ACE Conference 2026

Will The Ag Bubble Burst?

Chuck Zimmerman

In our latest ZimmPoll we asked the question “Do you think there is currently an “Ag Bubble?” It looks like most think so since 66% said Yes and 34% said No. That’s kind of a pessimistic outlook don’t you think? If you think we’re in a bubble please feel free to comment on why. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “How will proposed changes to child labor in agriculture regulations affect farms?” Last fall the Department of Labor proposed changes that many believe could have major impacts on family farms and farm life (proposed rule – pdf). At best it seems like there are some good intentions without careful consideration of the consequences and then there’s always that “how does the Dept. of Labor interpret the rules thing.” A public comment period ended on December 1, 2011.

Here’s some language about the proposed changes from an early news release:

The proposal would strengthen current child labor regulations prohibiting agricultural work with animals and in pesticide handling, timber operations, manure pits and storage bins. It would prohibit farmworkers under age 16 from participating in the cultivation, harvesting and curing of tobacco. And it would prohibit youth in both agricultural and nonagricultural employment from using electronic, including communication, devices while operating power-driven equipment.

The department also is proposing to create a new nonagricultural hazardous occupations order that would prevent children under 18 from being employed in the storing, marketing and transporting of farm product raw materials. Prohibited places of employment would include country grain elevators, grain bins, silos, feed lots, stockyards, livestock exchanges and livestock auctions.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

ZimmPoll

Soybean Checkoff to Promote Biodiesel with Clean Cities

Cindy Zimmerman

Americans from the mid-Atlantic to the Northwest will soon be hearing a lot more about the benefits of soy biodiesel.

usbThe United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff is partnering with nine Clean Cities Coalitions in the 2012 biodiesel and Bioheat® communications program to spread the word about the only commercially available advanced biofuel.

“Clean Cities coalitions are really great organizations,” says Mike Beard, USB director and soybean farmer from Frankfort, Ind. “This program helps them, and it helps us to get the word out about clean, efficient soy biodiesel.”

Clean Cities Coalitions participating in the 2012 reimbursement program include:
• Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition
• Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition
• Iowa Clean Cities
• Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition
• North Dakota Clean Cities
• Triangle Clean Cities Coalition
• Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition
• Virginia Clean Cities
• Yellowstone-Teton Clean Energy Coalition

Most of the coalitions will also be working with their state soybean checkoff organizations on the promotions. This year, the soybean checkoff committed nearly $200,000 to assist these chapters in communicating the benefits of soy biodiesel and Bioheat through radio public service announcements, outdoor advertising, informational workshops for energy users and distributors, promotional events, and many other activities.

Biodiesel, Soybeans

Conference Features Propane-Powered Vehicles

Attendees of the McCoy Freightliner Green Transportation Conference in Oregon were able to see and hear firsthand the benefits of propane autogas from Blue Star Gas President Jeff Stewart.

Stewart provided expert insights and three BlueStar autogas vehicles for test driving. The conference also included informational sessions on autogas and other alternative fuels, along with details on grants, tax credits and financing for shifting fleets to clean fuel.

Propane autogas is the third most widely used fuel in the world, powering more than 17 million vehicles globally. Ninety percent of the U.S. supply is made in America. Autogas costs about $1.25 less per gallon than gasoline, and because autogas is also a cleaner burning fuel, fleets often experience reduced maintenance costs.

As the flagship West Coast fuel provider for Alliance AutoGas, Blue Star Gas supplies fleets from California to Washington State with affordable, American-made autogas. A variety of experts, policy makers and manufacturers from organizations such as Eaton Corporation, Freightliner Trucks and Cascade Sierra Solutions were also on-hand at the event to offer valuable insight on current green options for the trucking industry.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to educate leaders in the Oregon transportation industry about autogas. It’s an ideal clean fuel for light-duty fleets that’s readily available today,” said Stewart, a past chairman of the National Propane Gas Association Benchmarking Council. “With so many green energy options on the market, it can be overwhelming to identify the best fuel to power your fleet. But, for those who want to save money and reduce harmful emissions without sacrificing performance, autogas is the ideal fuel.”

BlueStar Gas vehicles available for test drives during the event included an autogas-powered Ford Expedition, a Ford Crown Victoria and a Chevy 3500 utility truck.

“Events like the conference held by McCoy Freightliner help spread awareness about autogas one driver at a time, since they are able to discover first-hand the power of autogas vehicles,” said Stewart. “In fact, Blue Star provides test drives and demonstrations for West Coast fleet owners and managers on an ongoing basis. There’s no better way to experience the performance of an autogas vehicle than by getting behind the wheel of one.”

Fleet, Propane

BBI International and NEAtech Form Joint Venture

BBI International and NEAtech have formed a joint venture, called BBI Consulting Services, to offer bioenergy consulting to thousands of companies and organizations worldwide, as well as state and federal departments in the United States.

BBI International originally started as a bioenergy consulting firm in 1995 and has since grown into a media and events company focused on growing the bioenergy industry. Founded in 2009, NEAtech is a technology-based engineering and consulting firm specializing in advanced biofuels, biomass energy, and biotechnology projects. Having already helped hundreds of companies plan and execute successful projects, this new joint venture with NEAtech will reintroduce BBI International’s consulting service to thousands of new businesses worldwide.

Dr. Rafael Nieves and Mark Yancey of NEAtech, two experienced bioenergy consultants, are leading this group. Nieves has worked in the bioenergy sector for more than 28 years. He has extensive experience nationally and internationally managing bioenergy projects in the U.S., Mexico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Australia, Philippines, Ghana, Armenia, Indonesia and the Ukraine.

Yancey has 35 years of experience in the fields of bioenergy and environmental engineering including extensive experience in project development and economic analysis for first and second generation biofuels facilities. His expertise is in the development of bioenergy projects including development of business strategies and financial, market and technical analyses of projects and renewable energy opportunities.

“We are excited about offering a consulting service to our customers,” said Joe Bryan, president and chief executive officer of BBI International. “This venture is the first step in helping companies associated with BBI International gain valuable insight on their current and future projects.”

“This venture will allow us to combine our expertise with BBI’s knowledge and resources,” said Nieves, CEO of NEAtech.

bioenergy, Energy, Facilities

USDA and Airline Companies to Discuss Aviation Biofuels

Cindy Zimmerman

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is hosting a media roundtable with aviation business leaders today to discuss the important role of American-produced biofuels in the civilian aircraft and airline industry, and in the military.

Participants in the discussion with Vilsack will include John Tracy with The Boeing Company and Billy Glover of Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Alex Marren with United Continental Holdings and Jim Rekoske, Vice President and General Manager of Renewable Energy & Chemicals for Honeywell.

In January, 2010, Vilsack and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to encourage development of advanced biofuels to be used in the Great Green Fleet that will demo in 2012. USDA has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to help the commercial airline industry utilize biofuels as jet fuel. USDA has also invested significantly in research projects to advance the aviation biofuels industry.

The roundtable discussion is being held this afternoon at 12:45 central at Boeing Corporate Offices in Chicago.

advanced biofuels, aviation biofuels, biofuels, biojet fuel, USDA

Registration Deadline Nearing for Ethanol Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2012 National Ethanol Conference, coming up February 22-24 in Orlando, is a must-attend for anyone in the ethanol industry.

Among the highlights of the conference will be opening general session keynoter Dr. James Canton, futurist and CEO of the Institute for Global Futures. For over 30 years, Canton has been insightfully predicting the key trends that have shaped our world and he will discuss the importance of engaging consumers to grow demand and improve the biofuels industry image.

The opening day luncheon address will feature presidential advisors Karl Rove and Robert Gibbs who will provide their “Insider Perspectives on Election 2012 – The Presidency and Congress.” Rove was one of President George W. Bush’s closest confidants and advisors, and Robert Gibbs has been a longtime advisor to President Obama.

With ethanol exports booming, speakers including former U.S. trade ambassador Mickey Kantor will address the trade opportunities and challenges facing U.S. producers as they seek to expand international markets.

Early registration and convention hotel rates both expire soon. Registration fees for the NEC increase by $100 after January 26. The room block at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center also expires on January 26.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

Beta Renewables Joins Advanced Ethanol Council

Cindy Zimmerman

RFA AECCellulosic biomass company Beta Renewables has become the latest member of the Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC), an organization that promotes advanced ethanol fuels and technologies.

Beta Renewables is a unique $350 million joint venture formed from the Chemtex division of Gruppo Mossi & Ghisolfi and TPG and is dedicated to making cellulosic biomass practical and cost-effective for the production of advanced biofuels and biochemicals.

aec beta“There are obvious synergies between Beta Renewables’ efforts to commercialize ligno-cellulosic bio-ethanol production and the Advanced Ethanol Council’s singular focus on developing forward-looking policies and open markets for the advanced ethanol sector,” said Guido Ghisolfi, President and CEO of Beta Renewables. “The Advanced Ethanol Council has put itself at the center of the discussion about promoting both advanced ethanol and advanced biofuels as a whole, and we see our membership with the Council as a critical part of our efforts to further develop Chemtex’s PROESA technology and related business platforms in the United States.”

Beta Renewables has invested over $200 million in the development of its PROESA™ process. The company is currently building the world’s largest cellulosic ethanol facility in Crescentino, Italy, which is expected to be in commercial production in mid-2012. The company has signed a number of PROESA™ technology licensing agreements with U.S. companies and is in the process of bringing its unique processing technology to the U.S. marketplace.

advanced biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Fuel Testing Reveals Higher Octane in Ethanol

Last July, the government announced plans to raise corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards to 54.5 MPG by 2025. The automotive industry responded saying the MPG number was an attainable goal by utilizing high-efficiency internal combustion engines that deliver lower CO2 emissions. However, one hurdle to address is that these high-efficiency engines need higher-octane fuel to realize their full fuel efficiency and performance potential.

Making higher octane gasoline at the refinery is an expensive process that is passed on to the consumer. So, can a cheaper and more environmentally-friendly source of octane be found in ethanol?
ICM
Yes, according to the fuel testing results just released. The fuel research was conducted by AVL, a global industry leader for the development of powertrain systems with internal combustion engines, instrumentation and test systems. The fuel testing study was funded in part by ICM. The first phase of fuel testing began in January 2011 and ended in December 2011.

Identifying A New Way to Test Fuel

Recognizing ethanol’s full octane value required some practical thinking about how ethanol is added to fuel, and to show how ethanol performs in new direct-injection engines. The AVL tests incorporated multiple gasoline base fuels, various compression ratios and several automotive fuel systems to demonstrate ethanol’s performance.

One of the surprising results revealed in this testing was the additional benefits of ethanol’s favorable octane sensitivity. By plotting both ethanol’s chemical octane and sensitivity benefits along with the cooling effect, test results showed that ethanol offers twice the octane potential. The focus of testing was to evaluate the various fuel blends along a range of knock limit operation rather than just evaluating one set point as is done today.Read More

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Research

H2O Innovation at Process Optimization Seminar

Cindy Zimmerman

phibroThere are many aspects to optimizing ethanol plant processes, including water treatment, and that is why Quebec-based H2O Innovation has chosen to be part of the latest in the Process Optimization Seminar management series, coming up February 8-10 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Greg Madden says they call themselves a membrane systems integrator. “We engineer and build equipment for water treatment around membrane technology,” said Madden, which includes anything pre-treatment and post-treatment. Typical systems for ethanol plants include RO pretreatment equipment, followed by single-pass RO for boiler and cooling tower feed.

phibroH2O Innovations presented at the Houston Process Optimization Seminar last year and will be sponsoring the cocktail reception at the upcoming event in Minnesota. “There’s definitely good networking opportunities (at the event),” he said, noting that in addition to the educational aspect of the seminar “they do a pretty good job of making it fun.”

Listen to an interview with Greg Madden about the upcoming seminar: Greg Madden of H2O Innovation

The Process Optimization Seminar management series is organized by Fermentis, Fremont Industries, Novozymes and Phibro Ethanol Performance Group.

Registration is limited to 50 participants and the event is now close to sold out, as all previous seminars have been, so anyone interested in attending is encouraged to register as soon as possible at www.processoptimizationseminar.com.

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, water

Gov. Branstad Will Address IRFA Summit Jan. 24th

IRFA Terry BranstadIowa Governor Terry Branstad has made the state a leader in renewable fuels production and public policy, therefore he will address the 6th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit on January 24th.

“Leadership from the top makes a difference and Governor Branstad has made a big difference for Iowa’s ethanol and biodiesel producers,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Under his leadership, Iowa has taken a lead in proactive public policy for E15 and biodiesel. The renewable fuels community looks forward to hearing from the Governor regarding the implementation of these policies.”
Iowa RFA
Branstad will address the Summit at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 24. Other feature presentations will include four-star General Paul Kern (U.S. Army, ret.) who will discuss foreign oil’s impact on U.S. military operations. Former Reagan National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane will address breaking America’s addiction to foreign oil. Executive Director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, Dr. Gal Luft, will spell out the real national security threats posed by our country’s dangerous dependence on foreign petroleum.

The Summit and trade show are free and open to the public but pre-registration is required. The event will be from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial/Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines.

biofuels, conferences, Ethanol, Iowa RFA