Key DDGS Issues in Focus at #ExEx18

Cindy Zimmerman

Tyson Foods Poultry Nutritionist Philip Smith spoke at the first Export Exchange back in 2010 and he was back again this year at the biennial educational and trade forum to talk about the use of the ethanol co-product distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) in poultry feed.

Tyson has been using DDGS for feed at numerous locations for almost 15 years and Smith says it comes down to price and consistency.

Listen to his presentation here: Export Exchange 18 presentation Philip Smith, Tyson

ProExporter Senior Analyst Bill Holbrook provided his outlook for DDGS, challenges and opportunities.

In his presentation, Holbrook said he expects to see U.S. DDGS production and exports increase going forward, growing from about 37.8 million metric tons of production feeding an 11.7 mmt export market this year, to as much as 18 million tons of exports in 2030.

“We’re basically growing it by about 50% over the next 12 years or so,” said Holbrook.

Listen here: Export Exchange 18 presentation Bill Holbrook, ProExporter

Export Exchange 2018 Photo Album

Export Exchange is co-sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), and Growth Energy to bring together international buyers and domestic suppliers of corn, DDGS, sorghum, barley and other commodities.

Audio, Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Events, Export Exchange, Exports, RFA

Growth Energy Pleased to Co-Sponsor #ExEx18

Cindy Zimmerman

Export Exchange 2018, held this week in Minneapolis, was the fifth biennial educational and trade forum for U.S. feed grains and ethanol co-products to be held since 2010 and the first one co-sponsored by Growth Energy.

“The past 12 months have seen the highest amount of ethanol exports in history, and this year’s Export Exchange is the perfect place to tell our story and showcase the benefits that American-made ethanol and its co-products can bring to global marketplaces,” said Growth Energy Senior Vice President of Global Markets Craig Willis. “Growth Energy is very much about business development and growing these export markets.”

Willis talks more about Growth Energy’s market development efforts in this interview. Export Exchange 18 interview with Craig Willis, Growth Energy

Export Exchange 2018 Photo Album

Audio, Ethanol, Export Exchange, Exports, Growth Energy

RFA Finds Over 93% of 2019 Vehicles Approved for E15

Cindy Zimmerman

More than 93 percent of 2019 model year (MY) vehicles are “explicitly approved by the manufacturer to use 15 percent ethanol blends (E15),” according to the latest analysis from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). That’s four percent more than the approximately 89 percent of MY 2018 vehicles that were E15 approved.

Automakers began specifically approving E15 in owner’s manuals and warranty statements in 2012, the first year E15 was sold commercially, and the makes and models included have been increasing every year since then, with 28 of the 32 vehicle lines reviewed in this analysis carrying manufacturer’s approval. For the first time, Subaru is now approving the use of E15 in several of its most popular models for MY 2019, including the Ascent, Crosstrek and Impreza. Mercedes-Benz and Mazda, BMW, Volvo, and Mitsubishi are the only manufacturers not on the list.

“As this analysis shows, virtually all new vehicles are clearly approved by the manufacturer to use E15, a cleaner and cheaper fuel blend that is available today at more than 1,400 stations in 29 states,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “We applaud Subaru for approving E15 in many of its new models for the first time, and we will continue to work with the few remaining automakers who do not yet list E15 as an approved fuel.”

RFA held a panel teleconference Thursday to address some of the false and misleading information about E15 being spread by ethanol opponents, including its use in vehicles and marine engines, as well as its impact on air quality. Participating were:

• Geoff Cooper, President and CEO, Renewable Fuels Association
• Janet Yanowitz, P.E., PhD, Ecoengineering, Inc – Air Quality Expert
• Gary Burris, Owner Sport World Boat Center – Marine Engines Expert
• Matt Morrison, RFA Outside Counsel
• Gary Herwick, Auto Industry Expert

Listen to remarks from each participant here: RFA panel teleconference on E15

Audio, Car Makers, E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

New Editorial Themes for Ethanol Today in 2019

Cindy Zimmerman

The bimonthly industry trade magazine Ethanol Today, published by the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), has released a new lineup of editorial themes and event sponsorship opportunities for 2019.

The publication’s themes cover a wide range of topics, including clean fuel and high octane ethanol market opportunities; trade; an update on ethanol-related policy and legislative issues; plant technology; business optimization; and more. Ethanol Today has focused on providing timely, in-depth information about the people, policies and issues that drive ethanol in America for over 15 years.

“The 2019 editorial themes represent the issues of importance to ACE membership and our knowledgeable advisory board of ethanol industry representatives — truly a trade publication for our readers by our readers,” said Katie Fletcher, ACE Communications Director and Editor of Ethanol Today. “ACE’s trade publication supports the innovation, production, efficiency and growth of this industry through content planned and written with ethanol producers at the forefront.”

Ethanol Today is sent to all ACE members, as well as all U.S. ethanol plants and each member of Congress. With the new year just around the corner, ACE is currently offering competitive advertising rates for all six issues of Ethanol Today and sponsorships for the organization’s 11th annual Washington, D.C. fly-in and 32nd annual conference in 2019.

ACE, Ethanol

DDGS in the Spotlight at Export Exchange

Cindy Zimmerman

Export Exchange 2018 in Minneapolis this week highlighted the importance of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) for ethanol producers and the U.S. grains export market.

Speakers including Tyson Foods poultry nutritionist Philip Smith, ProExporter senior analyst Bill Holbrook, Renewable Fuels Association Regulatory Affairs Vice President Kelly Davis and Distillers Grains Technology Council’s executive director Kurt Rosentrater covered topics such as DDGS and poultry nutrition, export challenges and opportunities, food safety regulations and new products including pelleting, high protein versions and advancing technologies.

Davis discussed the Food Safety Modernization Act and the manufacturing of DDGS. “The U.S. is continuing its lead in food safety,” said Davis. “What people normally think of as human food safety has now been extended to animal feed – now called animal food.”

DDGS and other ethanol co-products provide a value-added market for the U.S. ethanol industry, being exported to 50 countries on five continents last year and the market is once again on the rise in various parts of the world.

Davis talks about the importance and safety of U.S. DDGS in this interview. Export Exchange 18 interview with Kelly Davis, RFA

Listen to her presentation here:
Export Exchange 18 presentation Kelly Davis, RFA

Export Exchange 2018 Photo Album

Audio, Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Export Exchange, Exports, RFA

ExEx18 Keynote Stresses U.S. Trade Advantages

Cindy Zimmerman

North America is a leader in both trade and increasing food production for the world, trade needs to grow to provide global food security, trade is already complex so we should work to eliminate unnecessary complexities, and we need to think long term when it comes to trade policy.

Those were four key messages that Roger Watchorn, group leader at Cargill Agriculture Supply Chain North America, presented at Export Exchange 2018 in Minneapolis this week.

“North America continues to be a leader in production technologies and a major player in global trade,” said Watchorn. “One in seven people worldwide depend on global trade for their basic food needs. We connect farmers with those who need our products around the world…and we are ready to meet those needs.”

Export Exchange is a biennial educational and trade forum co-sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), and Growth Energy offering international buyers the opportunity to meet and build relationships with U.S. suppliers of corn, DDGS, sorghum, barley and other commodities.

Listen to Watchorn'[s presentation here and see more from the Export Exchange on AgNewsWire.

Export Exchange 18 presentation Roger Watchorn, Cargill

Export Exchange 2018 Photo Album

Audio, Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Export Exchange, Exports, RFA, USGC

Export Exchange Furthers USGC Mission

Cindy Zimmerman

The chairman of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is optimistic about the growth of export markets for grains and ethanol co-products such as distllers grains (DDGS).

“In the 2017-18 marketing year, the U.S. set a new record for exports of feed grains and co-products for the second year in a row,” said USGC chair Jim Stitzlein, manager of market development for Consolidated Grain and Barge Co, in his welcome address to Export Exchange 2018 in Minneapolis Tuesday.

Stitzlein says the biennial Export Exchange is an excellent opportunity for U.S. grain suppliers to meet with interested buyers and do real business, which furthers the mission of USGC to develop new markets for agricultural products.

Listen to Stitzlein’s welcome and an interview with him from Export Exchange:

Export Exchange 18 welcome from USGC chair Jim Stitzlein

ExEx18 interview with USGC chair Jim Stitzlein, Consolidated Grain and Barge

Export Exchange 2018 Photo Album

Audio, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Export Exchange, Exports, Grains, RFA, USGC

National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center Celebrates 15 Years

Cindy Zimmerman

NCERC at SIUE receives ethanol industry Award of Excellence in 2015

The National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE) is celebrating 15 years of biofuels research this month.

The Illinois Corn Growers Association was instrumental in fostering development of the Center in 2003 and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has worked closely with NCERC since its inception and continues partnering on various projects.

NCERC Executive Director John Caupert says they are committed to assisting in finding new homes, for new bushels of corn, with new market opportunities. “NCERC was an early leader in transforming corn into dozens of renewable compounds, including biofuels, biochemicals, biomaterials and bioproducts,” said Caupert. “The NCERC has directly contributed to the growth of the ethanol industry, helping grow ethanol production in the United States from 2.8 billion gallons annually to the nearly 16 billion gallons of production today,”

Caupert adds that NCERC has assisted in advancements in fuel ethanol production, moving more than 65 products and technologies into the commercial marketplace that are now being utilized in every commercial corn ethanol plant operating today. The center received the ethanol industry Award of Excellence at the 2015 Fuel Ethanol Workshop.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NCGA

Export Exchange 2018 is Underway

Cindy Zimmerman

More than 200 international buyers and end-users of coarse grains and co-products from some 35 countries are in Minneapolis this week for Export Exchange 2018.

The biennial educational and trade forum, co-sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), and Growth Energy, offers attendees an unparalleled opportunity to meet and build relationships with domestic suppliers of corn, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), sorghum, barley and other commodities.

In addition to networking opportunities, USGC CEO Tom Sleight says Exchange attendees will be briefed on the global supply and demand situation, food safety regulations, agribusiness, the current U.S. policy environment and more. “We’re in a really strong, competitive situation right now for feed grains and that’s really fueling us,” said Sleight.

This is the fifth Export Exchange conference since 2010 and RFA chief economist Scott Richman says it is a very important event for increasing exports of the ethanol co-product DDGS. “These are a lot of our customers in some of the key destinations for exports of distillers grains for the U.S. ethanol industry,” said Richman.

Listen to or download interviews with both Sleight and Richman below:

Export Exchange 18 interview with Tom Sleight, USGC

Export Exchange 18 interview with Scott Richman, RFA

Export Exchange 2018 Photo Album

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

Targray Opens Fargo Biodiesel Terminal

Cindy Zimmerman

Targray has opened its Fargo Biodiesel Terminal, a 24/7 fuel distribution center serving wholesale fuel buyers throughout the Fargo-Moorhead metro area.

“The Fargo terminal is an important addition to our national biodiesel distribution network.” explained Targray Biofuels Trader, Samy Cozma. “It provides a reliable local biodiesel solution for businesses operating in Fargo-Moorhead, one of the country’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas.” Cozma added that the new terminal would also help address the increased demand for bio-based diesel in Northwest Minnesota, stemming from the state’s recently amended biodiesel mandate.

On May 1st, 2018, Minnesota began requiring that all diesel fuel sold in the state contain at least twenty percent Biodiesel (B20). The minimum content for the remainder of the year is five percent (B5). The state’s move to increase the use of biodiesel, a cleaner-burning alternative to petroleum-based diesel, has received strong support from local clean air advocates, including the American Lung Association’s Upper Midwest Chapter.

Biodiesel