Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack addressed members of Growth Energy at their Second Annual Legislative Conference in Washington DC this morning and was honored with the ethanol organization’s “Fueling Growth” award for his dedication and support of domestic, renewable fuels. Vilsack (left) is pictured here receiving the award from Growth Energy Co-Chairman Jeff Broin of POET and CEO Tom Buis. …
USDA Cuts Corn and Ethanol Forecasts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has lowered its estimate of both corn production and ethanol usage of corn for this year. The latest crop forecast for corn was cut three percent in the August report, due to excessive summer heat that lowered average yields by almost five bushels an acre. The estimate for corn production this year is now 12.5 …
Grading Grasses for Ethanol Potential
U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers have developed an inexpensive way to grade the ethanol potential of perennial grasses at a biorefinery’s loading dock. Geneticist Ken Vogel (pictured) was one of a team of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists who developed the grading process that costs only about $5 a sample rather than the $300 to $2,000 per sample that …
USDA Guarantees Loan for Florida Biofuels Plant
The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today announced a $75 million loan guarantee for a Florida bioprocessing facility to create fuel from citrus and yard waste. The guarantee will support construction of the INEOS New Planet BioEnergy facility in Vero Beach, Florida that will produce up to 8 million gallons per year of cellulosic ethanol from citrus fruit, vegetable …
New Biofuels Projects Funded
Ten new government-funded research projects were announced today to help accelerate bioenergy feedstock production. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited a waste-to-energy bioprocessing facility under construction in Florida today to announce that the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy (DOE) have awarded 10 grants totaling $12.2 million to spur research into improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of growing biofuel and bioenergy …
Ag Secretary to Visit Florida Advanced Biofuel Plant
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is scheduled to pay a visit to a Florida advanced biofuel plant on Thursday afternoon. Vilsack will tour the INEOS New Planet BioEnergy facility in Vero Beach. The company received a $75 million USDA loan guarantee earlier this year to help build and operate a biorefinery capable of producing eight million gallons per year …
USDA Announces Biomass Production Projects
More biomass production projects have been announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, keynoting the Department of Energy Biomass 2011 conference today, announced the creation of four additional Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) project areas in six states to expand the availability of non-food crops to be used in the manufacturing of liquid biofuels. Two of …
Is Ethanol Really Outpacing Feed Use for Corn?
The latest USDA supply/demand forecast out this week says that corn use for ethanol will outpace livestock feed use for the first time, but some are questioning those figures and that interpretation. The July 12 World Agricultural Supply Demand report increased corn beginning stocks by 150 million bushels, while total U.S. corn use for 2010/11 was lowered by 145 million …
USDA Finds More Corn Acres Than Expected
The new planted acreage report from USDA shows more corn than most anyone expected, given the wet spring weather that delayed planting in many areas. According to USDA, corn planted area for this year is now estimated at 92.3 million acres, up 5 percent from last year. That’s more than growers expected to plant back in March and the second …
US Ag Secretary to Defend Biofuels at G20 Meeting
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he intends to defend biofuels at the G-20 Summit of Agricultural Ministers in Paris this week, stressing their importance to the economy and the environment. “America is working on developing new feedstocks that don’t pit food versus fuel but that create new rural economic opportunities and allow us to continue to expand on our efforts …