Farmer and Nebraska Ethanol Board member Scott McPheeters joined a diverse panel of agricultural producers at the recent Bayer AgVocacy Forum in Orlando, prior to Commodity Classic. McPheeters shared the stage with California specialty crop producer Don Cameron, Terranova Ranch; South Carolina cotton and diversified crop farmer Jeff Wilson, Cotton Hills Farm; and Michelle Erickson-Jones, aka BigSkyFarmHer on Twitter, a …
2018 Second Highest Year for Distillers Grains Exports
U.S. exports of the ethanol co-product distillers grains (DG) were the second-highest on record in 2018, totaling 11.88 million metric tons (MMT), according to a new report from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). An estimated 31 percent of U.S. DG production was exported in 2018, meaning nearly one out of every three tons produced was exported to 50 countries on …
Diverse Coalition Submits Soil Health Comments
The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) joined agricultural and environmental groups in submitting comments on soil health this week. The Soil Health Demonstration Trial will provide economic assistance to assist willing farmers participating in the project to assess baseline soil carbon conditions, adopt conservation practices to improve soil carbon sequestration, and measure the resulting soil carbon improvements. “We look forward …
USDA Deputy Secretary Stresses Ethanol Support
USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky visited the 2019 National Ethanol Conference in Orlando this week to stress the administration’s strong support of ethanol. “You have very strong advocates in Sec. Perdue, myself and all of us at USDA who are working on your behalf as well as President Trump, who has also been a strong supporter – as you all …
Study Finds Minimal Corn Ethanol Land Use Change
A newly released study published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics finds no evidence to support concerns about large indirect land use change effect of corn ethanol causing expansion in cropland and reduction in grasslands and forests. Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) members Madhu Khanna and Yijia Li from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Ruiqing Miao …
Corn and Ethanol Co-Sponsor 2019 Crappie Masters Tournament
The 2019 Crappie Masters Tournament Trail is about to begin a new year of showcasing the benefits of 10 percent ethanol blends for fishing and boating. The first of 16 tournaments begins Friday, February 1 in Deland, Florida on the St. Johns River. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) are co-title sponsors of the …
DigestData Launched for Bio-based Start-ups
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has joined with Biofuels Digest to create and launch DigestData, an online database to help facilitate networking and the transfer of information between interested parties working in the bio-based industry. NCGA’s sponsorship provides DigestData users with free access to search research and pilot scale facilities along with facility details such as certifications, available equipment, …
USGC Releases Latest Corn Harvest Quality Report
A warm and moist growing season resulted in near-record yields and good quality for the 2018 corn crop, according to the U.S. Grain Council’s (USGC) 2018/2019 Corn Harvest Quality Report. The report revealed the majority of 2018 corn crop conditions were rated as good or excellent during the growing season, leading to strong plant health, good kernel size and a …
Praise for Farm Bill Soil Carbon Pilot Program
Several organizations are pleased that the new farm bill includes a climate-friendly soil carbon pilot program. The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) thank the Farm Bill conferees for including language in the 2018 Farm Bill to establish an Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) pilot …
Ethanol Interests Testify on Proposed Fuels Act
Ethanol stakeholder groups were among those testifying Tuesday at a House Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee hearing to review a discussion draft of the 21st Century Transportation Fuels Act, which would effectively repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Geoff Cooper said that while the draft legislation is “an important first step in the debate …