I have now shifted my location and focus to Chicagoland Speedway. It’s set up and practice day for the Nationwide Series drivers. I’ll be meeting with Kenny Wallace who will be driving the Family Farmers car in his garage in a few minutes. Earlier today I stopped by the Illinois Corn Marketing Board display that is being set up in …
Illinois Corn Grower Advocates NASCAR Promotion
One of the Illinois corn growers who send his product into Marquis Energy is Jim Rapp, Princeton, pictured on the far right next to NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace and Jim’s sons, Nick and Ben. Jim says that the NASCAR promotional opportunity that the industry has become involved in proves that a fifteen percent blend of ethanol works. He’s a major …
Marquis Energy Feeding and Fueling Local Economy
One of the dignitaries attending the Marquis Energy Appreciation Day was Darin LaHood, Illinois Sen. 37th Dist., pictured (left) with NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace. Darin represents ten counties and agriculture is the number one industry. He says that the economic impact that ethanol makes on their communities is tremendous. He says that Marquis Energy talks about feeding and fueling the …
Marquis Energy and NASCAR
The President of Marquis Energy is Mark Marquis, seen here introducing NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace to the crowd attending yesterday’s event held at the Hennepin ethanol plant. I spoke with Mark and learned that Marquis Energy is a real family type business that he had built after growing up on a family farm in this area and branching out into …
Biodiesel Board Webinar on Food, Fuel and Land Use
Experts on a National Biodiesel Board webinar Tuesday explained how biofuels production can lead to more efficient and environmentally friendly energy future and help feed the world’s poor. The on-line event drew more than 100 participants, including government regulators, military personnel, scientists and students. The event was promoted among college students as part of the Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel …
Survey Says Consumers Consider Ethanol A Green Product
In a study released by Genencor during the BIO World Congress in Toronto, when U.S. consumers were asked to name a product they considered green, 39 percent of them named ethanol first and 31 percent of Canadian respondents also named ethanol as a green product. This is just one of results discovered in the Genencor Household Sustainability Index that researched …
Ethanol Industry Agrees With Pawlenty
Announcing his candidacy for the president in the heart of ethanol country, Republican Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota, made headlines Monday for his comments on phasing out ethanol subsidies, but the real story is that the industry agrees with him. “The hard truth is there are no longer any sacred programs,” Pawlenty said. “The truth about federal energy subsidies …
Bullish on Biodiesel
Biodiesel is back, but it needs the tax credit to keep it going. At the 4th International Biomass Conference and Expo, Joe Jobe with the National Biodiesel Board, said they are very optimistic about the state of the industry right now. “Our plants are coming back on line and we’re very bullish,” Jobe said. “We believe that we’re going to …
Iowa Corn Indy 250 Promotion
The Iowa Corn Growers got competitive with Indy today at the Iowa Speedway. In the photo Indy car driver Ryan Hunter-Reay competes on pedal tractors with Dick Gallagher, Iowa Corn Promotion Board Chairman. Waving the green flag to start is Shannon Textor, Iowa Corn Growers Market Development Director. Today was a promotional event that included Indy Car drivers, Iowa corn …
DSM CEO Wins George Washington Carver Award
Royal DSM Ceo Feike Sijbesma has received the George Washington Carver Award for Innovation in Industrial Biotechnology during BIO World Congress. In its 4th year, Sijbesma is being honored as a visionary leader of the bio-economy, an industry that the World Economic Forum projects will contribute nearly $250 billion to the world economy by 2020. Under his leadership, DSM has …