Export Exchange Announces Keynote Speaker

Cindy Zimmerman

Roger Watchorn, group leader at Cargill Agriculture Supply Chain North America (CASCNA), will be the keynote speaker for Export Exchange 2018 Oct. 22-24 in Minneapolis.

Watchorn and his team are responsible for setting the culture and strategic direction for the domestic and export grain, oilseed processing, crop inputs, biodiesel, and Cargill Marine & Terminals businesses in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. His remarks will focus on the achievements and challenges of the supply chain for U.S. coarse grains and co-products in today’s trade environment.

“Mr. Watchorn will bring a fresh perspective to Export Exchange, on the burgeoning international grains market and the trends and future of it from the supply chain perspective,” said U.S. Grains Council Chairman Jim Stitzlein. “We look forward to hosting him and getting his unique insight into the industry.”

Held every other year and sponsored by U.S. Grains Council (USGC), the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), and now Growth Energy, Export Exchange brings together international buyers and U.S. sellers of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), as well as other feed grain products. The conference in Minneapolis is expected to attract nearly 500 attendees, including 200 from 30 countries participating as part of USGC trade teams.

Click for more information about #ExEx18, including registration details

biofuels, corn, Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Export Exchange, Exports, Growth Energy, Renewable Fuels Association, USGC

New NCGA Officer Talks Top Issues at #FPS18

The National Corn Growers Association leadership team was out in full force last week at the Farm Progress Show, including the new kid on the board, Kevin Ross of Iowa.

Ross was elected this summer to become the organization’s first vice president for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, and he is jumping right into the issues head first – and there is definitely a lot talk about.

In our 10 minute sit down at FPS, Ross covered everything from the latest trade and tariff developments, to ethanol and the RFS, the 2018 Farm Bill and zombie WOTUS. Since we will be hearing a lot from him in the next few years as an NCGA officer, listen here and get to know Kevin Ross a little better. FPS18 Interview with Iowa farmer Kevin Ross, NCGA vice president

2018 Farm Progress Show

Content Creation at the Farm Progress Show brought to you by Farm Progress Show content creation courtesy of John DeereCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by GrowmarkCoverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Bayer CropScience
AgWired Energy, Audio, corn, Ethanol, farm bill, Farm Progress Show, NCGA, Trade

RFS Issues Being Worked on “Feverishly”

Cindy Zimmerman

Secretary Sonny Perdue, Smokey Bear, and Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Jim Hubbard

Speaking with reporters at the swearing-in ceremony for new USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Jim Hubbard, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue provided an update on what is being done to resolve issues surrounding the Renewable Fuels Standard.

“We’re working feverishly to resolve the RFS issue,” said Perdue, who added that he has been working with EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler on a proposal to present to President Trump, who is “very, very anxious to get this resolved.”

“I think we can resolve it to the satisfaction of both our ethanol industry as well as our refinery industry,” Perdue said confidently.

Audio from USDA – Secretary Perdue comments on RFS issue progress

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFS, USDA

Growth Energy Helping Expand E15 Availability

Cindy Zimmerman

The availability and use of E15, or 15 percent ethanol blended fuel, has been growing steadily since it was approved by EPA in 2011 for use in model year 2001 and newer vehicles but challenges remain for retailers who want to sell it and consumers who want to use it. Even President Trump has voiced his support for E15 over the past year. Recently, Growth Energy welcomed the fuel industry’s leading independent E15 retailers at their fourth annual Prime the Pump retreat in Brainerd, MN.

The three-day Prime the Pump retreat allowed attendees to share best practices for tackling industry challenges. “This ongoing collaboration with retailers ensures that we’re not only continuing to expand the E15 footprint to give more Americans access to a cleaner burning fuel, but that we’re also delivering the best marketing tools and practices for our partners to be successful,” said Growth Energy Vice President of Market Development Mike O’Brien.

In this Driving Ethanol podcast, Mike O’Brien discusses how they are working with retailers to continue to grow the availability of the fuel and educate consumers about the benefits.

Growth Energy Driving Ethanol Podcast 9-5-18

Subscribe to the Driving Ethanol podcast

Audio, Driving Ethanol podcast, E15, Ethanol, Growth Energy, Retailers

GROWMARK Embraces Change in Agriculture

GROWMARK CEO Jim Spradlin (left) and Chairman of the Board John Reifsteck (right) address those gathered for the company’s annual meeting in Chicago.

GROWMARK CEO Jim Spradlin said the company’s new strategy – based on the acronym ‘GROW’ – is not just focused on getting bigger. It’s focused on getting better.

During a shared address at the company’s annual meeting in Chicago, Spradlin and Board Chairman John Reifsteck reflected back on the past 30 years or more in agriculture, sharing both personal experiences as well as changes that have come to the GROWMARK system.

“We thrive on change,” said Spradlin. “We thrive on it primarily because where we can get better and we can utilize the skills of our people to lend advice and support and help to our customers, and help them be more successful, we think that’s our spot in this world.”

Spradlin recognized farmer members are dealing with a very difficult agriculture economy right now, with trade issues only adding to the seriousness of the situation. But he believes farmers are resilient and will continue to adjust. He said great attitudes prevail across the organization at the farm level, even though it is more challenging than it has been in recent years.

GROWMARK began a new fiscal year on Sept. 1, and Spradlin shared that this was a solid year fiscally for the cooperative, especially in the agronomy and grain divisions.

Listen to Carrie’s interview with Jim here: Interview with Jim Spradlin, GROWMARK CEO

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Farm Bill Conference Committee Meets This Week

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2018 Farm Bill Conference Committee will hold its first public meeting this week on Wednesday, September 5 at 9:30 am Eastern.

Agriculture Committee Chairmen Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Rep. K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, and Ranking Members Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., announced the meeting last month, saying that they are “committed to working together on a Farm Bill that delivers certainty and predictability to our farmers and families as quickly as possible.”

The Farm Bill Conference Committee is composed of 56 members, including nine Senators and 47 Representatives. The hearing will be webcast live on ag.senate.gov.

Faced with the lowest farm income in 12 years, the presidents of the American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers Union are asking Senate and House conferees to move quickly.

AFBF and NFU, together with more than 150 other organizations, including Growth Energy and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), sent a letter to the Senate and House Agriculture committees asking the farm bill conference committee to pass an on time, five-year farm bill before the September 30 expiration of the 2014 farm bill.

In addition, NBB sent a separate letter to the committee leadership specifically asking for reauthorization and funding of the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, the Biodiesel Education Program, and the National Oilheat Research Alliance. “Given the industry’s agricultural roots and benefits provided to U.S. farmers and rural communities, programs supporting biodiesel are an appropriate and important piece of the Farm Bill,” wrote Kurt Kovarik, vice president of federal affairs for NBB.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, biofuels, farm bill, Government, Growth Energy

ACE Makes 5th Mexico Trip for Ethanol Education

Cindy Zimmerman

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty recently returned from the fifth of seven technical ethanol workshops for Mexican petroleum equipment installers and retailers organized by the U.S. Grains Council to address questions and concerns of local station owners about sourcing, marketing, and profiting from ethanol-blended gasoline. This time it was Xalapa, the capital of the state of Veracruz located about 70 miles inland from the city of Veracruz, a major port city located along the coast in the central part of the state through which most of Mexico City’s imports come.

“In the near future, ethanol in Mexico will be shipped by rail, but ocean-going shipping could quickly become a reality if volumes justify it,” Lamberty added. “There is an increasing amount of ethanol already being sold in Mexico, with reports of some fairly large deals done in the past few weeks. We may see significant volume sooner than I thought.”

At the recent 2018 ACE Conference, Lamberty talked about the challenges and opportunities in the Mexico market for ethanol. Listen to that interview here –
ACE18 Interview with Ron Lamberty, ACE Senior VP

Lamberty and Kristy Moore, Principal Scientist at KMoore Consulting Inc., will provide details of their efforts on the ground in Mexico helping ethanol enter the nation’s fuel marketplace during an ACE webinar coming up on Tuesday, September 18 at 2 p.m. central. The presentation will include updates on UL listings for E25 and E40, ASTM spec changes affecting ethanol, weights and measures, higher-blend labeling challenges, and retailer feedback and advice for promoting ethanol to consumers. Registration is available at ethanol.org/events/webinar.

2018 ACE Conference Photo Album

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Ethanol Groups File New Lawsuit Over Exemptions

Cindy Zimmerman

Two major ethanol advocacy organizations are demanding transparency from the Environmental Protection Agency on the granting of small refinery exemptions from Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) obligations.

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy filed a joint lawsuit in federal district court, alleging that EPA and Department of Energy have “improperly denied agency records requested …. under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)”

“Because EPA and DOE both ignored our repeated requests for basic information on the exemptions, we had no choice but to take this legal action,” said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “America’s ethanol producers, who are experiencing economic hardship because of EPA’s mishandling of the small refiner exemptions, deserve to know what was happening behind the curtain at EPA.”

“EPA should come clean and provide the public with what it deserves – a full accounting of the stark increase in the number of small refinery exemptions it has granted in recent years,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “We deserve to know why EPA has supercharged its approvals of these exemptions without reallocating lost gallons and making sure that RFS volumes are met each year.”

Both organizations have submitted several records requests dating back to April 2018 seeking information related to exemptions from the RFS that EPA has granted to small refineries in complete secrecy. EPA and DOE have failed to act within the timeframes required by FOIA and have improperly withheld the requested documents.

EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Growth Energy, RFA, RFS

RFA Past President Preaches for Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

The preacher in Randy Doyal came out at a rally for E15 and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) this week at the Farm Progress Show.

Doyal, who is past president of the Renewable Fuels Association and CEO of Al-Corn Clean Energy in Minnesota, proclaimed to the crowd gathered at the rally that corn ethanol is actually created by solar power. “Farmers are out there planting a renewable solar collector every year – the best solar collector ever – those leaves collect sunlight and convert it into energy,” said Doyal in an interview after the rally.

Doyal was pleased that Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue showed up at the rally so farmers and other ethanol supporters could thank him for what he is doing for them in the Trump Administration.

Listen to my interview with Doyal here: Randy Doyal, Al-Corn Clean Fuel, at FPS18 rally

2018 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Audio, E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Farm Progress Show, RFA, RFS

Secretary Perdue Comments on Current Issues

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visited the Farm Progress Show this week, making an appearance for everyone at the show to enjoy with Max Armstrong and Orion Samuelson in the VIP tent, followed by a press gaggle where trade was the number one topic, along with WOTUS and the Renewable Fuel Standard.

Asked about Canada and its dairy policy – “The president’s been pretty firm on this…We’re not asking Canada to do away totally with their supply-management system, but if they’re going to continue we want them to manage their supply.”

Regarding trade assistance to farmers – “It’s based on what is the tariff damage actually calculated. That’s why you see the difference between the soybean award and the corn award, because of the tariff damage.”

WOTUS court decision – “Administrator Wheeler now is working on a renewed WOTUS rule that will be affirmed in the courts to give our farmers certainty.”

E15 year round – “President called me this morning said let’s get it done.”

Listen here – FPS 18 Secretary Perdue press gaggle

2018 Farm Progress Show

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