The USDA’s 2012 Census of Agriculture forms soon will be going out to farmers and ranchers across the country, and this year, the survey will be asking asking about renewable energy and biomass. “We’re asking for more details on whether farmers are using solar, wind… what type of energy, and some of the crops they’re growing to produce biomass,” says …
DF Cast: Biodiesel Helps Livestock Producers
We’ve known for quite a while that biodiesel is helping the bottom lines of feedstock producers, in particular, the nation’s soybean growers. But a new study from the National Biodiesel Board says livestock producers are also sticking more green in their pockets thanks to the green fuel. In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, we hear from the NBB’s …
Using White Rot Fungus for Corn Stover Ethanol
There’s new scientific evidence that a certain fungus could help speed up the production of ethanol from corn stover. A study on using the fungus to break down the tough cellulose and related material in this so-called “corn stover” to free up sugars for ethanol fermentation appears in the journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research “Treating corn stover with the …
RFA Reacts to RFS Decision
The president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) says they are very pleased with the decision today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reject a request to waive the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In an interview immediately after the announcement was made by EPA, Bob Dinneen said he gave the agency credit for sticking to the science …
Growth Energy Awaiting RFS Decision
The ethanol industry is anxiously awaiting the pending decision by the Environmental Protection Agency on a requested waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard. Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis remains optimistic that the RFS will be upheld. “We’re pretty confident that the proponents of the RFS waiver did not prove the point that the economic harm was attributable to the RFS,” …
Farm Foundation Blog: Food & Fuel for 9 Billion in 2050
How do you keep an expected world population of 9 billion people by the year 2050 fed AND meet the world’s energy needs? Our friends at Farm Foundation are taking on those challenging questions, hopefully with some good answers through their new blog, AgChallenge2050.org. “It’s an opportunity for more people to be involved in the conversation,” said Mary Thompson, Farm …
RFA Discusses Ethanol Issues at NAFB
The Renewable Fuels Association was at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual meeting in Kansas City this week to discuss ethanol issues with reporters in light of the election and the upcoming lame duck session. “Ethanol was going to turn out just fine in this election no matter what because we were in the enviable position of both candidates …
DuPont Pioneer Economist Talks Ethanol
At last week’s American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA) Annual Meeting and AgroNomics conference in Indianapolis, the Economics Director for DuPont Pioneer gave an overview on the outlook for global agriculture and part of that discussion included a look at ethanol and what might happen if the Environmental Protection Agency decides to waive the Renewable Fuel Standard …
Algae Producers Look to Market By-Product of Biodiesel
Just as ethanol producers have been able to market the co-product dried distillers grains (DDGs) as livestock feed, those folks producing algae for biodiesel want to find more uses for what’s leftover once you get the fuel out. “The Departments of Energy and Defense have been interested in producing biofuels, both jet fuels and transportation fuels from algae,” Texas A&M’s …
DF Cast: Candidates Debate Domestic Fuels
It’s less than a week before election day, and President Barack Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney are vying for every vote they can, including those people interested in energy issues in this country. In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, we hear from Obama and Romney as they made their pitches about their domestic energy policies during the …