy Claims Title of Largest “Pure Play” Producer

Cindy Zimmerman

US BioEnergy Corporation has announced that with its Albert City and Central City ethanol plants now in commercial production the company can claim the title of “largest pure-play ethanol producer in the United States.” “This is an important milestone for our company and to the revitalization of the American heartland,” said Gordon Ommen, CEO and chairman. “It’s the spirit and …

Ethanol, News, Production

Arkansas Ag Chief Pushes Biodiesel

Cindy Zimmerman

The Secretary of the Arkansas Agriculture Department wants his state to focus on biodiesel, not ethanol. The Arkansas News Bureau reports Richard Bell told state lawmakers other states that produce more corn are already dominating the ethanol field. Bell told the House Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee that Arkansas will have a chance to break into the ethanol market …

Biodiesel, Government