Registration is now open for the 16th Annual Commodity Classic in Tampa, March 3-5. The annual event will be “smooth sailing” for soybean, corn, wheat and sorghum farmers and biofuels will be a big part of the event, as always. Growers who attend the 2011 Commodity Classic are sure to benefit from the value of attending a trade show with …
Biodiesel – A Great Success Story
“Biodiesel is a great fuel. It’s a great success story,” said Rob Joslin, the President of the American Soybean Association when I asked him during an interview (see below for audio) why biodiesel is so important to our country. While the biodiesel has had great success, it is currently facing a challenge – the $1 per gallon tax credit expired …
Sorghum Poised for Bigger Role in Ethanol Production
Today, about 1/3 of the sorghum crop goes into ethanol production. An interesting little piece of information I picked up when I spoke with Gerald Simonsen, the Chairman of the National Sorghum Producers during Commodity Classic. Sorghum is a good feedstock for ethanol production for several reasons. First, it uses half the amount of water used in corn production and …
Delay on E15 Waiver “Troubling”
The E15 waiver was a hot topic during Commodity Classic and for good reason: EPA administrator Lisa Jackson, in response to a question asked during a Congressional hearing, said she felt they’d be ready to make a decision late summer. Originally, the EPA was to have ruled on the E15 waiver, that would waive the Clean Air Act to allow …
Novozymes Achieves Cellulosic Enzyme Breakthrough
Each day, cellulosic gets closer to becoming commercially viable in the marketplace. Two weeks ago, a major hurdle was overcome with the announcement that Novozymes’ enzyme Cellic® CTec2, used for cellulosic ethanol production with feedstocks such as corn stover and corn cobs, is now 50 cents per gallon. I had the opportunity to learn more about this breakthrough when I …
NCERC – Corn Ethanol Still Has Room to Grow
“Some people believe that corn ethanol is an old technology. We believe just the opposite,” said John Caupert, the Director for the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) during an interview with me at Commodity Classic. “We feel the corn ethanol industry is still in its infancy and through technological advancements, there’s much more to learn and prove in corn ethanol …
Corn Grower President Stresses Ethanol Issues
Ethanol issues were in the spotlight when National Corn Growers Association president Darrin Ihnen of South Dakota took the stage at the Commodity Classic general session on Friday. Ihnen talked about the importance of using higher blends of ethanol in the fuel supply. “The EPA is studying the issue and everything they’ve indicated to this date looks very promising,” said …
Soybean President Wants Biodiesel Tax Credit Back
During the general session of the 2010 Commodity Classic, American Soybean Association president Rob Joslin, who stressed the importance of getting the biodiesel tax credit back in place. “We need it now,” Joslin said. “It’s costing U.S. soybean farmers 25 cents for every bushel. On my 500 acres of soybeans, that’s over $6000 a year. Couple that with all the …
Vilsack Anticipates Approval of E15
“I’m not troubled by getting it right as long as we get it right. And I think we’re headed in the right direction. I’m anticipating we’ll see some increase in the blend rate,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack during a press conference at Commodity Classic when asked about EPA’s delaying the decision to increase the blend rate to E15. …
LACTROL, Leading Antibiotic for Ethanol Industry
You may not have heard about Phibro Ethanol Performance Group but what they offer is what they believe is the top performing antibiotic in the ethanol industry. According to Tom Slunecka, Phibro’s VP of Marketing, testing has shown that their base product, LACTROL, “outperforms all other products on the market.” Phibro Ethanol Performance Group is a subsidiary of PhibroChem, a third-generation …