The 2018 corn, soybean, and cotton crops are all forecast to be two percent larger than USDA predicted in August, in the latest crop production report issued Wednesday. Corn production is now forecast at 14.8 billion bushels, up 2 percent from August and up 2 percent from last year. Based on conditions as of September 1, yields are expected to …
Ethanol and Farm Groups Getting Impatient for Answers
In the wake of repeated promises and assurances from the Trump Administration, but no actions, ethanol stakeholder groups are running out of patience. In a joint letter to President Trump today, the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, National Farmers Union, National Sorghum Producers, American Coalition for Ethanol, Growth Energy, and Renewable Fuels Association urged the administration to …
New NCGA Officer Talks Top Issues at #FPS18
The National Corn Growers Association leadership team was out in full force last week at the Farm Progress Show, including the new kid on the board, Kevin Ross of Iowa. Ross was elected this summer to become the organization’s first vice president for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, and he is jumping right into the issues head …
Export Panel at #ACEconf18 Explores Tariff Wars
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) interim CEO Jon Doggett and CHS Director of Global Trading Max Thomasson explored the impact of current trade negotiations and tariff wars on the global market for corn and ethanol during a panel at last week’s American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference in Minneapolis. Doggett drove home the point that if it was President Clinton …
Ethanol Stakeholders Submit RFS Comments
Friday was the final day to submit comments to the EPA on proposed 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) renewable volume obligations (RVOs) and ethanol stakeholders made sure they had their say. Despite the EPA specifically noting that comments on small refinery exemptions would be “deemed beyond the scope of this rulemaking,” every group commenting had something to say about the …
Making Chemicals From Ethanol
Participants in the 2018 Corn Utilization & Technology Conference in St. Louis were largely interested in expanding the market for ethanol, and not necessarily in conventional ways. “We’re hoping to provide alternatives to the sale of ethanol into the fuels market,” said Ron Cascone, principal with Nexant, Inc. “The theme of what I’m doing here is to show that there …
2018 CUTC is a Wrap
The first Corn Utilization and Technology Conference was held 30 years ago. Since 1987, CUTC has brought together leading innovators to focus on new uses for corn with the goals of expanding markets and demand while improving quality and efficiency. National Corn Growers Association CEO Chris Novak says this year’s conference this week was another great success for the future …
Ethanol Policy Concerns for Corn Growers
This week’s apparent backing off by the White House from a deal involving biofuels policy leaves a cloudy situation for ethanol, according to National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) CEO Chris Novak. During an interview at this week’s Corn Utilization and Technology Conference, Novak says while nothing official has come out of the White House, they are pleased with word from …
Ethanol and Trade Center Stage for NCGA
National Corn Growers Association president Kevin Skunes of North Dakota says he expected to be focused mainly on the farm bill this year, but trade and ethanol have “taken a lot of oxygen out of the room.” During an interview at the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference (CUTC) this week, Skunes saiede they are disappointed that the House version of …
Farm and Biofuel Groups Sue EPA Over Lost Gallons
A coalition of biofuel and agriculture groups have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to change its regulations to “account for lost volumes of renewable fuel resulting from the unprecedented number of retroactive small refinery exemptions from Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) obligations recently granted by EPA.” The petitioners are the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Growth …