The National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) annual convention in Kansas City is one of Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen’s favorite events of the year. This year the big issue that everyone was talking about was the election and how it might impact the industry. On Tuesday, November 8, 2016 Donald Trump was voted in as …

Changing Cell Behavior Could Boost #Biofuels
A Washington University computer scientist may have cracked a new code to improve biofuel production. Michael Brent, the Henry Edwin Sever Professor of Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, has learned how to coax cells to do natural things under unnatural circumstances. The key was an algorithm Brent developed called NetSurgeon. The program recommends genes that can …
Sleepy Eye Students Learn about Minnesota #Ethanol
Students from Sleepy Eye High School recently learned about ethanol when they toured the nearby Highwater Ethanol located in Lamberton, Minn. During the tour, the 23 students learned about ethanol production – specifically how Highwater Ethanol produced nearly 60 million gallons of ethanol in 2015. “The opportunity to host Sleepy High School for this tour was a great opportunity for …
Mick Henderson Takes the Mic on Car Clinic
Commonwealth Agri-Energy General Manager Mick Henderson is taking the mic during Bobby Likis Car Clinic tomorrow. Henderson, who is also the Chairman of the Board for the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), joins Likis Saturday, November 5, 2016 at 10:41 am ET. With the 2017 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) rule nearing the end of interagency review (officially November 30, 2016), Henderson …
Why Ethanol Gas Is Never Going Away
Digital Trends recently examined ethanol in our fuel in an article, “Is ethanol in your gas a problem? We revisited the question with an expert,” written by Jeff Zurschmeide. The piece was a follow-up to an earlier story, “The effects of ethanol in gasoline,” that created quite a dialogue in its comment section. For this piece, Zurschmeide reached out to …
Sheetz Opens #E15, #E85 Station in Virginia
Virgina drivers now have access to E15 and E85 with the opening of a new Sheetz station. This marks the 10th E85 and E15 station in the state, and the infrastructure for the mid-level and high-level blends of ethanol was paid for in part by a USDA Biofuel Infrastructure Project Grant. The new station is located at 11774 Sudley Manor …
GFRA Tells G20 to Take Immediate Climate Action
On the heels of the recent data showing that global temperature rise has been accelerating at faster rates than were anticipated when negotiating the Paris Agreement during COP21, Bliss Baker, president of the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GFRA) is calling on G20 countries to take immediate climate action on reducing GHG emissions. The climate data was released by National Aeronautics …
Homeland Energy Joins Billion Gallon #Ethanol Club
Homeland and Energy Solutions has joined the one billion gallons of ethanol club. The ethanol plant produced its one billionth gallon on August 31, 2016. The biorefinery went in to production in April 2009 and today has a nameplate capacity of 150 million gallons of ethanol each year. It’s one of the largest dry grind plants in operation today and …
Ames Lab to Develop Imaging to Study Plant Walls
The saying “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” is being put to the test with research funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to deconstruct plant cell walls as a means of learning how to more effectively convert plant material into bioenergy. The project has been awarded $1 million per year for three years. The research will …
RFA Offering NEC Student Scholarships
Once again the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is offering six scholarships for college students interested in learning more about ethanol by attending the National Ethanol Conference (NEC). The annual event will take place February 20-22, 2017 in San Diego, California. Scholarships will cover the cost of the conference registration fee of $899. Recipients are responsible for other costs including travel …