The final 2008 corn crop estimate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture released today confirmed that American farmers produced the second-largest crop on record with the second highest average yield per acre in history – despite adverse weather across the Corn Belt during the early part of the growing season and a late fall harvest.
Corn for grain production in 2008 is now estimated to be 12.1 billion bushels, up 1 percent from the November forecast but 7 percent below last year’s record high. The average U.S. grain yield is estimated at 153.9 bushels per acre, up 0.1 bushel from the November forecast and 3.2 bushels above 2007. The 2008 yield is the second highest on record, behind 2004, and production is second largest, behind last year.
Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen says the final numbers should dispel the misconception that ethanol is at the root of higher corn and food prices, especially given an expected surplus of nearly two billion bushels at the end of this marketing year. “This report also demonstrates the real size of the demand for corn by ethanol production,” said Dinneen. “At approximately 21 percent of the net total corn use, ethanol demand for corn is providing a much-needed value added market for farmers without having the market-distorting impacts many in the food processing and livestock production industries have claimed.”
USDA’s updated world corn supply and demand estimates this month show slightly reduced demand for corn use for ethanol, in addition to reductions in all corn demand. As a result USDA raised its projection of corn carry-out for the end of the 2008/09 marketing year to 1.8 billion bushels, one of the highest levels in the past decade.
In 2004, 
Our Domestic Fuel book and movie reviewer is Joanna Schroeder, who has been the communications director for the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (now Growth Energy) since September of 2005, and is now starting her own communications company focused on the renewable energy industry. Joanna has a strong background in both environmental science and technical communications, which makes her well qualified to provide in-depth analysis of current literature and film in the field of energy and the environment.
The 
A conference titled “The Growing Role of Biofuels for Today, Tomorrow and Beyond,” featured Brooke Coleman, executive director of the 
2008 was a year that for the most part everyone would like to forget – including those in the ethanol industry. Now that 2009 is underway, 
Jim Sullivan of Informa Economics in Washington, D.C. told a crop outlook seminar at the 
This week’s major economic speech from President-elect Barack Obama pointed out how ethanol and biodiesel, as well as other alternatives to conventional energy sources, will be key to the nation’s economic recovery.
In an effort to quell skepticism over the renewable energy industry’s chances to meet the 10.5-billion Renewable Fuels Standard in 2009, the National Biodiesel Board has reaffirmed its industry’s ability to hold up its end of the deal… and then some.
“The U.S. biodiesel industry’s contribution to the nation’s fuel supply will help ensure that the RFS targets for 2009 will be met,” said Manning Feraci, NBB’s Vice President of Federal Affairs. “In 2008 alone, the U.S. biodiesel industry produced nearly 700 million gallons of biodiesel, which equates to 1.05 billion ethanol equivalent gallons for purposes of the RFS.”