Ethanol supporters are not wishing OPEC a very happy 50th birthday this week. Growth Energy organized a press event in Washington today with more than 90 supporters and producers of domestic ethanol to mark the 50th anniversary of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries – better known as OPEC. “Since the inception of OPEC we have had conflict in …
Record Corn Crop Means More for Food & Fuel
The crop report was released last week and the USDA is predicting a record harvest – even after accounting for excessive rain in areas of the Midwest. This is promising news as there will be even more corn available for food and fuel. It is interesting to note that prior to ethanol, the excess corn produced had no home. Today, …
Yeast Breakthrough Made for Cellulosic Ethanol
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have made a breakthrough that has some awfully big implications for cellulosic ethanol. They’ve been able to put genes from grass-eating fungi into yeast and created strains that produce alcohol from tough plant material: “By adding these genes to yeast, we have created strains that grow better on plant material than does wild …
Ethanol Blender Pump Opens in Ord, Nebraska
A new ethanol blender pump opening in Ord, Nebraska was a big success last week. Country Partners Cooperative hosted a pump grand opening on Thursday, September 9 with specials on E10, E20, E30 and E85, door prizes and drawings will be held as well as a BBQ served by the local FFA chapter. Country Partner’s blender pump was financially supported …
Valero Corner Store Sells 85 Percent Ethanol
Valero Energy Corporation recently announced that one of its company-owned Valero Corner Stores in San Antonio has begun selling E-85, a blend of fuel consisting of up to 85 percent ethanol blended with unleaded gasoline for use in Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFVs). Valero also announced plans to continue introducing sales of E-85 at new Valero Corner Stores as they’re built. …
Record Corn Crop and More Ethanol Production
Some weather issues over the past month caused USDA to slightly lower the forecast for this year’s corn crop, but it is still expected to be a record at 13.16 billion bushels. The average yield was lowered due to average 162.5 bushels per acre, down 2.5 bushels from the previous month and 2.2 bushels below last year’s record of 164.7 …
Iowa Wins the Grid Iowa Game 35-7
Iowa has won the Grid Iron Game. I’m sure this is no surprise to most people….this year anyway. The final score was Iowa 35, Iowa State 7. Earlier today, I asked many of the Iowa corn growers who would win the game and I must admit, the majority picked Iowa. But the real winners today are the football fans who …
Captain Cornelius Predicts Winner of Grid Iron Game
For us Iowa State fans, this has been a tough game to watch and especially difficult for me because I predicted several times this week that ISU would win. But hey – we are playing the #9 ranked team in the country and this is an ISU re-building year with a new coach, Paul Rhoads. In case you are following …
Getting a Glimpse of the Iowa Football Experience
Last night during the Iowa Corn Growers Association VIP reception at Kinnick Stadium, attendees had the special privilege to hear from former University of Iowa football player Lew Montgomery. Nearly 20 years ago, Waterloo, Iowa native Montgomery was on the 1991 Rose Bowl team, an experience he said he would never forget. Montgomery is no stranger to farming. He grew …