China is lagging behind in its purchases of energy products under the Phase One agreement, but USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney says they could get there with more ethanol and distillers grains (DDGs). During a virtual appearance at the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) annual conference this week, McKinney updated attendees on ag trade with …
Video Spotlights Ethanol’s Important Co-Products
A new educational video from the Renewable Fuels Association and Kansas Corn spotlights all of the important co-products that come from ethanol production. Those products include distillers grains for livestock feed, distillers oil used to make biodiesel, and captured carbon dioxide for the food and beverage industries. With fuel ethanol demand experiencing a significant reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic, which …
Export Exchange 2020 Postponed to 2021
The biennial Export Exchange is being postponed until 2021. The Exchange is co-sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association, U.S. Grains Council, and Growth Energy and held every other year to bring together buyers and sellers of U.S. coarse grains and co-products, including the distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS). The three organizations issued a joint statement on the postponement. “As …
USDA Lowers Corn for Ethanol Outlook
COVID-19 took its toll on the April World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates released Thursday, especially for corn and soybeans. This month’s 2019/20 U.S. corn outlook is for reduced imports, greater feed and residual use, lower food, seed, and industrial use, and larger stocks. Feed and residual use is raised 150 million bushels to 5.675 billion. This is based on …
Farm Bureau Details COVID-19 Impact on Ethanol
Agricultural commodity prices are taking big hits from the COVID-19 emergency, and one of the most hard hit sectors is ethanol, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). In the past month, dairy prices have dropped 26-36%, corn futures have dropped by 14%, soybean futures are down 8% and cotton futures have plummeted 31%. Hog futures are down by …
NCGA and USGC Leaders Visit Vietnam and Myanmar
Leaders of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) learned firsthand about the Southeast Asian market for U.S. corn and co-products last week during a joint officers mission to Vietnam and Myanmar. Vietnam is one of the fastest growing feed markets in the world – thanks to population and economic growth – and a major buyer …
Ethanol Industry Mourns Loss of Randy Ives
The ethanol industry lost a pioneer and a great friend this week as Randy Ives, 63, of Omaha, Nebraska has passed away after a courageous battle with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Ives was a U.S. Grains Council (USGC) delegate and a key figure in the development of distiller’s dried grain with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol market …
ACE Honors Randy Ives with Merle Anderson Award
The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) presented its highest award to Randy Ives, U.S. Grains Council (USGC) delegate and a key figure in the development of distiller’s dried grain with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol market development programs. The Merle Anderson Award, named after the founder of ACE, is given to individuals who display unmatched dedication and support to the organization …
Industry Stakeholders Discuss Distillers Feed Products
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) recently held the first Distillers Feed Products Nutrition Roundtable, bringing together livestock and poultry producers, animal nutrition experts, and ethanol technology providers to discuss the changing number and nutrient profile of distillers feed products. As the profile of distillers feed products change, challenges and opportunities arise. Beef, pork, poultry, and dairy experts, Drs. Dan …
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 …