Farmers Visiting The Ethanol Car

Chuck Zimmerman August 31, 2006

It seems like the number 17 Team Ethanol Indy Car is all over the place. It’s here on display at the Farm Progress Show courtesy of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC).

The man who’s been touring this around is Alan Slunecka, farmer and brother to EPIC Executive Director, Tom Slunecka. The vehicle here has a simulator attached and that’s been a big draw with the little and big (adult) kids.

I asked Alan how it’s going here at the show. He says the line has been long at times with people waiting their turn driving the car. As a farmer he’s very proud of the work being done in the renewable fuels area to make America independent of foreign oil. He doesn’t mind the hard work and long hours driving this demonstrator around the country to promote ethanol which he firmly believes is good for America, the environment and farmers like himself. He not only grows corn that’s turned into ethanol but feeds the by-product (DDG’s) to his cattle.

You can listen to my interview with Alan Slunecka here: Alan Slunecka Interview (3 min. MP3)

Audio, EPIC, Ethanol

Energy and Rural Development

Chuck Zimmerman August 30, 2006

Our USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development, Thomas Dorr was on hand here at the Farm Progress Show.

In my interview with Sec. Dorr we talked about renewable energy. I asked him to talk about the upcoming “Advancing Renewable Energy: An American Rural Renaissance” conference that USDA is conducing with the Dept. of Energy in St. Louis, Oct. 10-12. He lists the speakers that are confirmed and then talks about the latest USDA announcement on grants and loan guarantees from the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency program.

You can listen to my interview with Sec. Dorr here: Secretary Dorr Interview (5 min MP3)

Audio, Government

Ag Secretary On Energy

Chuck Zimmerman August 30, 2006

Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns toured the Farm Progress Show today.

Afterward he met with the press. During his remarks he explained what the administration is doing to enhance energy security and independence. One way is the $17 million in grants and guaranteed loans just announced for projects in various locations around the country. He also mentions the upcoming joint USDA-DOE energy conference in St. Louis, MO.

You can listen to Sec. Johanns here: Secretary Johanns Remarks (1 min MP3)

Audio, Government

Dupont/Bunge Announce Treus

Chuck Zimmerman August 30, 2006

One of the big announcements here at the Farm Progress Show on opening day was from Bunge and Dupont who have a biotech alliance. Basically they’ve created a new brand, “Treus.” This is being done to “reflect their expansion of the companies’ soy collaboration beyond food and nutrition products to include industrial applications, biofuels and other opportunities.”

Low linolenic soybean oil produced from Pioneer® brand soybean varieties, and previously marketed as NUTRIUM Low Linolenic Soybean Oil, will now be marketed as TREUS™ Low Linolenic Soybean Oil.

DuPont has a significant effort to deliver new technologies to the growing biofuels market, which includes improving biofuel production through improved seed and crop protection products; developing new technologies to allow conversion of cellulose to biofuels; and developing next generation biofuels, including biobutanol. In addition to developing corn hybrids for ethanol, DuPont subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., is characterizing Pioneer® brand soybean varieties for oil content to determine impact on biodiesel production.

I interviewed Troy Hobbs, Business Manager, Bunge/Dupont Biotech Alliance. He describes the changes in more detail and what this means for producers. Troy is pictured on the left of the Treus sign. On the right is Jason Klootwyk, Bunge, Asst. Commercial Manager, Grain Division.

You can listen to my interview with Troy here: Troy Hobbs Interview (3 min MP3) Note: I wasn’t using my regular recorder but the audio is acceptable.

Full Release

Agribusiness, Audio, Biodiesel, Biotech, Ethanol

Panda Powers Plants With Poop

Cindy Zimmerman August 29, 2006

Texas-based Panda Energy has announced plans to build a 100 million gallon per year ethanol plant in Sherman County, Texas.

According to a news release, the Sherman plant will generate the steam used in the ethanol manufacturing process by gasifying more than 1 billion pounds of cattle manure a year. Once complete, it will be one of the most fuel efficient ethanol refineries in the nation and equal in size to Panda’s Hereford facility which is the largest biomass-fueled ethanol plant in the United States.

The Sherman facility is the fourth 100 million gallon ethanol project announced by Panda, and the third to be powered by cattle manure.

Ethanol, Facilities

Paseo Investment Meeting

Cindy Zimmerman August 29, 2006

Paseo Biofuels, the Kansas City biodiesel plant joint venture between Cargill and Missouri Soybean growers announced earlier this month, is holding an investment meeting this week.

It will take place at 1:00 p.m. Thursday at the Farm Credit Services office off Hwy 65 North in Marshall, Missouri.

No website yet, so for more information about Paseo Biofuels they suggest you call 573-635-3819.

Biodiesel

American Agriculture on the Move

Cindy Zimmerman August 29, 2006

The American Agriculture Movement is organizing a “Drive for American Bio-Energy for Jobs, Family Farms, and National Security.”

According to the AAM, a “small group of patriotic family farm advocates, business people, and concerned citizens” will travel east from Kansas City to Washington, D.C. in antique tractors and cars “in an effort to raise public awareness about the contribution agriculture can make to help bring energy security to the American people.” They plan to converge on the Mall in DC on October 5.

AAM is supporting the Declaration of Independence from Foreign Energy, which reads:

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve their dependence on foreign energy which has connected them to others, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and commerce demand requires that the Congress of the United States of America declare a policy that ensures this energy independence. Only then can Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness be assured to future generations! We hold these truths to be self-evident that all energy sources are not created equal; that some are endowed by their creators with certain unalienable characteristics; that among these are abundance, renewability, and environmental compatibility and that, to secure these characteristics the federal government must provide support for renewable biomass resources. For America to have secure and affordable energy the supply must be diverse, decentralized, domestic and renewable and provide non-monopolistic marketing systems to assure energy Independence for the people. To this end we the undersigned demand the passage of the American Renewable Biomass Energy Security Tax-credit!

Agribusiness, Energy

First Terminal Certified For Biodiesel

Cindy Zimmerman August 29, 2006

Sprague Energy Corp. of New Hampshire has become the first oil terminal operator in the United States to earn BQ-9000 Certified Marketer status by the National Biodiesel Board, according to releases from both Sprague and NBB.

“This designation demonstrates Sprague’s commitment to supplying our customers with the highest quality biodiesel,” said Sprague President and CEO John McClellan. “It is our responsibility to prevent off-specification biodiesel from entering the marketplace and the BQ-9000 program ensures this. Put simply, if it doesn’t meet BQ-9000 quality standards, we won’t sell it.”

This year, Sprague has opened the first rack-blended biodiesel terminal in Albany, NY, enabling home heating and diesel fuel retailers throughout Upstate New York, Vermont and Western Massachusetts to supply a precisely blended biofuel product to their customers. Sprague’s Albany terminal, which also stores approximately 40 million gallons of traditional petroleum fuels, stores 40,000 gallons of pure biodiesel (also referred to as “neat” or B100). The B100 is blended with diesel fuel (“Biodiesel”) for over-the-road applications and #2 heating oil (“Bioheat”) for residential and commercial heating applications. The biofuel content is typically 2, 5, or 20 percent of the blended fuel.

New York Governor George E. Pataki, speaking at the Albany facility’s grand opening said “We recognize the need to reduce our dependence on imported energy, and this new facility shows that this vital energy transition is not only possible, but already underway.”

Biodiesel

Debunking The Food vs. Fuel Myth

Chuck Zimmerman August 29, 2006

The incoming 1st Vice President of the National Corn Growers Association is Ron Litterer, Greene, IA. Here at the Farm Progress Show, I talked to Ron about the impact of using more and more corn for fuel and what his thoughts are on the issue of how that affects other uses of the commodity. Ron’s being interviewed here by Tom Steever of Brownfield Ag News.

Ron says that people need to realize we don’t have a “static” supply and that our American farmers can produce enough corn to handle the projected needs of the fuel and food industries. Ron also feeds hogs and he says that after two years of very low priced corn he has no problem with the fact that the price of corn may rise. In fact, he says this is a good thing for all farmers.

You can listen to my interview with Ron here: Ron Litterer Interview (4 min MP3)

Audio, Ethanol

Wind Powering America

Chuck Zimmerman August 29, 2006

Helping me here at the Farm Progress Show is Kelcy Schroder, Iowa State University student. She’s here courtesy of the Monsanto, future ag journalist program, getting some new media experience. One of the first interviews she did was on wind power. Here’s her story:

New Ag Markets are coming out everyday but Wind Energy is becoming more popular. Many of you have seen the wind turbines in northwestern Iowa, and also in many other western states.

Wind turbines are located in rural areas so they can generate energy for urban areas long with rural areas too. Farmers may still plant crops around the turbines and graze livestock and not have an effect on the turbines. Unlike most electric generated sources, the wind turbines do not comsume water! There are many pros to owning or being a part-owner in a wind turbine. In my interview with Roya Stanley, from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, she also informed me that the USDA will also fund up to 25% of the costs of a wind turbine to be put up.

Wind turbines are being installed across America, but mainly dominated the northwestern part of the United States. Wind turbines are more valuable and have greater contribution to surrounding areas if the area is known for being windy. All 50 states have the capability to power wind turbines but not all of them can support utility-scale power plants.

As technology advances, Wind Energy is going to become more poplular and one of the main sources of energy!

Listen to my interview with Roya here: Roya Stanley Interview (5 min. MP3)

Audio, Government, Wind

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