Friends of the Earth (FOE) has named U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack the 2011 Biofool of the Year, the organization’s award that recognizes “leaders that promote dirty biofuels.” According to FOE, Vilsack received 2,424 votes of the more than 6,000 cast and they say he definitely deserves the honor. “With Secretary Vilsack at the helm, the USDA has doubled …
Ag Secretary Promotes Biofuels for Jobs
U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made a visit to St. Louis earlier this week where he was the keynote speaker at the St. Louis Agribusiness Club meeting. As part of his address, he noted the importance of biofuels production for rural economies. Vilsack noted that there are about 600,000 people in rural America who would describe themselves as …
RFA Analyzes USDA Report for Ethanol
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) hosted a webinar this morning to discuss the new USDA Prospective Planting and Grain Stocks reports and what they indicate for America’s supply of corn and how demand from ethanol production might play into food pricing this year. Some of the main points made by RFA VP of Research and Analysis Geoff Cooper about the …
Ethanol Group to Host Webinar on Plantings Report
The first big crop report of the season is due out on Thursday and the ethanol industry is ready to interpret what it means for them. Following the release of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s prospective plantings forecast in the morning, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) will host a webinar to detail what the report means and how America’s supply …
Governors Urge Change in Corn for Ethanol Reporting
U.S. governors from Washington to New York to Texas are asking Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to change the way USDA reports the use of corn for ethanol production. In a letter sent to Vilsack this week, the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition urged the change to reflect the fact that corn for ethanol usage produces livestock feed in the form of …
USDA Offers Renewable Energy Funding
USDA is seeking applications to increase the production and use of renewable energy sources under three different USDA Rural Development renewable energy programs authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill. USDA is now accepting applications for loan guarantees in the Biorefinery Assistance Program, Repowering Assistance Program, and the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels. USDA is making approximately $463 million available under …
Vilsack: US Farms Producing Enough for Food & Biofuels
The man in charge at the USDA says American farmers are producing enough to provide the food AND fuel, in particular ethanol and biodiesel, this country needs. During the recent Commodity Classic, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack took on the food vs. fuel debate head-on. “It is irritating to me that we have to read about this all the time, …
Vilsack to Sign Biofuels Agreement
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will encourage development of bio-based products, including biodiesel and ethanol. This USDA release says Vilsack will sign the MOU with the 36-state Governors’ Biofuels Coalition, a group dedicated to providing leadership on ethanol and biodiesel policy development: “This agreement will strengthen public, private and academic partnerships that are …
Clinton Strikes Nerve with Ethanol Comment
Former President Bill Clinton struck a raw nerve with ethanol supporters with his comments at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual Outlook Forum today. “We have to become energy independent but we don’t want to do it at the expense of food riots,” Clinton said, calling for a periodic reassessment of the industry “with 3-5 year time horizons based on …
USDA: Wind, Solar & Methane Hits on the Farm
Solar panels, wind turbines and methane digesters are big hits on American farms and ranches, that according to a new survey from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The 2009 On-Farm Renewable Energy Production Survey, the first-ever nationwide survey that looked at renewable energy practices on America’s farms and ranches, shows that these types of energy sources have increased significantly over …