Ethanol, biodiesel, propane, natural gas, electricity – even regular gasoline – consumers should have choices at the pump and a new campaign is urging lawmakers in Washington to make that happen. More than 20 worldwide leaders in the effort to commercialize next-generation transportation fuels today announced the new campaign, called FuelChoiceNow. Among the companies that have joined the effort are …
Biodiesel Adds Value to Minnesota Soybeans
Fields of soybeans surround the newly re-opened Renewable Energy Group REG Albert Lea biodiesel plant in southern Minnesota, serving as a reminder of where the renewable fuel is rooted. Chris Hill, a soybean farmer who serves on the board of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and the Minnesota Biodiesel Council, is pleased to see the plant re-open because it really …
Canadian Co-op Happy With Corn Demand
Last week I attended the 2011 IFAJ Congress in Canada. This is the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists. One of our stops was the Hensall District Co-operative. We were welcomed by CEO, Earl Wagner, who gave us an overview of the various business units of the co-operative. HDC is a diversified farmer-owned Ontario Agricultural Co-operative. Established in 1937, HDC is …
How to Engage Your Employees in Safety
To have a profitable business you need to operate safely while producing a high quality product. You can produce a high quality product but if your employees are getting hurt while you’re doing this, you’re not going to be in business long. So it’s important that you engage your employees into your safety program from top to bottom. And that’s …
REG Albert Lea Biodiesel Plant Officially Opens
The Renewable Energy Group (REG) celebrated the official opening of the REG Albert Lea biodiesel plant in Minnesota on Monday, with representatives of the state and local community and agriculture industry. REG President and COO Dan Oh says they were involved in the construction and operations of the plant when it originally was built and opened by SoyMor. “We have …
Tips For Methanol Safe Handling
Chemicals are an everyday part of operating a biorefinery facility as we learned in Part 1 of Biorefinery Safety Series. Chemicals are also an integral part of biodiesel production. Therefore, it is vitally important that all employees at a biodiesel facility, whether a large operation on a small backyard operation, learn, practice and live safe methanol handling techniques. So today, …
Ethanol Industry Responds to Feed Availability Concerns
Representatives of the U.S. livestock and poultry industries testified before a House agriculture subcommittee today that changes in ethanol policy are necessary to ensure the availability of corn for animal feed, but the ethanol industry disagrees. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, America’s ethanol producers are on pace to produce nearly 40 million metric tons of livestock feed in 2011 …
How to Properly Handle Chemicals in a Biorefinery
I’ve spent the last few weeks speaking with people in the biorefining industry in an effort to learn more about safety issues and best practices. The result is a series on Biorefinery Plant Safety and part one focuses on chemical safety. Chemicals are a necessary component of producing ethanol or biodiesel. On the ethanol side, some plants use chlorine dioxide …
How To Accelerate Wind Energy Development
Renewable energy is one of the fastest growing sectors of energy in the U.S. Last year wind energy was only second to natural gas in terms of providing new electric generation. Bill White with David Gardiner & Associates told me during an interview that it won’t be long before wind energy surpasses all other forms of energy for new electric …
NASCAR Popular at Farm Progress Show
There were quite a few race cars mixed in with the tractors and combines this year at the 2011 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois. In addition Richard Childress and the American Ethanol NASCAR Sprint Series car at the Growth Energy exhibit, over at the Illinois Corn Growers exhibit, the Illinois Family Farmers NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Kenny Wallace was …