Today the U.S. Senate voted 68-32 to pass the 2014 farm bill after years of work by both Agriculture Committees. The House passed its version of a conference bill Jan. 29, and now the farm bill goes to President Obama’s desk. The President is expected to sign the bill into law. The Agricultural Act of 2014 expands bio-energy production, supporting …
Farm Polices Impact on Precision Ag
Member of the National Corn Growers Association Board and director of Western Iowa Energy, LLC, Kevin Ross, chatted with Chuck after the opening session at the 2014 National Biodiesel Conference. They discuss farm policy and how precision agriculture technology has impacted his farming operation where he raises cattle and grows corn and soybeans. Kevin shared that if we don’t move …
Growing Use of Technology for Growers
Commodity groups across the country also took interest in the happenings at the recent National Biodiesel Conference. Frank Legner, Legner Farms is a member of the Illinois Soybean Association and attended the conference to relay the update on biodiesel to growers in Illinois. He talks about how he uses precision agriculture on his farm where they grow 50/50 soybeans and …
Gas Hole’s Impact on the Industry
When Jeremy Wagner and Scott Roberts made the movie Gas Hole a couple of years ago, they had no idea the impact it would have. During the recent 2014 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo the co-directors/producers presented to attendees, showed an extended excerpt from the movie and did a little Q & A. Chuck caught up with the team and …
Soybean Growers Push for Biodiesel in Big Apple
The growers of the most popular feedstock for biodiesel made the case for the green fuel to the largest market in the U.S. This story from the Grand Island (NE) Independent tells how members of the Nebraska Soybean Board and more than 90 other representatives from the United Soybean Board (USB), American Soybean Association (ASA), and nine other state soybean …
All They Want for Christmas Is a Biogas Generator
Franklin, Vermont farmers Denna and Mike Benjamin were heading into the holidays with a big wish: natural gas to start their anaerobic digester to convert the methane fro their cows’ manure to electricity. The project was partially funded by a federal grant, and if the digester was not operating by year’s end they would lose a major portion of the …
OriginOil Launches Aquaculture Showcase
OriginOil has launched its Permanent Technology Showcase with a demonstration of its EWS Aqua Q60 and EWS Algae A60 models at Aqua Farming Tech, a sustainable fish farm in Thermal, California, located in the Coachella Valley. “Worldwide, more fish is now being farmed than beef,” said Riggs Eckelberry, president and CEO of OriginOil. “While this is good news, the aquaculture …
Ag, Biofuel Industries Dealt a Blow From EPA
The agriculture and biofuel industry has been dealt a blow according to Adam Nielsen, director of legislation and policy development for the Illinois Farm Bureau. Nielsen, who spends a significant amount of time promoting the agricultural industry in Washington, D.C., said the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed 2014 reduction of the amount of corn ethanol blended as part of the …
USDA, DOD Announce Farm-to-Fleet Program
U.S. Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus have announced a joint “Farm-to-Fleet” venture to make biofuel blends part of regular, operational fuel purchases and use by the military. The announcement incorporates the acquisition of biofuel blends into regular Department of Defense (DOD) domestic solicitations for jet engine and marine diesel fuels. The Navy will …
Standard Ethanol Selects Greenbelt Technology
Greenbelt Resources Corporation has been selected by Australia-based Standard Ethanol Pty. Ltd to design and deliver an end-to-end commercial-scale advanced biofuel system for converting wheat feedstock to ethanol and organic fertilizer. The module is designed to enable beverage producers and agri-businesses to locally recycle organic wastes into usable products. The customized modular system for Standard Ethanol will include proprietary distillation …