A USDA scientist believes wind and solar power generating systems could be set up to complement each other. A study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) agricultural engineer Brian Vick at the agency’s Renewable Energy and Manure Management Research Unit in Bushland, Texas says that by using solar power during doldrum days and wind at night could help offset the two …
Bioenergy and Ethanol Market News from USDA
Producers, consumers and distributors of bioenergy products can access crucial data through the Bioenergy Market News Reports published by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The Ethanol reports include data for six regions – Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and the Eastern Corn Belt. Each report publishes daily corn bids, daily distiller grain prices and a weekly ethanol price. The …
Biofuels Videos from Obama Administration
The Obama administration and USDA have released a couple of videos highlighting the importance of biofuels to the nation and what the government is doing to get us down the road to advanced renewable fuels. In a short YouTube video, USDA highlights current production and consumption capacities as well as projections to meet the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) which calls …
USDA Report Disputes Land Use Theory
USDA’s new planted acreage report out Wednesday morning estimates corn acreage planted is two percent higher than last year, but that is down a point from the March report with more acres are going to soybeans. Corn planted area for all purposes in 2010 is estimated at 87.9 million acres, up 2 percent from last year. Acreage is up in …
Biodiesel Has Place in USDA Biofuels Report
While the ethanol industry has been praising the USDA’s report entitled “Roadmap to Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard by 2022,″ there’s plenty in there for biodiesel fans to like as well. The feds are optimistic that biodiesel will be able to carry its share of the overall 36 billion gallons of biofuels goal: The U.S biofuels …
Ethanol Industry Pleased With USDA Biofuels Report
USDA’s “Roadmap to Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard by 2022” released on Wednesday gives all the right directions as far as the ethanol industry is concerned, now they want to see it actually hit the road and make it to the destination. Releasing the report, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “The current ethanol industry provides a …
USDA Releasing Report on Biofuels
The USDA is releasing a report on renewable transportation fuels and the role the agency will play in development of those biofuels. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the report comes as the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) gets ready to kick in on July 1st and will require that 36 billion gallons of biofuel per year be in America’s fuel …
Ethanol Groups Frustrated Over E15 Delay
The ethanol organization that filed the petition with the EPA to increase the ethanol blend rate to 15 percent has gotten very little information about why a decision is being delayed again. “We’re trying to find out what additional tests have been added in,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis during a press conference today. “The people who filed the …
USDA Promises Canola Biodiesel Won’t Be Left Behind
The Ag Department is promising that canola-based biodiesel won’t be left behind as provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill are implemented. Biofuels Digest says that’s music to the ears of some of the folks from northern states, including Congressman Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota, who personally got the assurance from USDA assurance after the EPA failed to complete an evaluation …
USDA Chief Confident of Ethanol Blend Increase
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack believes that the Environmental Protection agency will increase the amount of ethanol allowed in regular gasoline above the current ten percent. “I’m very confident that we’re going to see an increase in the blend rate,” said Vilsack in a telephone press conference from Iowa on Friday. Vilsack also said that long-term extensions of the …