President Donald Trump stood among various models of John Deere and Case IH farm equipment as he pledged to boost agriculture exports, loosen federal regulations on the agriculture industry, and support ethanol and biofuels yesterday while speaking to a crowd of about 250 at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “Today we are celebrating the dignity of work and …
Iowa Gov and Ag Groups to Make China Trip
Iowa’s new governor and the state’s agricultural organizations miss Terry Branstad so much that they are already planning a trip to see him in China. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds will lead an all-Iowa agriculture trade mission to China July 19-28 with representatives from the state’s corn, pork, soy, beef, egg, poultry, dairy and turkey industries. The trip marks the first …
DFA, Vanguard Renewables Partner On Renewable Energy
Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and Vanguard Renewables have announced a strategic partnership to help bring anaerobic digestion technology to more farms across the country. Although renewable energy methods, like anaerobic digesters that convert manure to energy, offer solutions to the waste management and sustainability challenges facing the dairy industry, they are not broadly used on American dairy farms. The …
Busy Ag Week on the Hill
National Ag Week was a busy one for agriculture on Capitol Hill. National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) First Vice President Kevin Skunes of North Dakota spent last week visiting Congressional offices on behalf of both the corn growers and the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE). “Ethanol is our number one priority,” said Skunes. “We need to have this outlet for …
The Global Trends Driving #Ethanol Demand
Ethanol exports continue to serve as a valuable and expanding revenue source for the U.S. ethanol industry. As part of a presentation during last week’s National Ethanol Conference, Scott Richman, Senior Vice President, Informa Economics, provided an in-depth look at current market trends associated with global trade in ethanol and key factors that are driving ethanol demand. “While the domestic …
How #Ethanol and Oil Can Work Together
One of the highlights of last week’s National Ethanol Conference was the Future of Fuels Policy Panel. One of the panelists was Chet Thompson, American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President and CEO. AFPM represents the refining and petrochemical sectors of the fuel industry, and Thompson spoke during the panel about ways that the ethanol and oil industries can work …
Terry Brandstad Addresses Ag Outlook Forum
The distinguished speaker at this year’s USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum was former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who was recently nominated as ambassador to China. Branstad took time during his speech to praise incoming Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and share his thoughts on the future of agriculture and economic development in rural America. “Simply put, American agriculture is tied to …
Cellerate Paving the Way for Cellulosic Ethanol
One of the new NEC Tech Connect sessions at this year’s National Ethanol Conference focused on new technologies that are working to increase the demand and value for ethanol and have successfully converted the fiber within the corn kernel into extremely valuable cellulosic ethanol. Miloud Araba, head of technical services for the Enogen group at Syngenta, gave the presentation on …
#Ethanol Shaping The Future of Exports
Ethanol was a popular topic for discussion during the 2017 U.S. Grains Council (USGC) Winter Meeting, held last week in Panama City, Panama, with many USGC representatives believing that improving global ethanol demand will be key in sustaining a successful export market for U.S. corn and corn products. “Our ethanol program that we’ve put a lot of effort in recently …
ASA Director Elected Vice Chairman of NBB
The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) last week elected American Soybean Association (ASA) Board member Mike Cunningham as the new vice chairman of the organization. Cunningham is a farmer from Bismark, Illinois. The agenda included updates on the status of federal and state policy intitiatives, such as the federal biodiesel tax credit and Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), as well as discussion …