Syngenta made headlines this week with news that ChemChina, a Chinese state-owned company, has offered to acquire the company with the cash purchase of all Syngenta shares. The $43 billion deal must still be approved by two-thirds of Syngenta shareholders and receive regulatory approval. During a call with reporters, Syngenta Chief Operating Officer Davor Piskof said the offer will allow …
Gevo, Porta Building Isobutanol Plants in Argentina
Renewable energy technology company Gevo, Inc. has inked a deal with South American alcohol maker Porta Hnos S.A. to build several isobutanol plants in Argentina. This Gevo news release says they plan to use corn as a feedstock. The first plant is to be wholly owned by Porta and is anticipated to begin producing isobutanol in 2017. The plant is …
Ethanol in Ag Economic Outlook
At the ASTA CSS 2015 and Seed Expo last week, AgResource Company president Dan Basse presented his economic outlook for agriculture during the opening general session for the fifth year in a row, and once more biofuels figured into the picture. Basse talked about a “world awash in grain” with record global wheat and soybean crops and second largest corn …
Iowa Corn Receives Bio-Based Process Patent
The Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) has received a U.S. patent (U.S. 2015/0329449) for a production method using corn in the industrial manufacturing of a raw material called monoethylene glycol (MEG). The product can be used as a replacement of fossil-fuel-based chemicals used in products such as plastics and helps the product to biodegrade. “Patenting this research will lead to …
Midwest Renewable Energy to use Enogen® corn
Syngenta has signed an agreement with Midwest Renewable Energy to begin using Enogen® corn enzyme technology at its Sutherland, Nebraska ethanol production facility beginning with the 2016 planting season. “The agreement with MRE will enable them to source alpha amylase enzyme directly from local growers and keep enzyme dollars in the local community,” said Chris Tingle, head of marketing for …
Oilseeds, Corn Rise on Biodiesel, Ethanol Numbers
Futures prices for oilseeds, such as soybeans, as well as the price of corn rose after the federal government’s announcement on the amount of biodiesel and ethanol to be blended into the nation’s fuel supply. This report from Nasdaq says soybean prices rose to a five-week high, while corn prices also saw some gains. Buying in the soybean-oil market also …
NFU Highlights RFS Success
Organizations are still reacting to the letter sent by 184 Congressman, including some for top corn producing states, calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce the volumes of corn-based ethanol blended into America’s fuel supply as part of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The EPA has sent their final rule drafts to the Office of Budget and Management …
Fuels America Launches New Ad Campaign
Fuels America is launching a new seven-figure TV and digital ad campaign today urging President Obama to make a choice between the oils industry and renewable fuels for the future. The campaign depicts President Obama’s choice of who to listen to when it comes to the Renewable Fuel Standard: his own experts who have repeatedly shown that ethanol and renewable …
White Paper Released on Farm Income and the RFS
Leaders of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and the National Farmers Union (NFU) jointly released a new white paper Thursday on how the EPA’s proposed rule for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is threatening farm income and rural economies across the United States. The paper cites the latest USDA data on net cash income for American farmers and ranchers, …
Ethanol Production with Enogen Tops 1B Gallons
There are now 16 ethanol plants using Enogen corn according to Syngenta. When combined, the plants have a production capacity of more than 1 billion gallons of ethanol per year. In addition, Syngenta says there are also in talks with a number of other plants to begin using the only biotech corn designed specifically to improve ethanol production. Last year, …