It has been a long day at the track here in Newton, IA for the lead up to the Iowa Corn Indy 250. I’ve updated my photo album and am calling it quits for the night since we’ve got to be back out at the track early. This is the top of the trophy that someone will walk away with …
EPIC Executive Director Happy
I think the logo for the Iowa Indy Corn 250, presented by Ethanol is very nice. It really looks good on the lawn in between the track and the pits here at Iowa Speedway. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council is very involved in the promotion of this race, working very closely with organizations like the Iowa Corn Growers Association …
Jeff Simmons in Practice
It’s practice time here at the Iowa Speedway for the IndyCars. Here’s Jeff Simmons leaving the pits for the first session which was delayed this morning due to some foggy weather problems. Jeff had a great first practice session with the second fastest lap. They’re just now finishing up the second session. Jeff is having a pretty good year so …
Iowa Corn Growers Proud of Their IRL Involvement
Tim Recker is an Iowa corn grower and the president-elect of the Iowa Corn Growers Association. He says that corn growers are very proud of their work to bring the inaugural Iowa Corn Indy 250 to reality. I interviewed Tim after he and other ICGA leaders unveiled the trophy for this weekend’s race. He says that the Iowa corn growers …
Casey’s Pumps Discount Gas
One of the ethanol pump promotions coordinated by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council this week was held at Casey’s General Store in Newton, IA just down the road from the Iowa Speedway. The manager of the store is Shawn Retman pictured here on the right. Shawn says she’s really proud of her company for taking part in the effort …
POET Gets New Cellulosic Director
Jim Sturdevant has joined POET as its new director in POET’s partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy to build a commercial cellulosic ethanol production facility. According to this POET press release, Sturdevant joins POET’s Project LIBERTY after 28 years at EROS in Sioux Falls, the last 22 of which were spent with the U.S. Geological Survey: As director of …
Ethanol Big Winner in Energy Bill
The Energy Bill has cleared the U.S. Senate, and the ethanol industry looks like it will benefit the most from the package. This story was posted on CNNMoney.com: If any industry clearly comes out ahead, it’s the ethanol business, analysts say. The Senate bill massively boosts the mandate for ethanol use from 7.5 billion gallons in 2012 to 36 billion …
Coming up in Just a FEW
The 23rd International Fuel Ethanol Workshop is just a few days away now. It is being held next week in St. Louis and Domestic Fuel will be on-hand to cover the opening general session on Wednesday. Highlights of the opening session include a national update on ethanol from Bob Dinneen with the Renewable Fuels Association, as well as presentations on …
NCGA Calls for Better Ethanol Workforce
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have heard more testimony in favor of a bill that would help educate the ethanol workforce. National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) First Vice President Ron Litterer told a House Small Business Committee that the ethanol industry requires a continued commitment in providing a well trained workforce. A news release posted on the NCGA web site says …
Lack of Funding for Biofuels Research Concerns Ag Secretary
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns is disappointed with the 2007 Farm Bill he sees developing in the House Agriculture Committee for a number of reasons. One of them is lack of funding for cellulosic ethanol research. Johanns says the farm bill proposal put forth by the administration boosted cellulosic ethanol research funding by $1.6 billion and had over $2 billion in …