Biodiesel Board Chairman Re-elected

Cindy Zimmerman

For a third year, the biodiesel industry has chosen farmer-leader Darryl Brinkmann to lead the National Biodiesel Board. A soybean grower from Carlyle, Ill., Brinkmann has the charge of leading the organization as chairman during yet another year of intense growth and change for the alternative fuel. Brinkmann has served as a board member for the nonprofit trade association since …

Biodiesel

Case IH Supports Biodiesel

Cindy Zimmerman

Case IH is the latest equipment manufacturer to announce support for B20, a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel. The company has announced that customers can use B20 in most Case IH engines and B5 (5 percent biodiesel) in all Case IH engines. In addition, Case IH uses biodiesel blends as the factory fill in most cases. …

Biodiesel

Brazil Opens First Ethanol-Biodiesel Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

Reuters reports on a first for Brazil’s biofuels industry: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva showcased Brazil’s prowess in the alternative fuels industry on Tuesday when he inaugurated Barralcool, the first integrated biofuels plant that will produce cane-based ethanol and biodiesel from oilseeds. Brazil, with its huge agricultural potential, has for decades had the world’s most advanced biofuels market. After …

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

Study Finds Biotech Will Meet Food and Fuel Demands

Cindy Zimmerman

A National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy study suggests that biotechnology plays a vital role in meeting the increased demand for corn production for food, feed and fuel. According to the study, U.S. farmers gained an additional 8.3 billion pounds of yield last year due to biotech crops, including an extra 7.6 billion pounds of corn production, a 29 …

Biodiesel, Biotech, Ethanol, News

25 x ’25 Could Help Rural Economy

Cindy Zimmerman

The alliance known as 25X’25 has just completed a study that outlines the positive impact producing 25 percent of the nation’s energy supply from renewable sources by 2025 could have on rural America. According to J. Read Smith, co-chair of the 25x’25 Project Steering Committee, “Not only would reaching the goal drastically reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources, it …

Audio, Biodiesel, Ethanol, News, Research

Biodiesel Boost For Economy

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Biodiesel Board this week released a new economic study that shows “how biodiesel plants are a boon to the U.S. economy as they sprout up across the nation.” According to the study: America’s biodiesel industry will add $24 billion to the U.S. economy between 2005 and 2015, assuming biodiesel growth reaches 650 million gallons of annual production by …

Biodiesel, Research

Talking Biofuels in Kansas City

Chuck Zimmerman

Cindy and I are attending the National Association of Farm Broadcasters Convention in Kansas City this week. It follows the National Agri-Marketing Association’s Agribusiness Forum. I’m sure we’ll have several posts for you over the next few days that will include interviews with some people we hope you’ll find interesting. For example, at yesterday’s Forum session one of the presenters …

Audio, Biodiesel, Ethanol

Domestic Fuels Go Hollywood

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol and biodiesel took center stage in Hollywood over the weekend with the World Premiere of the award-winning “Freedom Fuels,” directed and produced by Martin O’Brien. The picture debuted on November 11 at the “Third Annual Artivist Film Festival and Awards” in Hollywood. “Freedom Fuels” received an award for best short in the Environmental Preservation category. According to the filmaker’s …

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

Biofuels Could Complicate WTO

Cindy Zimmerman

The International Food and Agricultural Policy Trade Council has conducted the first comprehensive assessment of how World Trade Organization disciplines may apply to the rapidly expanding biofuels sector. The study sets out key WTO issues that need to be clarified, such as the classification of biofuels and their feedstocks and whether they are to be considered industrial, agricultural or environmental …

Audio, Biodiesel, Ethanol, News