September is officially Renewable Fuels Month in Nebraska now after a proclamation signing by the governor today at Husker Harvest Days. Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman joined state soybean board chair Lisa Lunz, NASCAR Nationwide driver Kenny Wallace and Alan Tiemann, chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board, in making the declaration. “Nebraska’s renewable fuels sector contributes to local communities by providing …
Ethanol Industry Responds to Feed Availability Concerns
Representatives of the U.S. livestock and poultry industries testified before a House agriculture subcommittee today that changes in ethanol policy are necessary to ensure the availability of corn for animal feed, but the ethanol industry disagrees. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, America’s ethanol producers are on pace to produce nearly 40 million metric tons of livestock feed in 2011 …
How to Properly Handle Chemicals in a Biorefinery
I’ve spent the last few weeks speaking with people in the biorefining industry in an effort to learn more about safety issues and best practices. The result is a series on Biorefinery Plant Safety and part one focuses on chemical safety. Chemicals are a necessary component of producing ethanol or biodiesel. On the ethanol side, some plants use chlorine dioxide …
Committee Urged to Consider Ethanol Feed Production
With the latest USDA forecast showing tighter grain supplies, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry is holding a hearing Wednesday on the concerns of livestock and poultry producers about feed availability and ethanol is likely to be a target for blame. In advance of the hearing, officials with Growth Energy have sent a letter to the committee …
USDA Cuts Corn and Ethanol Forecasts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has lowered its estimate of both corn production and ethanol usage of corn for this year. The latest crop forecast for corn was cut three percent in the August report, due to excessive summer heat that lowered average yields by almost five bushels an acre. The estimate for corn production this year is now 12.5 …
MAPCO Puts Another E85 Pump on the Map in Alabama
Flex-fuel vehicle owners in Madison, Alabama now have more choices in filling up with E85, thanks to MAPCO Express and Protec Fuel. This is the first location for the multi-state MAPCO Express to offer 85 percent ethanol blended fuel. The company partnered with florida-based Protec Fuel to convert the station and equipment and provide the E85 fuel for the company’s …
RFA Reminds President of Ethanol Jobs
As President Obama prepares to address the nation with a proposed $400 billion jobs plan, the Renewable Fuels Association is reminding him that American ethanol fuels 400,000 jobs right now and could do even more with more support. In an open letter to the president running today in Politico, RFA president Bob Dinneen says the “American ethanol industry is a …
Grading Grasses for Ethanol Potential
U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers have developed an inexpensive way to grade the ethanol potential of perennial grasses at a biorefinery’s loading dock. Geneticist Ken Vogel (pictured) was one of a team of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists who developed the grading process that costs only about $5 a sample rather than the $300 to $2,000 per sample that …
ACE Announces Winner of Merle Anderson Award
The winner of this year’s Merle Anderson Award goes to USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager for his support of the ethanol industry. The honor was given by the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) following their ethanol conference. Tonsager, who said he was pleased to win the award, was honored for his lifetime commitment to the promotion of …
NASCAR Popular at Farm Progress Show
There were quite a few race cars mixed in with the tractors and combines this year at the 2011 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois. In addition Richard Childress and the American Ethanol NASCAR Sprint Series car at the Growth Energy exhibit, over at the Illinois Corn Growers exhibit, the Illinois Family Farmers NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Kenny Wallace was …