Congress left town last week without even considering a new farm bill in the House, leaving the current bill to expire at the end of this month. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said they would deal with a farm bill after the election because he did not believe there were 218 votes to pass either an extension or new legislation. …
USDA Report Release Times to Change
USDA is changing the release time of certain key statistical reports beginning in January 2013. According to a USDA news release the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB) will begin issuing several major USDA statistical reports at 12:00 p.m. EDT beginning in January 2013. The current USDA release time of 8:30 a.m. EDT will remain …
USDA Slightly Lowers Corn Crop
The September crop production forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture slightly lowers this year’s drought stricken corn crop to 10.7 billion bushels, with an average yield of 122.8 bushels per acre – the lowest since 1995. That would still be the eighth-largest corn crop in history, despite the worst drought conditions in more than 50 years. On the demand …
Ag Secretary Highlights Biofuels During US Ship Visit
US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack went aboard the USS Monterey at the Naval Station Norfolk to highlight the commitment the military is making to advanced biofuels. He was joined by Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Energy for Navy Tom Hicks. “Developing the next generation of advanced biofuels for our nation’s military is both a national security issue and aneconomic issue,” …
“Forever Young” Switchgrass for Cellulosic Ethanol
Scientists at the USDA might have found a way to keep switchgrass forever young and better for cellulosic ethanol. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) geneticist Sarah Hake, working with University of California-Berkeley plant geneticist George Chuck, found that taking a gene from corn called corngrass and inserting it into switchgrass keeps the grass always in a juvenile form that doesn’t flower, …
DF Cast: Debating the RFS Waiver
The EPA has just started the 30-day comment period for a proposed waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). And just as the comments started, the National Corn Growers Association has asked for even more time for comments to come in. But there’s no lack of viewpoints already out there. In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, we’ll hear …
Vilsack Announces 106 Renewable Energy Projects
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced 106 projects in 29 states, Guam and Puerto Rico have been selected for funding to make renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements. Money for the projects comes from the USDA Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill. “The Obama Administration is helping agricultural producers and rural small …
Most Positive ACE Conference Ever
Despite a drought that is lowering the corn crop and causing ethanol plant shutdowns, American Coalition for Ethanol Executive Vice President Brian Jennings thinks the organization’s 25th annual conference last week was the most positive ever. “We’re really encouraged and enthused about how the conference went,” said Jennings. “We know things are tough out there but we ended this conference …
RFA Puts USDA Crop Report in Context
Renewable Fuels Association Vice President of Research and Analysis Geoff Cooper put together an analysis of today’s USDA crop supply report on the RFA E-xchange Blog to put the report into perspective from both a historical context as well as a global production context, answering calls from some international voices to end global biofuel production. “As expected, this morning’s supply-demand …
Ag Secy Vilsack Stresses Support of RFS
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack demonstrated his strong commitment to the ethanol industry and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by spending over an hour at the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference on Friday morning. “This is an industry that is worth supporting,” he told the crowd of about 250 ethanol industry leaders. “Which is why the president is supporting the …