Registration Open for 30th National Ethanol Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

The ethanol industry will be getting “Back to Our Roots” in 2025 with the Renewable Fuels Association’s 30th annual National Ethanol Conference, taking place in Nashville February 17–19.

The milestone event is themed “Back to Our Roots” to reflect the ethanol industry’s humble beginnings, its incredible growth, and its enduring ties to American agriculture, according to RFA Board Chairman Jeff Oestmann, CEO of Aztalan Bio in Wisconsin.

“Celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of this great conference gives us the opportunity to look back on how much has changed for our industry and celebrate both its pioneers and successes,” said Oestmann, who started his career in the industry at the second annual NEC. “I think it’s important to recognize something some people forget and that’s the deep, deep connection between ethanol and agriculture.”

Oestmann says the ethanol industry is proud of it’s rich history and tremendous growth over the past 30 years. “It’s nothing short of remarkable,” he said. “It stands as one of the greatest examples of value added agriculture in our history…and I see us growing even faster over the next ten years, really, than we have in the last 30.”

Oestmann talks about the upcoming 30th NEC and some of the big issues that will be in the spotlight in the latest edition of The Ethanol Report podcast:
Ethanol Report 10-4-24 15:12

Since 1996, NEC has been the nation’s most widely attended executive-level conference for the ethanol industry, where sessions featuring globally renowned speakers are interspersed with numerous networking opportunities to help the industry connect and collaborate. Last year in San Diego, RFA hosted nearly 900 industry stakeholders, hailing from 36 states and 20 other countries.

Early-bird registration provides substantial discounts until Dec. 2, and RFA members enjoy additional savings. Click here for more information and to register. For updates, follow NEC on X (formerly Twitter) at @EthanolConf, and track social media posts with the term #RFANEC.

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference

ACE Ethanol Today Releases 2025 Editorial Themes

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) recently issued its lineup of 2025 editorial themes for the bimonthly industry trade magazine Ethanol Today. Since the launch of an enhanced digital platform last year at ethanol.org/ethanol-today — the publication aims to further expand its online presence in the coming year and offer additional print and digital magazine advertising opportunities.

“The response has been positive since we revamped Ethanol Today’s look and introduced a more robust digital experience for our readers,” said Katie Muckenhirn, ACE Vice President of Public Affairs. “We’re excited to keep growing this digital presence and invite companies interested in engaging with the biofuels industry to explore opportunities via our online forum.”

Upcoming editorial themes for Ethanol Today include insights into ethanol industry policy and regulatory priorities under the next administration and Congress, as well as business optimization, the expanding use of ethanol, efforts to promote higher blends, climate-smart farming practices within Low Carbon Fuel Standard markets, and expanded export opportunities.

The publication reaches every ACE member, including every ethanol plant across the U.S. and the offices of each member of Congress.

ACE, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Corn Growers President Speaks Out for Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

NCGA president speaks at White House meeting (photo from NCGA)

National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Kenneth Hartman Jr. this week spoke to officials at the White House, telling them that farmers are living through difficult economic times, but the administration and Congress can help by removing barriers so growers can access expanding markets for U.S. corn.

“On behalf of my fellow corn growers, I spoke about the need to make it possible for producers to access tax credits for sustainable aviation fuels,” Hartman said during an event called Farmers and Ranchers in Action. “The tax credit would help us expand the ethanol market, which is important to growers, while boosting the airline industry’s efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions.”

Hartman also called on administration officials to help in any way they can with pending legislation, such as the farm bill.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NCGA, SAF

Export Exchange 2024 Concludes

Cindy Zimmerman

Export Exchange 2024, sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), wrapped up Wednesday in Fort Worth as trade teams began visits across the country to key components of the agricultural value chain.

“We are incredibly excited to see the impact that this week will have in the coming year as international stakeholders continue to generate new business within the U.S. value chain,” Ryan LeGrand, USGC president and CEO said. “Export Exchange has proven to be a crucial part in strengthening U.S. relationships with international industry professionals and therefore, strengthening the U.S. agriculture industry for years to come.”

RFA Senior Analyst Ann Lewis at 2024 Export Exchange

Thirteen trade teams are headed to corn-growing states to see advanced farming operations, explore DDGS production at ethanol plants, view port facilities and more to build their networks with U.S. suppliers.

Export Exchange was developed to allow buyers and sellers of U.S. corn, distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), sorghum and other commodities to gather every other year and connect with hundreds of attendees from more than 50 countries.

In the latest Trade Monitor report from RFA Senior Analyst Ann Lewis, U.S. exports of DDGS increased 2% in August to a three-year high of 1.12 million metric tons (mt) amid mixed markets. South Korea was the top market for exports, up 35% from the previous month, while Mexico’s imports fell 34% to an 8-month low of 163,086 mt. Year-to-date DDGS exports have reached 8.09 million mt, 15% higher than the same period last year.

Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Export Exchange, Exports, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, USGC

Clean Fuels Foundation Sustainability Education Grant

Cindy Zimmerman

The Clean Fuels Alliance Foundation is now accepting applications for the Beth Calabotta Sustainability Education Grant, a $2,000 award that aims to support student scientists dedicated to sustainable research.

To qualify for the grant, students must complete an online application and include a letter of recommendation. If selected, the recipient must commit to participating in Clean Fuels Alliance America’s Sustainability Workshop scheduled for April 8-9, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri. Grant funds should be utilized for travel and attendance of the workshop, with the remaining funds applied to academic expenses. Full eligibility requirements and criteria are listed in the online application.

Applicants have the opportunity to highlight their involvement in various topics including biodiesel and renewable diesel research, development related to feedstock and fuel production, environmental attributes and general energy studies. The deadline for applications is Friday, January 17, 2025 and the winner will be announced in February 2025.

The award was established in 2018 in memory of Beth Calabotta, who was director of Monsanto’s Bioenergy Development Program, and served on the biodiesel foundation board from 2007-2015.

Biodiesel, Clean Fuels Alliance, Education

Four New Members Join Expanded B20 Club in Illinois

Cindy Zimmerman

The Illinois-based B20 Club has expanded its membership with four additional organizations that support B20 biodiesel as a low-carbon fuel solution for Illinois communities.

Two new B20 Club fleet members are Village of Mundelein and Wilmette Park District, and two new B20 Club associate members are Luke Oil and Pinkerton Oil. “We are pleased to welcome these new member organizations as they join our efforts to promote use of biodiesel to improve air quality and support the Illinois economy,” says David Kubik, ISA biofuels and trade policy manager.

Founded in 2014, the B20 Club is a partnership between the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) and American Lung Association.

Biodiesel

Ethanol Report with New RFA Chair

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association recently held its annual membership meeting in Milwaukee and elected new officers, including Jeff Oestmann with Aztalan Bio.

Oestmann has been actively involved in the ethanol industry for nearly 30 years and is excited to take on this new leadership role for RFA. In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast, Oestmann discusses the current state of the ethanol industry and his goals for the future.

Ethanol Report 10-4-24 15:12

The Ethanol Report is a podcast about the latest news and information in the ethanol industry that has been sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association since 2008.

Choose an option to subscribe

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

RFA Surpasses $200 Million in HBIIP Grant Support

Cindy Zimmerman

Over the past year, the Renewable Fuels Association has helped fuel retailers and distributors apply for more than $200 million in USDA grant funding under USDA’s Higher Blend Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) during the final application window for the program which closed September 30. The project applications facilitated by RFA represent the addition of nearly 6,300 higher-blend (E15-E85) dispensers in more than 1,150 locations across the country.

“RFA is extremely proud to partner with innovative fuel retailers and marketers on these infrastructure projects, which will bring larger volumes of low-cost, low-carbon E15 and E85 fuels to drivers across the nation,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “RFA’s market development team, and especially Cassie Mullen, has worked tirelessly to assist fuel retailers—both large and small—in utilizing this important federal grant program focused on expanding the market for American-made renewable fuels and boosting demand for our nation’s farmers. The HBIIP program is not only an investment in the future of agriculture, it is also an investment in our country’s energy security and environmental quality.”

Since 2020, eight rounds of HBIIP funding have been offered, and RFA has helped 223 companies write and submit grant applications for projects totaling $513 million (when the companies’ own matching funds are included). These projects are located across more than 30 states, and to date 100 percent of the applications assisted by RFA have been funded by USDA.

One of the companies assisted by RFA is Harms Oil, a distributor serving the Midwest. “We’d like to extend our thanks and gratitude to Cassie and her team at RFA for all their assistance throughout the grant process,” said Mike Burgers, marketing manager for Harms Oil, which supplies fuel to retailers across the Midwest. “With their expertise and insight, they’ve enabled many of our retail sites to expand their ethanol offerings to better serve their communities. We are beyond grateful to partner with the Renewable Fuels Association and look forward to working with them on future projects.”

Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), are asking USDA to use the Commodity Credit Corporation to extend the HBIIP program.

E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, USDA

Ethanol Groups Urge Book and Claim for CSA

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA received testimony Tuesday at a public consultation on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and biofuel feedstocks urging federal agencies to embrace book-and-claim supply chain management approaches to decouple CSA carbon credits.

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper said in his testimony that innovative supply chain management solutions are needed to fully realize the benefits of CSA practices in the 45Z program.

“If 45Z and other regulations require that physical commodities grown using CSA practices be rigidly tracked through the supply chain and delivered to biofuel production facilities, this could severely limit the adoption of such practices, and it could cause significant distortions in grain flows and pricing,” he said. “Decoupling CSA attributes from the physical feedstock and allowing the biofuel producer to use book-and-claim accounting would encourage widespread adoption of CSA practices by growers and broad incorporation of CSA emissions improvements into biofuel lifecycle CI values.”

Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Policy Director Nathan Hohnstein made similar comments to USDA, stating that decoupling would allow farmers to have maximum participation potential.

“As many have pointed out, there are massive benefits to a book and claim model including spurring widespread adoption of CSA by farmers and allowing biofuel producers to source feedstock efficiently, all while easing the enforcement burden of tracking individual kernels or grains by federal regulators…” stated Hohnstein during the session today. “Such a process would not only lower expenses and risk of inaccurate credits thereby benefiting farmers and increasing adoption of CSA practices.”

aviation biofuels, biofuels, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Farming, IRFA Renewable Fuels Summit, SAF, USDA

Summit Next Gen Reports Progress on SAF Facility

Cindy Zimmerman

Summit Next Gen recently closed on its site for the development of a planned ethanol-to-jet sustainable aviation fuel (“SAF”) production platform that will be the largest in the world.

The 60-acre site is located on the Houston Ship Channel to leverage existing and planned marine, pipeline, rail and other logistics infrastructure to source ethanol feedstock for the facility and deliver produced SAF to major demand markets.

“Summit Next Gen’s ongoing success represents a continuation of our strategy to leverage our deep roots in the agricultural and ethanol industries to drive substantial value creation for all of our stakeholders, including the many communities in which we live, invest and operate,” said Bruce Rastetter, Founder and Executive Chairman of Summit Agricultural Group. “The completion of this project and commencement of operations will facilitate the creation of the first at-scale ETJ SAF production facility providing critical new markets for our agricultural and ethanol feedstock partners and helping to bridge the supply shortage of SAF globally, as demand for continued decarbonization efforts for the aviation industry exponentially increase.”

In June 2024, Robert Halpin was named Chief Executive Officer for Summit Next Gen, having previously spent over a decade in various executive roles at Crestwood Equity Partners, a publicly traded energy midstream infrastructure company, most recently serving as President.

aviation biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, SAF