More Corn in the Bins

Cindy Zimmerman

There’s more corn in the bins than there was a year ago at this time. USDA’s newest Grain Stocks report shows 1.24 billion bushels of old crop corn in all positions as of September 1, up 50 percent from the same time last year. Of the total stocks, 462 million bushels of corn were stored on farms and 774 million …

corn, USDA

Texas A&M Gets Grant for Biomass-to-Energy Project

John Davis

Texas A&M is part of a nearly $16 million nationwide grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in part to fund projects for turning biomass into power. This article from the Stephenville (TX) Empire-Tribune says A&M’s AgriLife Research received money under the USDA’s Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) to help fund a two-year program to demonstrate developing technologies for water …

biomass, dairy, USDA, Waste-to-Energy

Administration Offers New Renewable Initiatives

Cindy Zimmerman

As USDA announced the investment $68 million in 540 new renewable energy and energy efficiency projects nationwide today, the White House offered new administrative actions to advance solar deployment and promote energy efficiency. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made the USDA announcement while in North Carolina to highlight USDA’s investments in rural renewable energy projects being funded through USDA Rural …

Government, Solar, USDA

Big Corn Crop Getting Bigger

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA has increased its estimate of the corn crop again this month, building on already forecast record highs. Corn production is forecast at 14.4 billion bushels, up 3 percent from both the August forecast and from 2013 and yields are expected to average 171.7 bushels per acre, almost 13 bushels an acre higher than last year. “It will be the …

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFS, USDA

Waste-to-Biodiesel Jet Fuel Project Gets Loan Guarantee

John Davis

A company that plans to turn municipal waste into renewable jet fuel has received a government loan guarantee for the project. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the $105 Million loan guarantee provided through the Biorefinery Assistance Program for Fulcrum Sierra Biofuels, LLC to build a biorefinery to produce jet fuel from municipal solid waste. “This represents a huge …

Biodiesel, USDA, Waste-to-Energy

USDA Develops Switchgrass with Bigger Yield, More Biofuel

John Davis

Researchers working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have developed a variety of switchgrass that produces bigger yields and more biofuel. Rob Mitchell with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in Nebraska gives credit to retired geneticist Ken Vogel who developed the Liberty variety of switchgrass. “He was able to identify an upland type and a lowland type that had …

biofuels, USDA

Funding for Renewable Energy Programs

Cindy Zimmerman

The Energy Title in the 2014 Farm Bill included re-authorization of the Renewable Energy for America Program – or REAP – with funding for renewable energy projects. USDA Rural Development Energy Coordinator Ron Omann says an additional 50-million dollars of mandatory funding and up to 20-million dollars of discretionary funding have been dedicated to REAP for fiscal years 2014 through …

Government, Renewable Energy, USDA

Grains Council Working on Ethanol Exports

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is working on promoting exports of U.S. ethanol through a partnership between USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service, Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). “We’ve been working since late March, early April to determine which markets we’re going to do market assessments in and then next year we’ll shift into market development activities,” said Ashley …

Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, Growth Energy, RFA, USDA, USGC

USDA Promotes Rural Wood-to-Energy Projects

John Davis

Rural energy projects from wood on the land where it’s grown are getting a boost. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded more than $2.5 million in grants to develop wood energy teams in 11 states and an additional $1.25 million for nine wood energy projects. “Renewable wood energy is part of the Obama Administration’s ‘all of the above’ energy …

biomass, USDA