On the eve of the deadline for providing comments to the Environmental Protection Agency on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) waiver request, the ethanol industry has released a new study that indicates a waiver could actually increase the cost of feed for livestock and poultry producers. The analysis, conducted by Cardno-ENTRIX and commissioned by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), finds …
Report: Distillers Grains Enhance Cattle Diet
According to research conducted by a team from the Department of Animal Science at the University of Nebraska, cattle feed of treated corn stover mixed with distillers grains (DDGS) from ethanol plants can reduce feed costs for cattle feeders. The goal of the research is to continue to provide livestock feeders with options for optimizing feeding efficiency. The current project …
Vilsack Defends Ethanol at Dairy Expo
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack held a town hall meeting at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin this week and took questions from the audience, one of which concerned ethanol and the impact it has had on livestock producers. The questioner, who was from California, said ethanol was “not a very popular word” with dairy farmers in her state. “Where …
Top 10 Efficiency & Technology Innovations
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) has released a Top 10 list of efficiency and technology innovations of the past decade. IRFA Vice President and Absolute Energy CEO Rick Schwarck noted that while a lot has been written about the ethanol and biodiesel industry since the passing of the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2005, not enough focus has been on …
Ethanol Production Declines
New data has been released from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) regarding ethanol production data that averaged 796,000 barrels per day (d/d) or 33.43 million gallons daily. This is down 6,000 b/d from the previous week. The four week average ethanol production is 819,000 b/d for an annualized rate of 12.55 billion gallons. Gasoline demand for last week averaged 363.7 million gallons …
Ethanol Output and Exports Drop
U.S. ethanol production is the lowest its been in nearly two years, and exports are continuing to drop. According to the latest Energy Information Administration data, ethanol production averaged 821,000 barrels, or just under 34.5 million gallons, per day the week ending July 6. That is down 36,000 barrels per day from the week before and is the lowest weekly …
China Drops Anti-Dumping DDGS Case
China‘s commerce ministry is ending an 18-month anti-dumping investigation into imports of the ethanol co-product distillers dried grains (DDGS), offering the opportunity to bring U.S. exports back up as it means no anti-dumping tariffs will be imposed. China’s imports of DDGs dropped by nearly half last year compared to 2010 when they topped 2.5 million metric tons, up 385 percent …
Ethanol Co-Product Prices Higher
Tight corn supplies, higher corn prices, low ethanol processing margins, export demand and high soybean meal prices are among the factors contributing to higher prices for dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS), the ethanol co-product used as livestock feed. South Dakota State University economics professor Darrell Mark says price for distillers grains usually declines going into summer as cattle feedlot …
US Ethanol Exports Trending Lower
Last year was a huge year for exports of U.S. ethanol and co-products, but so far this year it appears unlikely exports will reach that same high level. U.S. ethanol exports in 2011 totaled 1.2 billion gallons. As of April, exports stood at just under 309 million gallons, which would bring this year’s total to under a billion gallons if …
Ethanol Co-Product Gains Foothold in Oil Country
The livestock feed that is a co-product of ethanol production is gaining a foothold in the country that is synonymous with oil, thanks to the efforts of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC). Saudi Arabia has always been the oil capitol of the world, but when Venezuela took the number one spot last year, the Saudis began to focus on diversifying …