License Granted for Herbicide Tolerant Camelina Production

Cindy Zimmerman

Yield10 Bioscience announced today that it has granted a global license to VISION Bioenergy Oilseeds to certain proprietary varieties of Camelina sativa (“Camelina”) for the production of feedstock oil for biofuels.

By facilitating the large-scale commercial production of herbicide tolerant Camelina, this license agreement is intended to empower farmers to capitalize on the growing biofuel market while advancing the decarbonization goals of aviation, maritime, and heavy-duty transport industries. Commercial production of Camelina is currently ramping up in North America as a source of ultra-low carbon feedstock oil for the biofuel industry. In consideration for the license and completion of certain deliverables, VISION will make cash payments to Yield10 totaling $3 million.

Yield10 will supply VISION with certain spring and winter Camelina varieties including varieties exhibiting herbicide tolerance to spray application of broadleaf herbicide glufosinate and tolerance to soil residual Group 2 herbicides. Under the license, VISION will have a three-year period of exclusivity to commercialize the licensed traits and varieties for use in biofuels. Once that period elapses, the license granted to VISION will convert to non-exclusive status worldwide. Yield10 retains the right to sublicense these Camelina traits and varieties, as well as to continue to utilize and develop these Camelina varieties to produce omega-3 oil and other Camelina oil and meal products.

aviation biofuels, biofuels, feedstocks, SAF

Ag Secretary Calls Census Numbers “Wake Up Call”

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA officials release 2022 Census of Agriculture

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) on Tuesday released results of the 2022 Census of Agriculture, which includes more than 6 million data points about America’s farms and ranches and the people who operate them down to the county level.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack joined NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer and USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economic Chavonda Jacobs-Young to present the report, which showed a seven percent decline since 2017 in the number of U.S. farms and ranches and two percent less acres of farmland in the country.

“This survey is a wake up call…Are we okay with losing that many farms? Are we okay with losing that much farmland? Or is there a better way,” said Vilsack.

Vilsack said the declining numbers makes the investment in climate smart agriculture even more important. “The farm then creates a second stream of income,” he said. “That’s why it’s important to continue to promote bio-product production…and transitioning into sustainable aviation fuel or a wide variety of bioproducts that can replace our over-reliance on fossil fuel and petroleum-based products.”

Some good news in the data shows an increase in the number of new and beginning (operating 10 or fewer years on any farm) as well as young (under the age of 35) producers. “I hope we take this information very seriously and understand that it need not be that every five years we report fewer farmers and less farm land, it doesn’t have to be.”

Secretary Vilsack - 2022 Census of Agriculture 16:50

Audio, aviation biofuels, Farming, SAF, USDA

Consumers Driving Demand for Clean Fuels

Cindy Zimmerman

Clean Fuels Alliance America Chair Michael Rath, Sr. with Darling Ingredients is optimistic about the future of clean fuels.

In his address to the membership at last week’s Clean Fuels Conference, Rath noted that consumers, including fleets, have choices for the fuel they put in their vehicles. “Clean fuel adoption is now largely driven by that consumer demand for choice,” he said.

Rath says 2023 was a good year for the industry. “What I would call a ‘storybook year,'” he said. “We’ve increased production domestically from 3 billion gallons in ’22 to over 4 billion gallons in ’23, over a 33% increase.

Rath praised the Clean Fuels team for the work they have done over the past year in Washington, DC and on the state level. With their persistence and education and with the members they were able to have some “wins” allowing for more certainty than the industry has had in a long time.

Listen to Rath’s remarks at the conference and an interview below.
Clean Fuels Chairman Michael Rath Remarks 13:51

Interview with Michael Rath 08:09

2024 Clean Fuels Conference Photo Album

Audio, Biodiesel, Bioheat, biojet fuel, Clean Fuels Alliance

Cargill Supports Low-Carbon Fuel Feedstock Research

Cindy Zimmerman

Cargill has awarded $2.5 million to the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota to support research into new oilseed crops that can potentially produce low-carbon fuel.

The research will focus on winter camelina and domesticated winter pennycress, two crops that can produce seed-based oil for low-carbon transportation fuels while also protecting soil, improving water quality, and providing new revenue streams for farmers.

Winter camelina and pennycress could be a major climate solution for hard-to-electrify parts of the transportation sector because their seed oil can be refined into drop-in replacements for jet fuel and diesel. Grown in the off-season and with few inputs, the crops produce seed-based oil with a small greenhouse gas footprint.

Fuel made from these crops could reduce emissions by more than 60 percent compared to petroleum jet fuel or diesel. Demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is increasing rapidly—spurred by state and federal tax credits and the newly launched Minnesota SAF Hub—and the shipping industry is looking for low-carbon replacements for conventional diesel fuel. The oil can also be used for food, biopolymers, and other industrial applications, and the high-protein meal can be used for animal feed.

Forever Green is an international leader in the development of winter camelina and pennycress. The Initiative is advancing a portfolio of over 15 new perennial and winter-annual crops. By integrating these novel crops with common Midwest crops like corn, soybean, and wheat, farmers can keep their soil covered with living crop plants year-round—a strategy known as “continuous living cover” agriculture.

Read more.

aviation biofuels, biofuels, Carbon, feedstocks, SAF

Corn Farmers Express Concerns About EV Focus

Cindy Zimmerman

Thousands of farmers from across the country signed a letter that was sent to President Joe Biden last week expressing concern that his administration is taking a short-sighted approach to addressing climate change by prioritizing the use of electric vehicles over biofuels, such as corn ethanol, as it works to drastically lower the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“If we are going to address climate change and meet our sustainability goals, we are going to have to take a multi-pronged approach, that includes tapping into higher levels of biofuels, such as corn ethanol, which offers an immediate climate solution,” reads the National Corn Growers Association letter that was signed by 3,466 farmers.

The farmers said it could take years before EVs become popular with consumers, which means the administration must expand its focus and efforts to address GHGs with solutions that are available now. “As a low-carbon, clean energy source and an affordable, homegrown fuel, ethanol serves as a critical pathway for agriculture and rural America to contribute to a sustainable future,” the letter noted.

The letter, which drew thousands of signatures in less than a week, comes as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prepares to release its light- and medium-duty vehicle tailpipe emissions standards for 2027-2032. To help meet the standards, the president has set a goal that 50% of all vehicle sales will be electric by 2030. A similar rulemaking is also being considered through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

the letter said.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Farming, NCGA

RFA Reports Record Ethanol Industry Export Value

Cindy Zimmerman

According to new reports from the Renewable Fuels Association, the value of the U.S. ethanol industry’s exports hit a record level of just over $7.1 billion in 2023. The volume of ethanol exports was the third-highest level on record at 1.43 billion gallons in 2023, while exports of distillers grains shipments registered at 10.8 million metric tons, slightly down from 2022.

“Exports represent a crucially important value-added market opportunity for U.S. ethanol producers and the farmers who supply feedstock to our industry,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “We exported one out of every 10 gallons of ethanol produced in the United States last year, along with one out of every three tons of distillers grains. The industry’s export sales made a remarkably positive contribution to the U.S. trade balance, while boosting farm incomes across rural America. As countries around the globe embrace ethanol as a low-cost solution for improving air quality and reducing carbon emissions, RFA will continue to pursue and protect free and fair trade opportunities.”

As detailed in the ethanol trade summary report, shipments to Canada set an annual record for a single destination, tallying almost 640 million gallons. The United Kingdom, European Union, South Korea, India and Colombia also were sizable markets.

In the trade summary report on co-product exports, including distillers grains, Mexico remained the top export market with a 20 percent share, followed by South Korea and Vietnam and Indonesia. Turkey and Morocco were the largest growth markets in 2023, with increases of 48 percent and 39 percent, respectively, compared to 2022.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Clean Fuels Inspiration and Partnership Awards

Cindy Zimmerman

Clean Fuels Alliance America presented awards recognizing industry partnerships and inspiration at the Clean Fuels Conference in Fort Worth last week.

Industry Partnership Award: ASTM International

ASTM International, the globally recognized standards development organization, will receive the Industry Partnership Award for its ongoing collaboration with the Clean Fuels’ technical team and the greater fuels industry to regularly revise and improve fuel standards, including ASTM D6751, the specification for biodiesel.

ASTM standards are designed to enhance product quality, safety, and performance across various industries. The committees within ASTM take a consensus-driven approach that involves stakeholders from the industry, government, academia, and other sectors, working together to create standards that facilitate innovation, ensure product reliability, and support global trade.

Accepting the award on behalf of ASTM was Jeff Grove, Vice President – Global Policy, Cooperation & Communications.
Clean Fuels Partnership Award - ASTM International 10:08

Inspiration Award: PepsiCo

PepsiCo, Inc., the multinational food and beverage company, will receive the Inspiration Award, honoring its steadfast progress in decarbonizing one of the largest private fleets in North America.

In 2021, PepsiCo announced its commitment to a strategic end-to-end transformation with sustainability at the center of company growth with the introduction of its PepsiCo Positive (pep+) initiative. As part of its broader sustainability goals, the company has set targets to reduce its carbon footprint and increase environmental efficiency by reaching net-zero emissions by 2040.

Receiving the award for PepsiCo were David Allen, VP & Chief Sustainability Officer and Adam Buttgenbach, Dir. Fleet Engineering & Sustainability who held a press conference to discuss PepsiCo’s sustainability efforts.
PepsiCo presser 16:08

2024 Clean Fuels Conference Photo Album

Audio, Biodiesel, biofuels, Clean Fuels Alliance

Ethanol Report Preview of NEC

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association National Ethanol Conference is the nation’s most widely attended executive-level conference for the ethanol industry, and this year’s conference February 19-21 in San Diego is anticipated to be one of the largest in recent years. Nearly 1,000 industry professionals are expected to attend the conference with the theme “Powered by Partnerships” to reflect the deeply collaborative and cooperative nature of the ethanol industry.

In this edition of The Ethanol Report, RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper gives a preview of the conference agenda and activities. Registration and more information can be found at NationalEthanolConference.com

Ethanol Report 2-8-24 14:59

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, National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Iowa Awards $3.4 Million to Expand E15 Availability

Cindy Zimmerman

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) has approved 74 project applications totaling more than $3.4 million in cost-share funding for Iowa fuel retailers for the first quarter to fund a record 73 ethanol cost-share projects to increase availability of E15 across the state. The board also approved one application for a new biodiesel terminal project. Once completed, these projects will expand fueling options for E15 and biodiesel blends in 38 different Iowa counties.

“Iowans are fueling their vehicles with lower cost E15 at record levels, Iowa plants are producing record volumes of ethanol, and Iowa is setting records for ethanol infrastructure investment,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “The Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program is truly driving biofuels momentum, and that is important because this industry supports rural jobs, creates markets for farmers and helps us secure our energy future. With significant state and federal cost-share assistance available, there has never been a better time for fuel retailers to help Iowa drivers save money at the pump by upgrading their fueling infrastructure.”

Over the history of the program, the state has invested over $80 million while private industry has invested over $240 million.

Biodiesel, E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Federal Clean Fuels Policy Update

Cindy Zimmerman

At the Clean Fuels Conference in Fort Wort this week, Kurt Kovarik, who serves as Vice President, Federal Affairs for Clean Fuels, provided an update on federal policies and described the work Clean Fuels does on the Hill. A significant part of it is education and persistence.

Kovarik leads members in advocating federal policies that support the industry’s growth. Kovarik has helped the industry secure a long-term extension of the biodiesel tax incentive; preserve important protections against unfair international trade; ensure the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard program; and organize the industry’s advocacy for equitable tax, infrastructure, and environmental policies.

You can listen to his remarks here:
Kurt Kovarik Remarks 8:52

2024 Clean Fuels Conference Photo Album

Audio, biofuels, Clean Fuels Alliance