Here’s Jeff Simmons posing with Scott Sharp (right) who drives the Rahal-Letterman Patron-sponsored car. I interviewed Scott during an open media session at Club Patron which is basically a mobile hospitality venue (Tequila bar). I think it’s interesting that Rahal has sponsors that create ethanol for fuel and for human consumption! I made sure I sampled and Patron is where …
Jeff Simmons Ready To Race
It has been a hot sunny afternoon in south Florida. Fortunately the Indy cars get to do qualifying for race start position tonight under race time conditions since the XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 is a night race tomorrow. Here’s Jeff getting ready to run his practice laps earlier today. This afternoon I caught up to Jeff at the Rahal-Letterman …
Florida Needs Ethanol
An aerial promotion campaign for ethanol in the Sunshine State took off this past weekend over the racetrack at Sebring, the theme parks in Orlando and the beaches of Fort Meyers. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council will be flying this banner over cities from Miami to Jacksonville in the next few weeks to get the message out that Florida …
Ethanol Branding Makes Progress
Being able to identify ethanol at the pump nationwide can help consumers “fill up and feel good” no matter where they are. That’s the goal of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council’s “e” branding program, which already has seven states on board in just a few months. This edition of “Fill up, Feel Good” talks about the progress, the program’s …
Global Warming Education
One of the goals of Will Steger’s Global Warming 101 expedition is to educate students about the impact of global climate change on the people living closest to the Arctic Circle. That’s why there are two educators on the expedition, which is currently traveling across Canada’s Baffin Island. One of them is Abby Fenton of Boston, Massachusetts. “Right now we …
Food Prices Only Expected to Increase Moderately
Despite a 100 percent increase in corn prices due to higher ethanol demand, the overall impact on food prices is expected to be minimal, according to an agriculture department economist. Ephraim Leibtag, USDA’s food price economist, says retail food prices are forecast to increase two to three percent this year. “That’s a little bit higher than what we’ve seen in …
Biofuels Take Center Stage at NFU Convention
The National Farmers Union 105th annual convention in Orlando recently was very focused on alternative energy. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi spent a significant portion of her keynote speech at the convention talking about alternative energy, from ethanol to wind. “By making the investments we need to make in renewable energy, we can turn America’s farms and fields into …
Racing Into History on Alternatives… for a Cause
Meet the latest racer in the alternative fuel racing game… the man behind the wheel of the spiced red, number 24 Volkswagen Jetta TDI… Jim Osborn, the President of Chili Pepper Racing. “We race in what’s considered the most relevant racing series in North America. It’s called the Speed World Challenge Touring Car Series.” Osborn explains that they take street …
Let the Market Sort it Out
To anyone concerned about high grain prices, the impact of biofuels on the livestock industry, or whether we will have enough corn to meet all needs, Dean Kleckner has just one message: “Let the market sort it out.” Kleckner is the chairman of Truth About Trade & Technology, an industry group that is pro-trade and pro-biotechnology. He is also a …
Forum Focuses on Energy
The theme was Agriculture at the Crossroads — Energy, Farm & Rural Policy and it was obvious that energy was the headliner at USDA’s 2007 Outlook Forum last week. The plenary session of the Forum featured some of the top names in agribusiness – ADM CEO Patricia Woertz, Cargill president Greg Page and CHS president John Johnson, together with Red …