Patriot Ethanol is Processor Preferred

Cindy Zimmerman

Illinois’ newest ethanol plant adds to a growing list of facilities that are part of the Monsanto Processor Preferred Network.

Patriot Renewable FuelsPatriot Renewable Fuels CEO Gene Griffith says they hope to use as much corn as possible from local farmers to produce ethanol at the new 100 million gallon per year plant. “We will need approximately 215,000 acres worth of corn every year to keep the plant at capacity,” Griffith says. “We hope to buy as much corn as we can from area producers and provide a new market opportunity for them.”

MonsantoIn special demand will be Monsanto’s Processor Preferred® High Fermentable Corn (HFC) hybrids, which can produce 2 percent to 4 percent more ethanol per bushel than commodity corn. Patriot joins approximately 70 ethanol plants in 16 states that are participating in the Processor Preferred Network.

“High-fermentable corn is a win-win for both corn growers and Patriot Renewable Fuels,” says Rob Elliott, Processor Preferred Market Manager for Monsanto. “Farmers have a new corn market, and the ethanol producer has a more productive and efficient local source of corn. We are very pleased to have Patriot Renewable Fuels as part of our initiative.”

Patriotically, the new plant in northwest Illinois held open houses on Wednesday and Thursday this week, right after election day. Patriot is one of the largest locally owned and operated dry grind ethanol plants in the state, made possible by the investment of farmers and businesses located in Annawan, Kewanee, Geneseo and the surrounding communities in Henry, Bureau and Rock Island counties.

Agribusiness, Ethanol, Facilities, News

E85 is Introduced to the Public in Buffalo, NY

A grand opening event was held today to celebrate the introduction of the first E85 fueling facility in the Buffalo, NY area. The pump is located in North Tonawanda, at a Wilson Farms store at 1060 Niagara Falls Blvd., near Ruie Road. According to the Buffalo News, this new site is a result of a joint effort by the convenience store chain and Reid Petroleum.

“We will have E85 in additional locations as customer demand grows for this product,” said Richard Hall, senior fuel manager for Wilson Farms.

Scott Sterry, Reid’s fuels marketing manager, stated that this specific location installed E85 because of the surplus of flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) in the area. There are presently just over 900 FFVs in North Tonawanda and about 8,450 FFVs in Buffalo, NY.

Currently, there are 30 E85 stations throughout the state of New York.

E85, Ethanol, Facilities

Jeff Broin at Project LIBERTY Field Day

Chuck Zimmerman

At today’s POET Project LIBERTY Field Day, Jeff Broin, CEO, spoke to a large group of farmers who attended to see just what the company is planning in the production of cellulosic ethanol from corn cobs. We were supposed to see field harvesting demonstrations with prototype equipment to show the different ways that farmers will be able to collect the cobs for delivery to a local plant like the one here in Emmetsburg, IA but we had to be content to hear it described inside and speak with equipment company representatives. No one complained when the rain was falling!

If you’d like to hear what Jeff had to say then watch this video from today’s program:

You can find more videos from POETTV on YouTube.

Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album

Cellulosic, Ethanol, POET, Video

POET Wants LIBERTY From Foreign Oil

Chuck Zimmerman

Jeff BroinJeff Broin is CEO of POET and his company just continues to make innovations in the ethanol production business. Lately they’ve been very focused on what they call Project LIBERTY. The goal is to make cellulosic ethanol out of corn cobs. The company held a field day to showcase some of the equipment that companies like John Deere, Case IH and others are developing to assist with the harvest and collection of this biomass that’s left over after harvesting the grain.

Forbes magazine calls Jeff, Mr. Ethanol and has a nice article on him titled “Mr. Ethanol Fights Back” in their latest edition. I spoke with him today about Project LIBERTY. He says they’re not only adding 100 million gallons of grain ethanol production to the Emmetsburg plant but an addition 25 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol production from corn cobs. They will begin construction on these additions late next year and will have the cellulosic production going by 2011.

Jeff says they’ve invested millions of dollars in the cellulosic ethanol process and have been working with ag equipment OEM’s on corn cob collection. I’ll have more interviews coming up on the various ways they’re doing that. One thing this effort to grow ethanol production from corn cobs does is show the close connection between agriculture and the renewable fuel business. Jeff says cellulosic ethanol production from corn cobs can potentially produce an additional 5 billions gallons of the fuel which would replace a significant portion of the fuel we have to import from foreign countries. He says that’s good for America and the future of our country.

You can see photos of today’s event here: Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album. I’ll have a lot more tomorrow. Right now I’ve got a long drive home.

You can listen to my interview with Jeff here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/poet/poet-liberty-08-broin-1.mp3]

You can also download the interview with this link (mp3).

Audio, Cellulosic, Ethanol, POET

POETry In Action

Chuck Zimmerman

POET EmmetsburgAs I was driving into Emmetsburg, IA last night I saw this plant off in the distance. I’m pretty sure this is the POET Emmetsburg ethanol plant. Actually, it’s the AGP soybean processing plant. The POET plant is behind it from the direction I took the photo. I’m here in town for today’s Project LIBERTY field day. We’re supposed to see some field demonstrations but it rained last night and it’s raining right now so we’ll see what happens. Here’s some information about the field day from a recent POET news release.

Farmers next month will see first-hand how equipment manufacturers are responding to the latest advancement in ethanol production and the new revenue opportunity for farmers: harvesting corn cobs for cellulosic ethanol production.

POET hosts Project LIBERTY Field Day Nov. 6 in Emmetsburg, Iowa. The event, which is open to the public, will bring equipment manufacturers large and small together with farmers at POET Biorefining – Emmetsburg to show prototype equipment for efficiently harvesting corn cobs. Farmers will have the chance to talk with equipment dealers and see prototype equipment in action.

Ethanol, POET

Renewables Have Mixed Results at Polls

John Davis

Renewable energy proposals had mixed results in yesterday’s elections, with Missouri easily passing one measure but California rejecting two others.

This entry from the InformationWeek blog has details:

In Missouri, Proposition C was passed, requiring investor-owned electric utilities “to generate or purchase electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass, and hydropower with the renewable energy sources equaling at least 2% of retail sales by 2011 increasing incrementally to at least 15% by 2021, including at least 2% from solar energy; and restricting to no more than 1% any rate increase to consumers for this renewable energy.”

In California, Proposition 7 on renewable energy generation was handily defeated. With 77% of precincts reporting, the measure lost by a 2-to-1 margin. Likewise, Proposition 10 failed by a wide margin. Had it been approved, Proposition 10 would, according to the official voter information guide, “eliminate a credit that allows oil and gas companies to deduct property taxes from severance taxes. The change would bring in an estimated $321 million in the first year, with most going to college scholarships, plus communities affected by energy development, wildlife habitat, and clean energy projects.”

California’s Prop 10 came under fire from some environmental groups… as well as some readers of this blog (see my post from Oct. 18th and the associated comments). Just a quick note to all readers: I’m not necessarily promoting any of the items I blog about. I just want to make you aware of these items. It’s up to you to evaluate these things for yourself (whether a ballot measure or some new product). I blog… you decide.

biomass, Government, Legislation, Solar, Wind

One VeraSun Plant Opening Delayed

Cindy Zimmerman

The opening of one VeraSun ethanol plant is now in limbo since the company filed for bankruptcy.

VeraSunVeraSun announced that it is indefinitely delaying the startup of its 110 million gallon per year ethanol biorefinery in Janesville, Minnesota but will continue operations at its 14 facilities across an eight-state region.

Construction on the Janesville facility is nearly completed and the plant was scheduled to begin operations prior to the end of the year. Construction began in January 2007 and ownership of the plant moved under VeraSun following its merger with US BioEnergy in April. VeraSun started operations at three other plants recently in July, August and September.

Ethanol, News

ADM and Brazilian Company to Produce Sugarcane Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

ADMArcher Daniels Midland Company and Brazilian agricultural company Grupo Cabrera have formed a joint venture to produce ethanol from sugarcane.

The joint venture will construct two processing complexes, each consisting of a sugarcane plantation, a sugar mill, an ethanol distillery and a biomass- powered cogeneration facility to provide power and steam. The complexes will be located in Limeira Do Oeste in the state of Minas Gerais, and Jatai in Goias. Upon completion, each mill will have crush capacity of three million metric tons annually.

Agribusiness, Ethanol, News

USDA Under Secretary Resigns

Cindy Zimmerman

The exodus of appointees under the Bush Administration has begun.

Tom DorrU.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today announced the resignation of Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas Dorr.

“Tom Dorr has been a transformational leader for USDA Rural Development,” Schafer said. “As the transition to a new Administration continues in the months ahead, senior leaders will be moving on, but Under Secretary Dorr’s contributions to USDA and rural America will be felt for many years to come.”

Dorr has been a proponent of biofuels helping rural economies and has been a regular speaker at renewable energy conferences over the past several years. A native of Marcus, Iowa, Tom Dorr joined USDA in 2001, serving as USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development and Senior Advisor to the Secretary. He was appointed in December 2005 by then-Secretary Mike Johanns to chair the USDA Energy Council and served as co-chair of the Federal Biomass Research and Development Board.

His resignation is effective December 1. No word yet on where he will be going.

Government, News, USDA

Ethanol Pleased with Election Results

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association wasted no time today in congratulating Barack Obama on his victory.

RFA“Throughout this campaign, President-elect Obama has reiterated that American farmers and ethanol producers are a critical component of our national strategy to help reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil,” RFA said in a news release. “We look forward to working with an Obama Administration and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to ensure the full potential of America’s home grown ethanol industry is realized.”

EPICThe Ethanol Promotion and Information Council is pleased with “the role energy independence played in the 2008 presidential election.” Executive director Toni Nuernberg says that in this time of great uncertainty, it is time for the country to work together. “Our fight for Energy Independence should rival the efforts and sacrifices expended at other critical moments in our nation’s history; times when Americans pulled together not only by rationing and conserving, but thinking creatively, experimenting to develop new innovations and efficiencies, abandoning tradition, and working side‐by‐side to get the job done,” Nuernberg said.

In his so-called “closing arguments” in the Wall Street Journal this week, Obama said he would “invest $15 billion a year over the next decade in renewable energy, creating five million new, green jobs that pay well, can’t be outsourced, and can help end our dependence on Middle East oil.” The ethanol industry is reading that as good news for the next four years.

EPIC, Ethanol, News, politics, RFA