According to the USDA 2013 Prospective Plantings report, farmers intend to plant a little more corn and a little less soybeans this year, for a total of 174.4 million acres. “This will be the highest total amount of acres for those two crops that we have on record,” said USDA chief economist Joe Glauber. Corn growers intend to plant 97.3 …
Corn Use for Ethanol Steady
Projected 2012/13 U.S. corn ending stocks were unchanged in the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate report out Friday, lowering exports but increasing feed use and keeping corn use for ethanol the same. Projected corn use for ethanol this season remains unchanged at 4.5 billion bushels, which is down 10 percent from last year on lower gasoline use, according to …
Vilsack at Biodiesel Conference
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack went from the National Ethanol Conference to the National Biodiesel Conference today in Las Vegas. Vilsack addressed a standing room only crowd during the final day of the 10th Annual National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in Las Vegas. Beginning his second term as part of the Obama Administration, prior to taking this position he was the …
Taking Corn Cobs for Biofuels Won’t Hurt Soil Quality
Concerns over hurting the soil quality when harvesting some crop residues for cellulosic biofuels, instead of leaving the residues on the fields to help the soil quality, might be unfounded. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research says that soil quality would not decline if post-harvest corn cobs were removed from the field. “Crop residues have many useful functions when left …
USDA Undersecretary Optimistic About Biofuels
USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager is optimistic about the future of biofuels. “When faced with an economic challenge, rural Americans came up with an economic solution and developed a biofuels industry,” Tonsager said in an interview after speaking to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit. “My belief is, as time goes along and we’re faced with challenging circumstances again, …
Vilsack to Keynote Ethanol Conference Again
The ethanol industry will help Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack kick off his second term in the Obama administration when he visits the 18th Annual National Ethanol Conference of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) next month in Las Vegas. Vilsack was also the keynote speaker at the 2012 ethanol conference. “We congratulate Secretary Vilsack as he begins his second term. He …
Vilsack Ties Farm Bill to Biofuels, Will Serve Again as Ag Secretary
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says the future success of biofuels in this country is also tied to successfully getting a new five-year farm bill passed. Speaking to delegates of the American Farm Bureau Federation at their annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn., Vilsack expressed his disappointment that a new farm bill was not passed … reserving some of his stronger …
USDA Invests in Bioenergy Research Projects
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited a state-of-the-art bioindustrial facility in Pennsylvania on Friday, where he announced $25 million to fund research and development of next-generation renewable energy and high-value biobased products from a variety of biomass sources. “USDA’s continuing investments in research and development are proving a critical piece of President Obama’s strategy to spur innovation of clean bioenergy right …
World Corn Supply and Demand
USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) out this week left corn stocks unchanged but lowered the season average price estimate by 20 cents to $7.40 per bushel. USDA maintained corn ending stocks in the U.S. for the marketing year at a tight 647 million bushels, which is about three weeks worth of supply. Globally, USDA slightly lowered the …
Census of Ag to Ask About Renewable Energy, Biomass
The USDA’s 2012 Census of Agriculture forms soon will be going out to farmers and ranchers across the country, and this year, the survey will be asking asking about renewable energy and biomass. “We’re asking for more details on whether farmers are using solar, wind… what type of energy, and some of the crops they’re growing to produce biomass,” says …