The Biofuels Benchmarking 2012-13 Annual Report is out and in addition to identifying past, current and future biofuel trends, the report identifies some emerging trends for the ethanol industry. During an interview with John Christianson, partner with Christianson & Associates, PPLP (C&A), I asked him what trends they have been seeing and he noted five in particular of importance. Christianson …
Genscape Invokes NASA for Updated Corn Yield Forecast
As the federal government and its agencies begin to ramp up from a mandated furlough, Genscape is filling the gap by using NASA satellite data. The company has released an updated October corn yield forecast of 13.3 billion bushels. The company has noted that other analysts, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), have wide gaps in their predictions ranging …
Global Farmers Learn Value of Ethanol
Each year during World Food Prize week, the Truth About Trade and Technology Global Farmer Roundtable brings farmers from all over the world to visit Couser Cattle Company in Nevada, Iowa. Owner Bill Couser not only produces cattle, he also grows plenty of corn on his operation and is a big proponent of ethanol as a means of getting the …
Corn Crop Enough to Meet RFS
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is weighing in on the speculation about what the 2014 volume requirements for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) might be. NCGA president Martin Barbre, a corn grower from Illinois, says the statute currently calls for corn starch ethanol to account for 14.4 billion gallons, an amount that can easily be provided by the industry. …
Pacific Ethanol Extracting Corn Oil for Biodiesel
In an effort to add value to its ethanol operation, a western green fuel refinery is now extracting non-food grade corn oil that could be turned into biodiesel. This article from the Sacramento (CA) Business Journal says the Stockton, Calif. operation for Pacific Ethanol Inc. adds the corn oil extraction to the list of other products the plant produces, including …
Study Refutes Land Use Change Myth
A recent report released from researchers in the Netherlands shows that current models assessing the impact of crops grown for biofuel production on land use (indirect land use change /ILUC) do not accurately reflect current production and land use realities. Given the impact of these models on bioenergy policy, the paper, “Biomass Research,” makes a strong case for updating the …
NE Corn Board: Calculate Cost Per Mile with E85
Prices at the pump for E85 ethanol are substantially lower than regular gasoline or even other mixes of ethanol. But with the lower price, sometimes you sacrifice mileage. But as this story from Nebraska TV says, the key word is sometimes. As gas prices rise, the cost of E85 has become even more attractive to [flex fuel vehicle] owners despite …
Corn Price Drop Helps Ethanol Make Money Again
A drop in the price for the price for the primary feedstock for ethanol, corn, is helping ethanol producers make money again on the green fuel. This article from the Minneapolis (MN) Star Tribune looked at the industry tracking service Biofuels Benchmarking and how the new corn crop is helping put those margins back in the black. “We are forecasting …
New Holland Helping Farmers and Ethanol
Farmers who provide corn for ethanol plants can get special discounts on New Holland equipment and help the ethanol industry at the same time. New Holland district sales manager Bob Kacher says their American Ethanol Producers Club is an initiative they developed two years ago with Growth Energy to help both growers and the ethanol industry. “It offers the opportunity …
American Ethanol Powered by New Holland
New Holland is proud to be powering American Ethanol as the premier equipment partner for Growth Energy and its member ethanol plants. “We’re pushing forward with a positive message about ethanol and working together with not just the plants but also the producers,” said Luke Johnson, Growth Initiatives sales manager with New Holland, at the kickoff of a New Holland …