Leaders from a broad alliance of agricultural, energy, environmental, business and labor groups recently rolled out a set of specific recommendations for reaching an ambitious renewable energy goal: 25 percent of the nation’s energy supply from renewable sources by 2025. Members of the 25x’25 Alliance were at the recent Commodity Classic to answer questions and discuss goals with members of …
Feed Fight on the Hill
The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry held a hearing on Thursday to review the impact of increased biofuels production and higher feed costs on the livestock industry. Congressmen heard from one high-ranking USDA official, six livestock industry representatives and the country’s leading expert on the ethanol co-product known as dried distillers grains which is used as a …
Senators Defend Ethanol Tariff
Two Republican senators voiced concerns Wednesday about a potential U.S.-Brazil ethanol accord. Iowa Senator Charles Grassley says he welcomes the President’s efforts to increase ethanol consumption through a partnership with Brazil because “God only made so much oil.” However, he said “We want to welcome it from a standpoint that United States taxpayers are not subsidizing competition,” which he says …
Let the Market Sort it Out
To anyone concerned about high grain prices, the impact of biofuels on the livestock industry, or whether we will have enough corn to meet all needs, Dean Kleckner has just one message: “Let the market sort it out.” Kleckner is the chairman of Truth About Trade & Technology, an industry group that is pro-trade and pro-biotechnology. He is also a …
Forum Focuses on Energy
The theme was Agriculture at the Crossroads — Energy, Farm & Rural Policy and it was obvious that energy was the headliner at USDA’s 2007 Outlook Forum last week. The plenary session of the Forum featured some of the top names in agribusiness – ADM CEO Patricia Woertz, Cargill president Greg Page and CHS president John Johnson, together with Red …
US-Brazil Could Become OPEC of Ethanol
The news sites are all abuzz today about a pending deal that could turn the United States and Brazil into what the AP calls the “OPEC of ethanol.” President Bush is traveling to Brazil late this week and is expected to ink the deal with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva: The deal is still being negotiated, but the …
Energy Department Awards Cellulosic Grants
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded cellulosic ethanol grants to help with the construction of cellulosic ethanol biorefineries. The Renewable Fuels Association released the full list of grant recipients. Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas, LLC of Chesterfield, Missouri, up to $76 million for a proposed plant in Kansas to use 700 tons per day of corn stover, wheat straw, …
UN Panel Recommends Increased Biofuels Use
The United Nations Foundation has released a report outlining a “roadmap for reducing risks from climate change.” Among the report’s recommendations are “mproving efficiency in the transportation sector through measures such as vehicle efficiency standards, fuel taxes, and registration fees/rebates that favor purchase of efficient and alternative fuel vehicles” and “expanding the use of biofuels through energy portfolio standards and …
Broin Receives Energy Department Grant
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the awarding of grants to fund six cellulosic ethanol projects nationwide. Among them is Broin Companies’ $200 million expansion of a conventional corn dry mill facility in Emmetsburg, Iowa into a bio-refinery that will include production of cellulosic ethanol from corn cobs, according to a Broin release. Energy Secretary Samual Bodman made the …
Bush Charged Up Over Alternative Automobiles
A day after getting a close-up look at a 100 percent ethanol-powered IndyCar, President Bush checked out the battery-powered options on the White House South Lawn, calling on Congress to fully fund his budget request for alternative sources of energy. “It’s going to require collaboration between the public sector and the private sector. It’s going to require making sure our …