A new USDA report says that about half of the cattle and hog operations in a 12-state Midwest region either fed ethanol co-products or considered feeding them to their livestock last year.
This story from Cattle Network.com says about 9,400 livestock operations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin were surveyed.
Among dairy operations, 38 percent indicated that they fed co-products during 2006 and another 22 percent considered doing so. Among cattle on feed operations, 36 percent fed co-products and 34 percent more considered it. Among beef cattle operations, 13 percent reported that they fed co-products and 30 percent considered it. For hog operations, 12 percent fed co-products and 35 percent considered it.
Of the various types of co-products available to operations for feeding, corn gluten feed was used by 46 percent of beef cow operations and 38 percent of cattle on feed operations, while distillers dried grains were used by 45 percent of dairy cattle operations and 44 percent of hog operations Other co-products that the survey looked at included distillers dried grains with solubles, condensed distillers solubles, brewers grains and distillers wet grains.
The report goes on to say that for those who don’t use the ethanol co-products, the main reason is a lack of availability.
The second annual Virgin Festival sponsored by Virgin Mobile will try to be as environmentally conscious as possible during the two-day concert, August 4-5th at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.
A report from Global Industry Analysts, Inc. says rising crude oil prices, and much of the world’s desire to find alternatives to fossil-based fuels, will push world biodiesel sales to 4.7 billion gallons a year by 2010.
Tomorrow morning, Wednesday, July 18th between 8 and noon, Kum & Go gas stations in 17 locations in Iowa will hold “Biodiesel Appreciation Day”… offering B2 biodiesel for 10 cents a gallon off the regular price.
“While ethanol makes a lot of headlines, especially here in Iowa, biodiesel has become the sleeping giant of biofuels,” said Jessica Zopf, environmental health coordinator for the American Lung Association of Iowa. “Iowa produces 225 million gallons of cleaner-burning biodiesel a year, which can significantly reduce harmful tailpipe emissions when used in higher concentrations. Buying a two percent blend biodiesel may be a small step, but it is a vital beginning on a path toward cleaner air, greener fuels and less dependence on petroleum.”
Where Sweden is the leader in the Ethanol movement in Europe, Minnesota is clearly designated as the leader in the United States with over 300 stations strong and growing, totalling roughly one third of Sweden’s entire nationwide coverage. In Sweden, there are almost 900 E-85 filling stations covering the entire country according to the Swedish Ethanol Development Foundation. In Minnesota, this works out to about one E-85 pump per every 17,000 persons in Minnesota that has a population at just over 5 million people. In Sweden, there is roughly one E-85 pump per every 10,000 persons with their total country’s population totalling around 9 million people.
The report attributes the sector’s boom to a range of global concerns – climate change, increasing energy demand and energy security foremost among them.
The National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville has teamed up with Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc., the Georgia-based electrical, engineering, and automation giant, to speed up the development of alternative fuel technology. 
“When it comes to renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel, it’s one thing for the government to give incentives to produce the fuel, but it’s another thing altogether to make sure the public knows what the fuel is, what it’s made from, and that it works in their car,” said Senator Klobuchar. “That’s why I support these crucial education programs.” 
Senator Crapo said, “In the face of rising gasoline prices and increasing calls for energy independence, people are looking for alternatives to conventional petroleum. The value of the Biodiesel Education Grant Program is that it helps people understand–from seed to gas tank–the benefits of biodiesel, including production practices, standards and fuel quality, and basic economics, so that they can make educated decisions about their fuel purchases.” 
“Biodiesel is in position to make a significant contribution to our nation’s energy security, but education remains one of our last great hurdles,” said Joe Jobe, NBB CEO. “While we’ve made substantial progress, we have much more work to do before biodiesel becomes a household word. We commend Senators Klobuchar and Crapo for recognizing the significance of this in ensuring a versatile, domestically supplied energy market.”
The Food Protein Research & Development Center at Texas A&M University is offering its 4th Practical Short Course on Biodiesel and Industrial Applications of Vegetable Oils, August 19-22, 2007.
Train personnel in :