by Chris Hanson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Similar to the 1970s period of prosperity, Zulauf (Carl Zulauf, economics professor at Ohio State University) says that in 2012 crop prices increased by roughly 200 percent, which he attributes to China’s growing demand for
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Back TO HOMERNCOS White Paper: Asia Pacific Leads Biofuel Production Growth
(RNCOS) In a world which is ever thirsty for energy, economies eye on renewable energy sources to conserve environment and reduce costs. Our recent analysis of global biofuel industry revealed that in 2012, Asia Pacific witnessed the fastest growth of
September 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blend Wall? What Blend Wall?
by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The oil industry has formally petitioned the EPA to reduce the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volume requirements for 2014, arguing that the ethanol market is saturated. But now that corn and ethanol
September 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Farmer’s Markets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As farmer’s markets boom — bringing great foods and prices directly to consumers — what can we learn about the real story of food vs fuel, when it comes to the use of crops that
September 16, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry on the Offensive after August Recess
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... (Paul) Bertels (vice president of production and utilization for the National Corn Growers Association) said the harvest should bring in about 12.9 billion bushels of corn, the third largest crop ever and just 100
September 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Call Waiting, Biofuels, Genetics and You
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The company (Kaiima) started up in 2006, and by 2009, the results were starting to show in castor beans. Castor oil is a good source for a variety of applications, including biofuels — but castor
September 04, 2013 Read Full Article
Cheap Corn Deters Buyers in U.S. Sugar-for-Ethanol Program
by Alan Bjerga and Marvin G. Perez (Bloomberg) A glut of corn has damped interest by biofuel makers in a U.S. government program to sell surplus sugar for ethanol, potentially decreasing its effectiveness in propping up sugar prices. With the U.S.
August 29, 2013 Read Full Article
SDTC Looking for Canada's Next Cleantech Innovators
(MarketWired/Sustainable Development Technology Canada) Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) is looking for the next wave of innovative cleantech entrepreneurs. Its SD Tech Fund™ is open for applications from August 28th to October 16th, 2013. "Cleantech is the key to bringing together economic
August 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Canadian Scientists Unravel Camelina Biofuel Genome
(UPI) Saskatchewan scientists have sequenced the camelina sativa genome. Saskatchewan scientists say they have sequenced the camelina sativa genome, an important step in the development of sustainable biofuels. The genome sequencing discovery was announced by scientists from Saskatchewan firm Genome Prairie, the
August 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Comparing Current and 1970 Farm Prosperity: Alcohol for Fuel and the Current Prosperity
by Carl Zulauf and Nick Rettig (Ohio State University/FarmDocDaily) ... Corn processed into alcohol for fuel was not a factor in the 1970 period of farm prosperity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) data series on this demand component does not
August 26, 2013 Read Full Article
E85 Sales Rose 43 Percent in Second Quarter: IRFA
by Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register) ... “E85 sales were down at the end of 2012 and beginning of 2013 due to last summer’s drought, but we’re seeing those numbers turn around now with very attractive E85 prices,” said Monte Shaw,
August 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Researchers Discover Protein that Helps Plants Tolerate Drought, Flooding, Other Stresses
(EurekAlert!) Findings could ultimately boost crop and biofuels production A team including Dartmouth researchers has uncovered a protein that plays a vital role in how plant roots use water and nutrients, a key step in improving the production and quality of
August 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Record Corn Crop Refutes Critics, Ethanol Industry Says
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...“Following the worst drought in 50 years, USDA is projecting that U.S. farmers will produce a record 13.8 billion bushels of corn this year and the third best yield, which is further proof
August 13, 2013 Read Full Article
Call to Action for a Truly Sustainable Renewable Future
-Include high octane/high ethanol Regular Grade fuel in EPA Tier 3 regulations. -Use a dedicated, self-reducing non-renewable carbon user fee to fund renewable energy R&D. -Start an Apollo-type program to bring New Ideas to sustainable biofuel and bioproducts from non-food biomass. -Make advanced
August 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels, Climate Change and National Security
by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) The direct relationship between Climate Change effects and National Security was recently summarized in testimony at a Congressional hearing: Competition and scarcity involving natural resources—food, water, minerals, and energy—are growing security threats. Many countries important to
July 26, 2013 Read Full Article
In Quest for Energy, Biofuels Gaining Ground
by James Osborne (Dallas Morning News) For more than 130 years, Darling International has operated in a little-known corner of U.S. industry, breaking down the leftovers of the meat industry for products including cattle feed and cosmetics. Then last month the
July 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Drought Resistant Biofuel Plant Tested for Potential Large Scale Production
by ANI (Yahoo! News) ..."It is thought that Jatropha's future lies in further improvement of Jatropha for large-scale production on marginal, non-food croplands through breeding and/or biotechnology," John E. Carlson, professor of molecular genetics at Penn State, said. "The more that is
July 17, 2013 Read Full Article
Busting Big Oil Myths on the RFS and Ethanol, Part II: Food Prices
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/The Energy Collective) ...Big Oil’s PR machine regurgitates these myths via conference calls with reporters, meetings with editorial boards, sham studies, paid advertising, social media and many other channels. Their goal, of course, is to
June 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Going Green: Nation Equipped to Grow Serious Amounts of Pond Scum for Fuel
by Tom Rickey (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) A new analysis shows that the nation's land and water resources could likely support the growth of enough algae to produce up to 25 billion gallons of algae-based fuel a year in the
May 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Sugar for Food, Fuel and Power: The ISO Datagro Sugar & Ethanol Conference in New York City
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) What used to be known as “The New York Sugar Conference” has become “The ISO and Datagro Sugar & Ethanol Conference” with a record-setting number of attendees (350 from 25 countries) demonstrating the growing
May 16, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol, Corn Prices, Government Payments, and the REAL Reason Meat Groups Oppose the RFS
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) As part of its ongoing review of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the House Energy & Commerce Committee recently asked stakeholders to comment on the impact of the RFS on the agriculture sector. One of the
May 07, 2013 Read Full Article
New Plant Protein Discoveries Could Ease Global Food and Fuel Demands
by Kim McDonald (University of California at San Diego) New discoveries of the way plants transport important substances across their biological membranes to resist toxic metals and pests, increase salt and drought tolerance, control water loss and store sugar can have
May 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Colorado Needs the Renewable Fuel Standard
by Kent Peppler (Denver Post) ...But predictions of more off-the-charts wildfires this summer are a reminder of how fragile it all is and how much we have to lose. Renewable fuels can help us protect it. ... We must address the root
May 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Ceres Releases Q2 Financials, Reports Progress with Sweet Sorghum
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...According to information released by Ceres, commercial harvests of its newest sweet sorghum hybrids have started in Brazil, with the majority of hectares expected to be harvested within the next few weeks. During a
April 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Tough Characters: Looking for Biofuel Plants that Can Survive Drought & Other Harsh Conditions
by Chris Woolston (Bioenergy Connection) ... If you drove around certain parts of the Midwest this summer, you might have seen patches of energy grass or tall, green sorghum flourishing amid the ruined corn and soybeans. At the same time, biofuel
April 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels Given a New Lease on Life
by Andre Janse van Vuuren (City Press/Fin24) Dormant plans to establish a local biofuel sector – earmarked to create up to 50 000 jobs and save the country at least R8.9bn in foreign exchange payments – could be given a
April 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Renewed Interest in Grain Sorghum in Nebraska
by Ken Anderson (Browfield Ag News) A combination of dry weather and increased demand from the ethanol sector could have grain sorghum poised for a comeback in Nebraska. Grain sorghum plantings in the state plummeted from 550-thousand acres in 2000 to just
March 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels Facing Challenges in Face of Drought
by Steve Tarter (Journal Star) ...But Ron Miller, the former CEO of Aventine Renewable Energy, the Pekin-based ethanol supplier, and now an industry consultant, said that the past year wasn’t unique. “No doubt 2012 was a difficult year for the (ethanol)
March 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Idle Ethanol Plants Wait for New Fuel Standards
by Grant Gerlock (KBIA) Ethanol is an up and down industry, and right now it’s down. Ethanol plants in at least 13 states have stopped running over recent months because of higher corn prices and lower demand for the biofuel.
March 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Energy Security Trust Counterproductive Says Advanced Biofuels USA Preferring a True Carbon Tax and Apollo Program Scale Efforts
Advanced Biofuels USA, an internationally respected nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting the understanding, development and use of advanced biofuels as an energy security, economic development, military flexibility and climate change/pollution control solution finds the Obama Administration’s proposal for an
March 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Two New Biofuel Tilapia-Based Plants Built
(FIS) In late March, the opening of two biofuel tilapia- based plants in the towns Jaguaribara and Morada Nova, in Vale do Jaguaribe, was announced by Joacir Moreira, one of the coordinators of the project under the direction of the
March 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Global Warming: We'd Better Get A Move On!
by Mike Bryan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Ironically, the effort to reduce global warming through the reduction of CO2 is one of the clear advantages of biofuels. Ethanol has been demonstrated through multiple studies to reduce the emissions of CO2
March 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Chromatin Signs Pact with POET to Use South Dakota-Grown Sorghum in Ethanol Production
(Chromatin) Chromatin, Inc., a leading provider of innovative crop breeding technology, sorghum seed products and feedstocks, said today it has entered into an agreement with POET, LLC, one of the world’s largest ethanol producers, to use sorghum grown in South
March 14, 2013 Read Full Article
U.S. Ethanol Makers Eye Pros and Cons of Corn Alternatives
by Carey Gillam and Michael Hirtzer (Reuters) Short supplies of U.S. corn are causing ethanol makers to look at alternatives to the high-priced feedstock, with everything from wheat to sugar under consideration as a possible substitute. ...POET said many of its
March 08, 2013 Read Full Article
'Scarecrow' Gene: Key to Efficient Crops, Could Lead to Staple Crops With Much Higher Yields
(Science Daily) With projections of 9.5 billion people by 2050, humankind faces the challenge of feeding modern diets to additional mouths while using the same amounts of water, fertilizer and arable land as today. Cornell researchers have taken a leap toward
March 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plants Turning toward Grain Sorghum
by Art Hovey (Lincoln Star Journal) ...On a much brighter note, the managers of ethanol plants in Trenton and Ravenna are pushing hard to make a crop also known as milo the main ingredient in their renewable fuels recipes. ...Drought hardiness
March 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Is Fracking a ‘Bridge’ to a Clean-Energy Future? Ernest Moniz Thinks So.
by Brad Plumer (The Washington Post) When it comes to energy, Ernest Moniz seems to be an “all of the above” guy. President Obama’s new nominee for the Energy Department has heaped praise on everything from solar panels and efficiency to nuclear
March 04, 2013 Read Full Article
Chromatin and Calgren Renewable Fuels Sign Multi-Year Alliance for Locally-Grown Sorghum for Ethanol Production
(Chromatin/MarketWatch) Chromatin, Inc., a leading provider of innovative crop breeding technology, sorghum seed products and feedstocks, and Calgren Renewable Fuels, a leading ethanol producer located in Pixley, CA, announced today an alliance to develop a local supply chain for sorghum
February 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Chromatin Signs Sorghum Supply Deal with Aemetis
(Chromatin/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Chromatin Inc., a leading provider of innovative crop breeding technology, sorghum seed products and feedstocks, and Aemetis Inc., an advanced fuels and renewable chemicals company, have announced that they have entered into a multi-year agreement to source
February 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Corporations, Investors 'Grabbing' Land and Water Overseas
by By Brian Bienkowsk (Environmental Health News) As a growing population stresses the world's food and water supplies, corporations and investors in wealthy countries are buying up foreign farmland and the freshwater perks that come with it. From Sudan to Indonesia,
February 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Recent Land Use Change in the Western Corn Belt Threatens Grasslands and Wetlands
by Christopher K. Wright and Michael C. Wimberly (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) In the US Corn Belt, a recent doubling in commodity prices has created incentives for landowners to convert grassland to corn and soybean cropping. Here,
February 19, 2013 Read Full Article
NRDC Post-State of the Union Poll: 60 Percent of Americans Support Presidential Action to Fight Ravages of Climate Change
(Natural Resources Defense Council) NRDC's polling immediately after the State of the Union made clear that Americans consider climate change a serious problem and want the President to take action. Sixty-five percent of Americans think that climate change is a serious
February 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Poised for Surge in Fuel Made from Crop Waste
(Associated Press/Omaha.com) After decades of talk, the ethanol industry is building multimillion-dollar refineries in several states that will use corn plant residue, wood scraps and even garbage to produce the fuel additive. The breakthrough comes at a key time for the
February 14, 2013 Read Full Article
North Carolina's Growing Strengths: East Carolina University
(Biofuels Center of North Carolina) East Carolina University associate professor Baohong Zhang is currently working on cutting-edge approaches to increasing feedstock yields of Switchgrass for biofuels. Dr. Zhang and his collaborators have found that Switchgrass biomass can be significantly increased
February 14, 2013 Read Full Article
The POTUS and His SOTUS: RT@moreofthesame TL;DR
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The SOTUS contained 18 references to energy — more than enough for the Digest to take a close look at what was said, what was not — and the likelihood of all (or any) of the President’s
February 13, 2013 Read Full Article
Despite Major Challenges, Ethanol Industry Created More than 380,000 Jobs and $43 Billion in GDP
(Renewable Fuels Association) In a challenging year for America’s farm economy, domestic ethanol production reached an estimated 13.3 billion gallons — the second highest annual production level in history amidst the nation’s worst drought in 50 years. According to analysis conducted
February 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Biomass for Biofuels, Biochemicals Will More than Triple to 3.7 Billion Tons in 2030
(Lux Research) Growing demand will place stress on feedstocks, requiring new innovations if more bio-based products are to replace petroleum-based ones, says Lux Research Driven by aggressive biofuel mandates, rapid growth will cause great strain on biomass by 2030, according to Lux Research. Using today’s
February 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels: Between a Rock and a Green Place
by Kylie Schultz (The International) With the possibility of an oil crisis on the horizon, a scramble for renewable and sustainable energy sources is underway. In recent years, plant-based fuels known as biofuels have emerged as possible replacements for the non-renewable
January 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Five Questions with Tom Brutnell
by Jeffrey Tomich (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) ...A local hub for biofuels research is the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in Creve Coeur. Much of the biofuels work there is funded by the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels, a scientific center established
January 14, 2013 Read Full Article
Sorghum Acres to Grow Due to Drought Tolerance, New Varieties
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Sorghum is poised to come into its own as an alternative to corn. It proved its mettle in the 2012 drought, producing decent dryland yields with very little rainfall. And, with the U.S.
December 31, 2012 Read Full Article
Kansas Ethanol Plant Poised to Start up Anaerobic Digester Soon
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) If all goes as planned, a 50 MMgy ethanol plant in Oakley, Kan., will someday produce advanced biofuel from sorghum. To qualify as advanced biofuel, the company will power the plant with methane from
December 31, 2012 Read Full Article
Plant Sensory Systems Awarded $1.8 Million from ARPA-E to Engineer Beets for Biofuel
(Plant Sensory Systems, LLC) The Award Will Support the Development of High-Output, Low-Input Energy Beets, Optimized for Biofuel Production Plant Sensory Systems, LLC today announced the award of $1.8 million in funding from the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy
December 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Energy Cane for Biomass Promising in South Carolina Testing
by Roy Robertson (Southeast Farm Press) • Steve Kresovich is part of a team of USC researchers looking for crops that can be adapted to less productive and often under-utilized South Carolina soils. • The end goal, Kresovich says, is to
December 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Makers Get Creative With Corn
by Owen Fletcher (The Wall Street Journal) ...U.S. ethanol producers are finding creative ways to earn more money as demand for their flagship product stagnates. These companies are using corn not only to make ethanol but also ingredients for products
December 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Energy Advisor: Host of Factors Affect Food Prices
by Sarah Bittleman (Dairy Herd/USDA) Rob Green’s recent Wall Street Journal op-ed “The cause of higher grocery bills isn’t the drought. It’s the failed federal ethanol policy” fails to take into consideration a host of factors, other than demand for corn, that affect
December 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuel Standard Benefits Consumers, Economy
by Tadd Nicholson (Chillicothe Gazette) ...Blending corn ethanol into gasoline reduces our reliance on foreign oil, helping to meet our nation’s goal of energy independence. In 2011, thanks in part to corn ethanol, the U.S. imported 485 million fewer
December 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Still Faces Choppy Seas
by Jeff Caldwell (Agriculture.com) ...Though Friday's ruling, on paper, should keep ethanol production chugging along, that doesn't mean the sector -- which has itself been under pressure from drought-fueled higher corn prices -- will see choppy seas smooth out much too
December 19, 2012 Read Full Article
Time for Bold Action on Biofuels
by Dave Juday (Hawaii Reporter) President Obama's re-election paves the way for him to actually pursue the "all of the above" energy strategy he has promised. After a series of government-backed green tech companies collapsed, the Obama team smartly
December 18, 2012 Read Full Article
U.S. Agricultural Research Is Faltering, Report Warns
by Stephanie Strom (New York Times) A blue-ribbon panel of scientific and technology advisers to President Obama warns that the nation risks losing its longstanding supremacy in food production because research in agriculture has not kept up with new challenges like climate
December 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Use in Gasoline Production Would Be the Same with or without RFS Waiver
by Daryll Ray and Harwood D. Schaffer (Southwest Farm Press/University of Tennessee) ...On November 16, 2012, the EPA denied the request of Governor Perdue and others. The short story is that while the EPA recognizes the impact of the drought
December 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Kenyan Biofuel Dream Proves Elusive for Alberta Firm
by Sara Mojtehedzadeh (Edmonton Journal) Bedford Biofuels’ plantation is stalled, and along with it the company’s promise to provide jobs and cash for community development ...Though this is an arid and unforgiving area, the land surrounding Garsen should have been green with
December 03, 2012 Read Full Article
Response to National Council of Chain Restaurants RFS Guest Editorial
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) ... In regard to the November 28th op-ed, “A Mandate to Raise Food Prices” by Rob Green, Executive Director of the National Council of Chain Restaurants: If he really believes that the major cause of higher
November 29, 2012 Read Full Article
Cultivating the Promise of Agricultural Cleantech
by Dallas Kachan (Renewable Energy World/Kachan & Co.) ...In its new report on agricultural cleantech, Kachan uses the following criteria to differentiate cleantech developments from generic agricultural innovations: improved efficiency of resource use reduced ecological impact smaller carbon footprint sustained or enhanced profitability Technologies that reduce
November 28, 2012 Read Full Article
EPA Keeps Renewable Fuels Levels in Place After Considering State Requests
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that the agency has not found evidence to support a finding of severe “economic harm” that would warrant granting a waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). The
November 16, 2012 Read Full Article
25x'25 Commends EPA Decision to Uphold RFS
(25 x '25) In response to the EPA decision today upholding volume requirements of the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, 25x'25 Co-chairmen Read Smith and Bart Ruth issued the following joint statement: "EPA's decision today finding no evidence that the federal Renewable Fuel Standard
November 16, 2012 Read Full Article
LSU AgCenter Studying Switchgrass as Biofuel Feedstock
(Associated Press/The Advocate) An LSU AgCenter forestry researcher is looking at a fast-growing plant called switchgrass as a potential biofuel feedstock. Switchgrass needs little fertilizer and can tolerate drought and floods, Michael Blazier said — and on land left open because
November 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuel Criticism Draws Rebuttal
by Gene Lucht (Iowa Farmer Today) ...That’s what Craig Floss did when several speakers spoke derisively about biofuels during this past week’s World Food Prize symposium. Floss, executive director of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, says 99 percent of the food
October 26, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuels Mandates Around the World – Who Is Moving the Targets?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... United States Concerns over the price impacts of a devastating US drought have led to call for a waiver in the US Renewable Fuel Standard volumetric targets. Proposed waivers have ranged from small, symbolic down-shifting
October 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Geoff Cooper Addresses Attendees at Export Exchange
by Jamie Johansen (DomesticFuel.com) Attendees for the 2012 Export Exchange were the audience for Renewable Fuels Associations’s Geoff Cooper. Geoff serves as the organizations Vice President and spoke to over 500 of the worlds feed producers, marketers and buyers. He explained that distillers grains and
October 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Expert: Southeast Has Potential to Become ‘Saudi Arabia’ for Biofuels Crop Production
by Blair Fannin (Texas A&M University) Dr. Bill McCutchen sees the potential for the southeast to become the ‘Saudi Arabia’ for production of dedicated energy crops. “It’s the Bioenergy Belt,” said McCutchen, executive associate director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, at
October 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Rain Dancing on Wall Street, Main Street and Elm Street
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As drought, recession, and capital starvation form a perfect storm, will advanced biofuels be thrown under the bus? Industry leaders say that dropping biofuels production targets will not reverse impacts of the 2012 drought. Instead,
October 23, 2012 Read Full Article
On Marginal Land, These Grasses May Be Greener
by Kristofor Husted (KBIA) In the parched, rolling hills of western Missouri, you might expect to see a desolate scene after this summer’s drought. But in this field, hip-high native grass sways across the landscape like seaweed in the ocean. Wayne Vassar
October 16, 2012 Read Full Article
RFS Waiver Would Have Minor Effect on Corn Price in Short Term
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) An October report from the Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute concludes that a reduction in the renewable fuel standard wouldn’t greatly reduce corn prices in the 2012/’13 crop year. However, the effects of
October 16, 2012 Read Full Article
Elephant Grass Has Potential as Biofuel Crop in Southern States
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A drought tolerant grass known as elephant grass or napiergrass that is fed to cattle in the tropics is being studied as a possible cellulosic ethanol feedstock in southern states, with encouraging results. The
October 15, 2012 Read Full Article
Iowa Bioenergy Tour Huge Success
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) The 4th Annual Biofuels: Science and Sustainability Tour took place recently hosted by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA). The three-day tour brought several Washington, D.C. policymakers and regulators to Iowa for a inside and hands on look at the renewable fuels
October 15, 2012 Read Full Article
Castor an Oilseed CropThat Can Cure, Kill You
by Harry Cline (Western Farm Press) Castor beans are back in California as a possible source crop for making biofuels; Castor's main toxic protein, ricin, is so potent that a single milligram is sufficient to kill an adult; Castor oil is essential
October 15, 2012 Read Full Article
The Sherpas: 7 Biofuels Feedstock Developers Clearing Paths to the Summit
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Every great biofuels technology has its own companion feedstock strategy – with unique advantages and technical challenges. Who’s got what it takes to be a great Sherpa, providing that feedstock or intermediates edge that puts
October 15, 2012 Read Full Article
Why Are First-Gen Biofuels Companies Having So Much Trouble Making Money?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In biodiesel, the change in REGI guidance is directly related to movements in commodity prices, a steep depreciation in the price of RINs and tighter margins than expected. On the ethanol side, it’s been commodity margins
October 15, 2012 Read Full Article
Which Biofuels Hold the Most Promise for the Future - Interview with Jim Lane
by James Stafford (Oilprice.com) Following record droughts across the United States the benefits of the ethanol subsidy were once again hotly debated and biofuels in general found themselves generating quite a few unflattering headlines. But as always the mainstream media
October 14, 2012 Read Full Article
Milestones Reached: Cellulosic Ethanol Is Arriving, with Commissioning under Way and More Than 100 MMgy under Construction.
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The next five years—the often scoffed mantra of cellulosic ethanol developers—is getting whittled down to the next year or two. A milestone was reached this year when Blue Sugars Corp. got the first cellulosic
October 14, 2012 Read Full Article
How Do Second-Generation Biofuels Work?
by John Perritano (HowStuffWorks) At first glance, the fields of miscanthus that blanket Sampson County, N.C., seem of little importance. Standing 4 feet (1.21 meters) taller than a basketball hoop, miscanthus is a giant, spiky, inedible -- and some would
October 12, 2012 Read Full Article
The RFS: It’s Not Broke, Don’t Fix It
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) This summer’s drought in the farm belt raised real fears about food supplies and prices. But some in the livestock, poultry and meat processing industries are using this summer’s problems to further
October 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Is Working
by Tom Buis (Chicago Tribune) Letter to Editor: The recent editorial "A crop shortage should provoke policy changes. Are you listening, Congress?" paints a dire picture that forecasts food shortages and civil unrest. Sounds quite alarmist and serious. However, to
October 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Are High Grain Prices Good for Anyone?
by Roy Roberson (Southeast Farm Press) • Sounds like a good deal for grain growers and a bad one for livestock producers and consumers, but are such high prices really good for any of us? • Allan Baucom says the last
October 02, 2012 Read Full Article
“Semi-Dwarf" Trees May Enable a Green Revolution for Some Forest Crops
(Oregon State University) The same “green revolution” concepts that have revolutionized crop agriculture and helped to feed billions of people around the world may now offer similar potential in forestry, scientists say, with benefits for wood, biomass production, drought stress
October 02, 2012 Read Full Article
When Will I Be Loved?: Supporters of the US Renewable Fuel Standard Begin to Rally
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...“Fuels America is built around one core idea: renewable fuel is essential to the U.S. economy, our nation’s energy security, our rural communities and the environment,” said former Congressman Jim Greenwood, President and CEO, Biotechnology
September 28, 2012 Read Full Article
One Report Says Global Grain at Record High
by Rich Keller (Ag Professional) As most of the reports circulating in the United States are about anticipated grain shortages in meeting demand, a report came out this week from one organization that was headlined: “Global grain production at record
September 27, 2012 Read Full Article
International Project Aims to Develop Water-Efficient Biofuel Crops
(Phys.Org) Scientists from the University of Liverpool are part of an international research project to apply the properties of drought-adapted desert plants, like agave, to poplar trees, a recognised biofuel crop. Dr James Hartwell, from the Institute of Integrative Biology, is
September 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Crop Prices Probably Peaked After Drought Cuts U.S. Output
by Luzi Ann Javier (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Rallies in corn, wheat and soybeans because of drought in the U.S., the top grains shipper, are probably over and it would need worsening weather elsewhere to push up futures, said Macquarie Agricultural Funds
September 24, 2012 Read Full Article
Analysis: Brazil Ethanol Returns to US as Biofuel Rules Pave Way
by Reese Ewing (Reuters) Brazilian ethanol is rushing back into the United States after a three-year ebb, drawn less by the severe drought that has inflated corn costs than by biofuel regulations that could more than triple next year's shipments. Even
September 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Requests to Waive the Renewable Fuel Standard in the Aftermath of the 2012 Heat Wave and Drought
by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) In the wake of the devastating heat wave and drought which covered much of the United States this year, it has become clear that there will be less corn available on the market
September 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Finding the Right Biofuels for the Southeast: A Range of Alternatives
(US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service) ...Of the five regions, the Southeast has the greatest natural capacity in the continental United States, with sufficient sunshine, soils, water, and other natural resources to produce more than 10 billion gallons of
September 19, 2012 Read Full Article
Sorghum Eyed as a Southern Bioenergy Crop
(Phys.Org) Sweet sorghum is primarily grown in the United States as a source of sugar for syrup and molasses. But the sturdy grass has other attributes that could make it uniquely suited to production as a bioenergy crop, U.S. Department
September 19, 2012 Read Full Article
Market Access Critical for Ethanol, CEO Says
(Argus Media) ...“There’s a lot of talk about the drought. But the biggest challenge is access to the market,” he (Jeff Lautt, CEO of POET) says. The Environmental Protection approved E15 last year. However, representatives of the grocery, auto and oil
September 18, 2012 Read Full Article
Sorghum in Spotlight Due to Drought, Pending EPA Action
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) For years, National Sorghum Producers have advocated for increasing the use of grain sorghum, or milo, as an ethanol feedstock. Lately, the idea seems to be gaining steam. “There’s been increased interest over
September 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Water-Wise Biofuel Crop Study to Alter Plants Metabolic, Photosynthesis Process
(Phys.Org) Putting the water-use-efficient and turbo-charged photosynthesis from plants such as agave into woody biomass plants such as poplar can hedge against predicted long-term increases in temperatures and reduced precipitation. It can also provide dedicated energy crops suitable for establishment
September 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Paris Backs Halt in Biofuel Use to Avert Food Shortages
(EurActiv) A French plan to fight food price volatility took further shape yesterday (12 September) with a call to pause global development of biofuels, just a day after President François Hollande pushed for creation of strategic food stocks. A government spokeswoman,
September 17, 2012 Read Full Article
Market Speculators, Oil Drive High Food Prices
by Mike Bryan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. drought, disastrous as it is, does not signal Armageddon for food prices, biofuels and the poor. First, one needs to understand that the main drivers behind rising corn prices, even in today’s
September 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Fears of Global Food Price Crisis Recede
by Nigel Hunt and Veronica Brown (Reuters) * USDA report paints less severe corn crop picture than feared * FAO says situation seems comfortable * Analysts still wary on prices as U.S. corn harvest in early stages The third global food price spike
September 13, 2012 Read Full Article
France Seeks Biofuels Pause in Global Food Strategy
by Elizabeth Pineau and Sybille de La Hamaide (Reuters) * France pushes for worldwide pause in biofuel growth * Biofuels push joins Hollande's call for strategic food stockpile * France says will mobilise G20 for better farm coordination A French plan to fight food price volatility
September 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Mandate Waiver: Decks Stacked Against Petitioners
by Marlo Lewis (GlobalWarming.org) The Governors of Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, and North Carolina have petitioned EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to waive the mandatory ethanol blending requirements established by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The petitioners hope thereby to lower and stabilize corn prices, which recently hit record highs as the worst drought in
September 11, 2012 Read Full Article
The Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico Shrinks; Will Perennial Biomass Crops Help Keep It That Way?
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) With an extreme drought across the nation’s agricultural heartland, Mother Nature has been able to accomplish in one extremely dry summer what conservationists have been trying to do for decades: restore oxygen and life to
September 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Food Crises and Technological Phobia
by Drew Kershen (BioFortified) ...I do not write to enter the debate focused on fuel standards, markets and commodity speculators. I acknowledge that other factors also contribute to food crises, particularly in developing nations – e.g., underfunded agricultural research and
September 07, 2012 Read Full Article
UN: No Evidence of New Food Price Crisis
(ABC News) Prices of basic foods remained flat in August, offering assurances that a repeat of the global food price crisis that sparked rioting several years ago is unlikely, U.N. food agency officials said Thursday. While current prices are still high,
September 07, 2012 Read Full Article
Hard to Pass Food-Price Spikes on to Consumers
by Neil Shah (The Wall Street Journal) America’s widest drought since 1956 has killed corn, soybean and wheat crops and raised the risk of higher prices for everything from hamburgers and Coke to cooking oil. But how bad are prices
September 06, 2012 Read Full Article
Native Plants Fuel Ethanol Plant
(Yahoo! News) Applied Ecological Services, The Earth Partners, LP, and POET team up to apply science to industry: Cross-sector demonstration showcases the potential of conservation biomass as an alternative energy source. It’s a very good week for the United States alternative energy industry, and an even better
September 05, 2012 Read Full Article
Brazilian Ethanol Exports to U.S. Likely to Grow - Datagro
by Reese Ewing (Reuters Africa) Exports of Brazilian ethanol to the U.S. market are likely to grow, while still allowing Brazil to increase its blend of the biofuel in gasoline in early 2013, local sugar and ethanol analyst Datagro said. Brazilian
August 30, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Hits Back over Food Price Claims
(EurActiv) Europe's biofuel producers are hitting back at claims that they are at fault for this summer’s high food prices and challenge assertions that crops grown for fuel production are a threat to food supplies. Food prices rose 6% overall last month, driven
August 28, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuels Lobby Asks Obama to Keep US Ethanol Mandate Amid Drought
(Platts) Eight groups representing a cross section of the US biofuels industry asked the White House on Monday to keep the ethanol mandate in place, despite governors' calls to shrink it in response to a drought. The trade groups argued that
August 28, 2012 Read Full Article
A Waiver that Wouldn’t Be Wise
by Adam Monroe (News Observer) Last week Gov. Beverly Perdue filed a waiver request for the Renewable Fuel Standard, one of the nation’s most successful energy policies and of critical importance to North Carolina’s economy, jobs and agriculture. Her rationale
August 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Oklahoma Researchers Look to Refuel Ethanol
by Adam Wilmoth (News OK) The extended drought has reduced the country's corn supply and driven up corn costs, affecting the price of ethanol and gasoline. Oklahoma researchers are working to solve both problems. Researchers in Oklahoma are leading the effort
August 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuels Group: Big Oil Also behind Ethanol Waiver Requests
by Zack Coleman (The Hill/E2Wire) ...Monte Shaw, executive director with the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, credits the uptick in gubernatorial and congressional interest to oil groups viewing 2013 as the last chance to nix the RFS before it forces them
August 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Researchers Seek New Strains for Biofuels
by Adam Stone (Defense News) With the U.S. Navy spending an increasing amount of cash on alternative energy — including biofuels — researchers at South Dakota State University have embarked on a project that could generate a new strain of
August 23, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Waiver May Lower Corn But Raise Gas Prices
by Bertha Coombs (CNBC) Calls are growing to suspend the federal ethanol production mandate next year, as the worst drought in more than half a century has devastated the corn crop in the U.S. The question is whether a waiver
August 23, 2012 Read Full Article
Energy Independence Comes to Nebraska
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Recently, with the boom in drilling operations in Wyoming and Colorado in the Niobrara shale – and some tentative exploration of the Kleinholz field – there have been renewed hopes for a return to the
August 22, 2012 Read Full Article
US EPA Seeks Input on Ethanol Mandate Waiver Requests
(Reuters) * EPA to gather public comment for 30 days * EPA must make decision on ethanol waivers by November * Petitioners must show mandate causing severe economic harm The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said it has begun weighing requests to
August 22, 2012 Read Full Article
Dating Your Feedstock and Never Marrying: The 6 Hottest Ways to Alleviate Food vs Fuel
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) With the US drought, food vs fuel has returned as an issue. What alternatives are scientists, entrepreneurs developing to take us beyond the old debate? ...1. Feedstock diversification. In biofuels, it is more talked about –
August 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Minister: Ban Biofuel, It Boosts Famine
(The Local: German's News in English) Biofuel containing corn should be banned from German petrol pumps, a minister has demanded, as droughts and a dramatic rise in food prices mean more of the world population is going hungry. "Rising food prices mean that biofuel
August 21, 2012 Read Full Article
Drought Sparks Intense Fight over RFS Waiver
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...Talk of a possible renewable fuel standard (RFS) waiver request became a reality in mid-August, when the U.S. EPA was officially petitioned. The clock starts on a 90-day deadline and a public comment period
August 20, 2012 Read Full Article
The Summer of Algae, Part II
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Launching today – and stretching into early Fall – the Algae Biomass Organization is coordinating a series of events billed as “The “Summer of Algae II” to raise awareness about the promise of the algae
August 20, 2012 Read Full Article
Updated Assessment of the Drought's Impacts on Crop Prices and Biofuel Production
by Bruce Babcock (Center for Agricultural and Rural Development) ...The sharply lowered production estimates suggest the preliminary assessment of the impact of the drought on crop prices and biofuel production that I conducted last month needs to be updated. 1 In the
August 17, 2012 Read Full Article
EPA to Approve Sorghum for Cleaner Ethanol; Experts Say Grain Has Less Impact on Food Prices
(The Washington Post/Associated Press) The federal government is on the verge of approving a grain mainly used as livestock feed to make a cleaner version of ethanol, a decision officials say could give farmers a new moneymaking opportunity, boost the
August 16, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plant Closures Cause DDGS Supply Issues
(Drovers Cattle Network) The 2012 drought is not only taking its toll on U.S. Midwest crop and livestock producers. Ethanol plants also are succumbing as high corn prices dry up their operating margins. Suspension of operations, along with reduced production
August 15, 2012 Read Full Article
EPA Should Reject NC Gov’s RFS Waiver Request, Says RFA
(Renewable Fuels Association) Responding to an official waiver request of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) released the following statement: “The Environmental Protection Agency should reject Governor Perdue’s waiver request out
August 15, 2012 Read Full Article
North Carolina, Arkansas, Maryland and Delaware Request Renewable Fuel Standard Waiver
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the governors of North Carolina, Arkansas, Maryland and Delaware made a formal request for a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard, in response to the 2012 US drought, which has caused a sharp
August 15, 2012 Read Full Article
Biodiesel on the March; REG Reports Record Revenues for Q2
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...As is sometimes overlooked, the advanced biofuels pool in the US Renewable Fuel Standard is not only a qualifying pool for cellulosic biofuels – which have struggled to come to market in the projected volumes.
August 15, 2012 Read Full Article
US Ethanol Mandate Waiver Would Not Destroy Corn Demand: Deutsche Bank
(Platts) A waiver of the US ethanol mandate would not destroy corn demand because current gasoline blending economics still favor the use of the corn-based biofuel, Deutsche Bank' analysts Michael Lewis and Christina McGlone said in a research note Monday. Ethanol
August 14, 2012 Read Full Article
New Paradigms Rising for Biofuels
by Douglas L. Faulkner (“The Cleantech Conservative”/Biofuels Digest) ...Meanwhile, the oil and gas industry is gaining political strength as its production (and fortunes) rise and conservatives win more elections. Our diminishing reliance on foreign oil and the withering federal role in
August 14, 2012 Read Full Article
Midwest Drought Helps Push U.S. Gasoline Prices Higher
(Reuters) Gasoline prices in the United States rose over the past two weeks, driven partly by supply disruptions and a drought-induced rise in ethanol prices, a widely followed survey showed on Sunday. ...Trilby Lundberg, who conducts the survey of some 2,500
August 13, 2012 Read Full Article
10 Ways Ethanol is Helping Livestock Producers
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) ... (E)thanol production provides multiple benefits to Midwestern livestock producers: 1. The ethanol industry has driven the production of a larger corn crop. Simply put, there is more corn to go around. 2. The ethanol industry will bear the
August 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Czarnikow Sees Improved EU Ethanol Outlook After U.S. Drought
by Whitney McFerron (Bloomberg) Surging corn prices and policy changes in the U.S. and European Union mean the outlook for the EU’s ethanol industry has “improved dramatically” this year, Czarnikow Group Ltd. said. U.S. ethanol prices have rallied as drought damaged corn
August 10, 2012 Read Full Article
Lower U.S. Corn Crop Doesn’t Justify Ethanol Waiver, RFA Says
by (Bloomberg) ...Refiners can meet biofuel targets by drawing from ample stockpiles and utilizing excess credits, known as Renewable Identification Numbers, that can be submitted in lieu of physically blending a gallon of ethanol to meet the government’s mandate under
August 10, 2012 Read Full Article
House Disaster Assistance Allows Good Intentions to Overwhelm Good Sense
(25 x '25) While passage last week by the House of Representatives of a bill that would provide much needed relief to drought-stricken livestock producers is laudable, the means by which the bill would pay for the disaster help is
August 10, 2012 Read Full Article
FuturaGene Launches Field Trials in China to Couple Desert Reversal and Local Socio-Economic Benefit
(FuturaGene/Yahoo!) FuturaGene, a world leader in the enhancement of yield and sustainability of woody crops for plantation forestry, biopower and biofuel markets, has launched four field trials for selection and improvement of plant species in Gansu province, in northwestern China.
August 10, 2012 Read Full Article
Fighting the Good Fight
by Tom Buis (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...Though it sometimes can be easy to lose sight, the increasing challenges we face are directly correlated to our achievements. In particular, with higher blends of ethanol in gasoline gaining greater acceptance, we
August 09, 2012 Read Full Article
US Drought to Hit Ethanol Exports, Not Gas Prices - EIA
(Reuters) ...But gasoline prices should be spared despite the loss of ethanol output, the EIA said on Wednesday. "The impact of the forecasted decline in domestic ethanol production should be primarily reflected in reduced ethanol exports," the EIA said. The United
August 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Morgan Stanley Says Policy Changes Won’t Hurt Ethanol Demand
by Whitney McFerron (Bloomberg BusinesssWeek) Potential changes in a U.S. government mandate for ethanol are unlikely to “materially impact” demand for the gasoline additive made from corn, Morgan Stanley said. Livestock producers and some U.S. lawmakers have asked President Barack Obama’s administration
August 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Producers Adapt to Drought, Corn Prices
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Nebraska ethanol producers are responding to a tough market. With excessive drought conditions and nearly record high corn prices, ethanol producers have decreased their consumption in recent weeks. Latest estimates show the state’s ethanol plants operating
August 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Grant to Study Willow as Promising Bioenergy Crop
by Cornell University (R&D Mag) The commercialization of shrub willow as a bioenergy crop could be years closer, thanks to a $1.37 million grant that will allow Cornell researchers to take advantage of the newly mapped shrub willow genome to
August 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Grassley Delivers Harsh Criticism of RFS Waiver Effort
(Brownfield Ag News) Some strong criticism today from Iowa Senator Charles Grassley directed towards that coalition of livestock, meat and poultry groups asking for changes to the Renewable Fuels Standard’s ethanol mandate. “I think that what the group is really asking
August 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Petroleum Refiners Get out the Old Fear-Mongering Playbook for Attack on Renewable Fuel Standard
by Brent Erickson (BIO/Biofuels Digest) Despite oil industry claims of “$10 million in fines for non-existent fuels” – they paid exactly $19,010.16 for cellulosic ethanol waivers in 2010, costing US consumers 14 millionths of one penny per gallon. So why
August 02, 2012 Read Full Article
Letter to the Editor - Response to Wall Street Journal: Purpose over Panic. Fact over Fear.
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) Mr. Larry Pope’s July 27th op-ed “The Ethanol Mandate is Worse Than The Drought” calls out for a rebuttal. It is a bit astonishing to read an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that argues against
July 31, 2012 Read Full Article
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Support for Producers to Grow Renewable Feedstocks for Advanced Biofuels
(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced payments for 125 advanced Biofuel producers across the country to support the production and expansion of advanced biofuels from a wide variety of non-food sources, including waste products. "Advanced biofuels are
July 31, 2012 Read Full Article
US Farmers Urge Obama Administration to Suspend Ethanol Quota Amid Drought
by Suzanne Goldenberg (The Guardian) The Obama administration was urged on Monday to stop diverting grain to gas amid warnings of an "imminent food crisis" caused by America's drought. US government forecasts of a 4% rise in food prices for US consumers because of the drought
July 31, 2012 Read Full Article
Relaxing RFS Mandate May Not Have Desired Effect
by Andy Eubank (Hoosier Ag Today) First – he says the flexibility built into the RFS allowing obligated parties to carry over blending credits from previous years significantly lowers the economic impacts of a short crop. According to Babcock – the
July 26, 2012 Read Full Article
Pursuing Abundance: USDA, DOE Invest $41M to Drive Biofuels Feedstock Yields, Diversification
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The recent focus on drought, and the scarcity scare, shows that diversification and yield enhancement remain the bioeconomy’s chief weapons in the war on availability and affordability. The USDA and DOE respond with a $41M
July 26, 2012 Read Full Article
Groups Square off on RFS
by John Maday (Cattlenetwork.com) The renewable fuel standard, which mandates expanding use of ethanol for fuel, always has been a point of contention between grain producers and grain users such as livestock producers. This year’s shrinking corn crop has brought
July 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Yabba Dabba Rabba Dopsis: A Coming Revolution in Crop Yields during Times of Drought?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Here we are, some 30+ years into the era of genetic modification of crops. The primary breadbasket of the world, the United States, is experiencing its most severe drought conditions in decades, and you might
July 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Study Supports Need to Reform Ethanol Production Mandate
(National Chicken Council) In response to a new economic study on the impact of corn ethanol production on food prices and commodity price volatility, a coalition of livestock and poultry groups is urging Congress to reform the federal Renewable Fuels
July 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Drought Impacts Ethanol Production
by Seth Slabaugh (The Star Press) ... “High corn prices driven by the drought have caused some ethanol plants to temporarily idle or reduce production,” Matt Hartwig of the Renewable Fuels Association, an ethanol trade group in Washington, D.C., told The