Keynote speaker for the second annual Tech Hub LIVE last week was David Widmar, managing partner at Agricultural Economic Insights (AEI), who offered his insights on where we are in the farm economy production agriculture business cycle, some key demographic trends, and some key conversations to have with growers. Widmar says one of the main favorable factors in the current …
Corn Planted Acres Down Four Percent
Acres planted to corn are lower compared to last year while soybean acreage is a little higher, according to the Acreage report from USDA‘s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). USDA estimates 89.9 million acres of corn planted in the United States for 2022, down 4% from last year. Soybean area planted is estimated at 88.3 million acres, up 1% from …
NCGA Podcast Busts Ethanol Myths
Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper joined National Corn Growers Association CEO Jon Doggett on his most recent podcast episode to help knock down some common misconceptions about ethanol. Not surprisingly, they are the same myths the industry has been fighting for decades – ethanol is bad for small engines, bad for the environment, costs too much energy …
Export Exchange is Back for 2022
The Renewable Fuels Association, U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and Growth Energy are pleased to open registration for the first Export Exchange since 2018, scheduled for October 12-14, 2022, in Minneapolis. The biennial event had to be cancelled due to COVID in 2020 and again in 2021 but this year the sponsoring organizations expect to bring together 200 international buyers and …
Panamanian Delegation Learns About US Ethanol
Panamanian stakeholders were in the United States last week to learn more about the economic and environmental benefits of implementing ethanol blend policies and to become familiar with the various aspects of the ethanol industry and the opportunities to complement local ethanol production with imports. Led by the U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC) Latin America regional ethanol consultants, Juan Diaz and …
Iowa Governor Signs Biofuels Access Bill
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the Biofuels Access Bill into law on Tuesday morning surrounded by farmers and biofuels supporters on a family farm outside of Prairie City. The bill makes Iowa the first state in the nation to adopt an E15 standard and expands access to higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel across the state, lowering fuel prices for …
USDA Corn Outlook for Lower Production, Higher Prices
USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates released Thursday report the 2022/23 U.S. corn outlook is for lower production, domestic use, exports, ending stocks, and higher prices. The corn crop is projected at 14.5 billion bushels, down 4.3 percent from last year. The corn yield is projected at 177.0 bushels per acre, 4.0 bushels below the weather adjusted trend presented …
Nebraska Renewable Fuels Month Features Student Social Media Campaign
May is Renewable Fuels Month in Nebraska and high school students took on the mission of educating their peers about reducing their energy use and carbon footprint through the Field to Fuel student social media contest. Students were tasked with planning a one-week social media campaign to promote Renewable Fuels Month – a celebration recognized in May by Nebraskans and …
New Study Shows Impact of RFS on Biofuels Production
Purdue University recently released the first comprehensive study on the impact of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) on the expansion of biofuels production in the U.S. The RFS was established in 2005, and was expanded and extended by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Purdue agricultural economist Farzad Taheripour led the study which examined the economic impact of …
Rail Disruptions Impacting Ag and Biofuels
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) heard about how agricultural and biofuels producers are being impacted by rail service challenges during a two-day hearing this week. USDA Deputy Secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh told the board how rail disruptions are impacting farmers, ranchers and consumers. “Elevators are full and therefore cannot purchase more grain from farmers, and livestock operations are unable to …