For the first month of 2018, the amount of corn used to make ethanol in the U.S. was down two percent from December 2017 but up one percent from January 2017, according to the latest USDA Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production report. Corn use for fuel alcohol totaled 476 million bushels in January 2018 with dry milling fuel production and …
Ethanol and DDGS Exports Fall in January
U.S. ethanol exports dropped by half in January compared to December’s record high, according to government data released this morning and analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). January ethanol exports totaled 88.3 million gallons (mg), the lowest volume in four months. Despite the imposition of a tariff rate quota and 20% tariff in September, Brazil was the leading destination …
Ecuador Livestock Producers Visit MN Ethanol Plant
A delegation of livestock producers from Ecuador visited the Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company (CVEC) plant in Minnesota this week to get a better understanding of dried distiller’s grains (DDGs) production. “We were honored to welcome the delegation from Ecuador. DDGs are an important co-product in ethanol production and we produce about 120,000 tons of DDGs a year,” said Chad Friese, …
Grains Council Adds Staff to Grow Ethanol Exports
The U.S. Grains Council is adding a new strategic director in Asia and assistant director in Southeast Asia to help increase near-term demand for feed grain sales and build long-term demand for ethanol among global customers. Tim Tierney has joined the Council as director of strategic marketing/ethanol in North Asia, filling a new role that seeks to capitalize on both …
Report Finds Opportunities for Ethanol and DDG Exports
A new report from USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) says an increase in global ethanol mandates is creating additional export opportunities for the U.S. ethanol industry, but it depends on the ability to increase production and keep those markets open. According to Global Ethanol Mandates: Opportunities for U.S. Exports of Ethanol and DDGS, 26 countries have implemented blending mandates since …
New Zealand Triples U.S. DDGS Purchases
New Zealand is producing record amounts of milk this year and feeding triple the amount of U.S. distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) compared to last year, according to the U.S. Grains Council. New Zealand has purchased 113,000 metric tons of U.S. DDGS so far this year compared to just 37,000 tons imported the same time last year. While this …
Iowa Makes $2.8B Grain Deal with Taiwan
A trade team from Taiwan visited Iowa last week and signed letters of intent to purchase $2.8 billion worth of U.S. grains over the next two years. The deal includes corn, soybeans, wheat, and the ethanol co-product distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS). Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) Director Mark Heckman signed the letter of intent between ICPB and the …
Vietnam to Resume Imports of U.S. DDGS
The government of Vietnam has notified the U.S. that it will resume imports of American distillers dried grains (DDGS), which were suspended in December 2016 after reported detections of quarantine pests in U.S. shipments, according to USDA. Prior to the suspension, Vietnam was the third-largest market for U.S. DDGS, with exports valued at more than $230 million in 2016. The …
Ethanol and Biodiesel Groups Testify on Trade Issues
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) both testified at a U.S. Department of Commerce hearing Thursday to provide input on a recent Executive Order concerning significant trade deficits. The NBB testified about the harm being caused to the U.S. biodiesel industry from increasing volumes of imports from Indonesia, while RFA was focused on China’s recent …
D3MAX Reports Better Than Expected Pilot Test
D3MAX cellulosic ethanol technology is showing better than expected results in pilot test data at ACE Ethanol in Stanley, Wisconsin which began in February. According to the company, the pilot test results indicate that “the yield of xylose sugar from the xylan in corn fiber routinely exceeds 90% of the theoretical maximum yield, and overall sugar production in the pilot …