by Jon Leu (Daily Nonpareil) At a time when Iowa farmers produced a second consecutive record corn crop amid falling prices for their commodity, the state’s growing ethanol industry remains a stabilizing factor. National crop production reports released in mid-December showed
corn prices
Back TO HOMECan Ethanol Cure China's Corn Indigestion?
by Julien Hall, Samar Niazi, and Gao Xiaojuan (Platts Commodity Pulse VIDEO) China's corn stockpiles, built up over the past couple of years, have reached problematic levels. In this video, S&P Global Platts Agriculture editors Julien Hall, Samar Niazi and Gao
December 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Fueling Destruction: The Unintended Consequences of the Renewable Fuel Standard on Land, Water, and Wildlife
by David DeGennaro (National Wildlife Federation) Since Congress passed into law in 2005 a federal mandate to blend corn-based ethanol and other renewable fuels into conventional gasoline, the increased demand for corn – which has supplied nearly all of these mandated
December 20, 2016 Read Full Article
RFS Standards Help Ohioans
by Rick Fox (The Clermont Sun) Letter to Editor: Commissioner Uible’s recent letter “Fixing the RFS Pothole” was full of myth and inaccuracies regarding the ethanol industry and the Renewable Fuel Standard. Uible claims ethanol is raising the price of corn
December 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Farmers to Trump: You Owe Us
by Jane Wells (CNBC) ... This even as the oil industry — suffering from its own low prices — could push the Trump administration to reduce support for ethanol. "I think some people would still like to see the death of
December 06, 2016 Read Full Article
US Corn Ethanol Market: Understanding the Past to Assess the Future
by Carl Zulauf (FarmDoc Daily) Ethanol was a factor in both the price run-up that began in 2006 and the price run-down that began in 2013. Tepid growth replaced explosive growth. The question for the future is, "What is ethanol's
December 02, 2016 Read Full Article
Busting the Mythology of Food vs. Fuel
by Jeff Rice (Journal-Advocate) Making ethanol doesn't rob the hungry of needed nutrition ... Ethanol has long been recognized as an additive to increase octane and help internal combustion engines burn cleaner. Until 2005, the chief oxygenation additive was primarily methyl
November 30, 2016 Read Full Article
The Facts Show We Don't Have to Choose between 'Food versus Fuel'
by Jim Talent (The Hill/Americans for Energy Security and Innovation) According to the Wall Street Journal, the “U.S. is on track this year to post the longest stretch of falling food prices in more than 50 years.” The Bureau of
November 17, 2016 Read Full Article
New Report Knocks the Stuffing Out of ‘Food vs. Fuel’ Turkeys
(Renewable Fuels Association) Millions of Americans preparing for Thanksgiving next week are undoubtedly noticing that dinner will cost less than it did a year ago. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, overall grocery prices are roughly 2% lower than
November 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Here’s How Ethanol COSTS Farmers At Least $57 BILLION
by Andrew Follett (The Daily Caller) A federal ethanol mandate has cost American farmers at least $57 billion dollars through increased corn prices, according to calculations by the National Chicken Council. ... When America became the world’s largest producer of ethanol in
October 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Letter to the Editor: Fixing the RFS Pothole
by David Uible (Clermont County Commissioner/Clermont County GOP/The Clermont Sun) ... On principle, I believe in free markets, and in keeping the government small and control as local as possible. The EPA, an unelected federal agency, shouldn’t have the power to control
October 13, 2016 Read Full Article
Expected Record Harvest Won’t Profit Farmers Facing Their Third Year of Falling Income
By Barbara Soderlin and Russell Hubbard (Omaha World-Herald) Fields across the Midlands are packed with copper-colored cornstalks, an expected record-size crop drying in the breeze as the fall harvest gets underway. But there’s a worry underlying the satisfaction of the Grain
October 03, 2016 Read Full Article
China Set to Export Corn, Threatening Global Market: Sources
by Dominique Patton (Reuters) China has given approval to at least two companies to export corn, trading sources said, in a radical move by the world's No. 2 producer to cut its ballooning surplus and unleash more supply into a
October 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Making the Case for Young Farmers
by Keith Norman (The Jamestown Sun) ... Kasey Bitz was one of 44 farmers participating in the North Dakota Farmers Union legislative fly-in that returned from Washington, D.C., on Sept. 14. Members of the group met with the North Dakota Congressional
September 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol's Important
by Jay Douthit (Kent County Farm Bureau/My Eastern Shore) To the editor: The Kent County Farm Bureau stands with the Maryland Farm Bureau in support of the National Corn Growers Association’s opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed reduction of the corn-based ethanol
September 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Debating the Value of Ethanol as a Viable Fuel (3 Letters)
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Denver Post) Re: “EPA dodges responsibility on ethanol,” Sept. 3 editorial. The ethanol industry agrees with The Denver Post that the Environmental Protection Agency should conduct updated scientific assessments on the impacts of biofuels. In
September 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Food Price Deflation Cheers Consumers, Hurts Farmers, Grocers and Restaurants
by Heather Haddon and Julie Jargon (The Wall Street Journal) The U.S. is on track this year to post the longest stretch of falling food prices in more than 50 years, a streak that is cheering shoppers at the checkout
August 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Where’s Butanol, or Other Substitutes for Gasoline besides Ethanol?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Is there some fundamental reason that the automotive biofuels people haven’t shifted to butanol or iso-butanol or some other compound that would be more compatible with gasoline and the present highly evolved gasoline engines? Is
August 26, 2016 Read Full Article
What Is to Be Done? Farm Crisis in the Making?
by Bob Krause (Storm Lake Times Letter to Editor) Only 35 years after the 1980s farm crisis, another storm seems to be brewing. Corn production is forecast by USDA to be up 11% from last year. This crop, possibly over
August 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Blog: Simplistic Argument Targets Ethanol, Again
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A recent column provides some insight into anti-ethanol stances by making a connection between beef prices, the cow herd expansion and restaurant profits, with rather breath-taking simplification. -- A recent column in Forbes from
August 16, 2016 Read Full Article
RFA: Record Corn, Ethanol Production Underscore Need for RFS
(Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) America’s farmers are poised to harvest a record corn crop this fall and achieve the highest yield per acre in U.S. history, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates released today. Meanwhile, the U.S. ethanol
August 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Our View: Ethanol: Politics May Change, but Realities Don’t
(Mankato Free Press) Why It Matters: Ethanol as a clean energy has come under criticism but the pollution caused by fossil fuels remains the reality. -- ... First, environmentalists complained we were paying farmers too much in subsidies to plant corn
August 12, 2016 Read Full Article
World Bank: Next Victim of Cheap Oil Is Renewable Fuel
by John Siciliano (Washington Times) The World Bank said Tuesday (July 26, 2016) that low oil prices have hurt demand for renewable fuel. Even while the bank's latest commodity outlook is raising its oil price projections from $41 to $43 per
August 03, 2016 Read Full Article
The Unintended Consequences of First Generation Biofuels
by Morteza Soleymannezhad (Forbes) Biofuel analysts usually tend to focus more on the gasoline-corn price relationship and less on the oil-corn price relationship. In this article I illuminate one of the unintended implications of the first generation biofuels that is
July 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Higher Ethanol Use 'Crucial' for Grain Price Sustainability: POET CEO
by Josh Pedrick (Platts) Increasing the amount of ethanol blended with gasoline, both in the US and across the globe is "crucial" to supporting global grain prices, POET CEO Jeff Broin said Tuesday. ... The worst case scenario would be a global
June 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Guest View: For the Farmers, the Biofuel Bubble Has Already Burst
by Isaac Orr (Quad City Times/The Heartland Institute) ... Many of the agriculture-related policy discussions taking place in the nation’s capital focus on how corn farmers will be hurt by the biofuel mandate because RFS requires traditional forms of biofuel,
May 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry - Challenging Near-Term Conditions
(Seeking Alpha) Ethanol producers are battling with narrowing margins and excess supply. The industry faces uncertain regulatory support and relatively mild near-term gasoline demand growth amid increasing supply. This suggests a challenging near-term outlook for the industry. ... Despite falling gasoline consumption, ethanol production
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Interagency Effort Provides Links to Biofuel Data on One Web Page
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Biofuel number crunchers in the know are finding their jobs easier because of a website hosted by the USDA Economic Research Service where the Interagency Council on Agricultural & Rural Statistics pulls together links
April 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Shock Rise in Corn Production Leads to Price Plunge
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In grains, the big news has been the USDA prospective plantings report, which has corn up to 93 million acres in 2016, up 5 million over last year, and it was an unexpected gain given
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Meet The New 'Tool' In Big Oil's Efforts To Scuttle Ethanol +VIDEO: An Open Letter to George "David" Banks
by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) I just finished reading your article "Renewable Fuel Standard Continues To Devastate," published in February on the High Plains Leader & Times website. ... In fact, your article looks suspiciously like an article that
March 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Endless Assault on the RFS
by Doug Durante (The Hill/ Clean Fuels Development Coalition) With regard to the recent opinion expressed by Rob Green of the National Council of Chain Restaurants, all I can say is gosh, what a better source for an objective assessment
March 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Study: Eliminating GMOs Would Take Toll on Environment, Economies
(Purdue University) Higher food prices, a significant boost in greenhouse gas emissions due to land use change and major loss of forest and pasture land would be some results if genetically modified organisms in the United States were banned, according
March 01, 2016 Read Full Article
17 Answers for Your Burning Questions about Biofuels, Renewable Chemicals, Biomass and More.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Q. We’ve heard a lot about carbon capture, but what about carbon capture and conversion (to a more soluble, transportable and storable form), for example conversion to bicarbonate? A. To date, all ventures in the carbon
December 28, 2015 Read Full Article
Gas Prices Drop Below E-85
(KEYC) The cost for a gallon of standard gasoline has fallen beneath the price for a gallon of E–85. And while some may see this as a blow to the ethanol industry, producers of the fuel are confident this is just a
December 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Low Gas Prices Good for Ethanol Industry and Farmers
by Chuck Abbott (Agriculture.com) Americans are back on the road for the first time since 2008, lured, in part, by low gasoline prices expected to persist through the new year. Travel is forecast to exceed 3.1 trillion miles this year –
November 24, 2015 Read Full Article
Debunking Biofuels: Do They Really Raise Food Prices?
by Melissa Pariettin(MSN.com) ... Many factors determine the price of food in the U.S. If the introduction of the RFS (Renewable Fuel Standard) had as significant an impact on food prices as certain outlets have suggested, then the increase would be
November 18, 2015 Read Full Article
University OF Illinois Research: Study Shows How Crop Prices and Climate Variables Affect Yield and Acreage
(University of Illinois/AgriMarketing) When corn prices increase farmers reap higher yields by making changes. According to a recent University of Illinois study, about one-third of the yield increase derives from more intensive management practices and two-thirds from cropping additional acreage.
November 18, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Making Profits Despite Lower Price of Fuel
(Bloomberg/McClatchy-Tribune/Star Tribune) Low prices at the gas pump have put a persistent squeeze on Midwest ethanol producers, but most are staying profitable. Of eight Minnesota-affiliated ethanol producers tracked by the Star Tribune, all but one made money in the third quarter,
November 17, 2015 Read Full Article
House Science Committee Hearing Exposes Fundamental Flaws in RFS Opponents Attacks
(Renewable Fuels Association) Today (November 3, 2015), the House Science, Space and Technology committee held a joint hearing of the subcommittees on Environment and Oversight titled “Renewable Fuel Standard: A Ten Year Review of Costs and Benefits.” Renewable Fuels Association
November 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Common Ground: SD Farm Groups Differ on Policy, but Support Ethanol
by Mikkel Pates (Agweek) ... Agweek visited with the presidents of the South Dakota Farm Bureau and the South Dakota Farmers Union, the two general farm organizations that aren’t specific to a commodity or a species of livestock. The organizations differ
October 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Not Just about Bin-Busting
by Tom Doran (AgriNews) ... “When it comes to growing corn, no one does it better than America’s family farmers,” National Corn Growers President Chip Bowling said at a Farm Progress Show press conference. “But our challenge today is two-fold: First, we must
October 07, 2015 Read Full Article
How Viable Is Ethanol? Profit Margins Decrease as Corn Prices Drop from 2014
by Will Buss (Belleville News-Democrat) Ethanol producers’ profit margins have been squeezed while gasoline prices have fluctuated and oil prices have dropped. However, the biofuels industry is holding to its firm belief in the clean and renewable resource. Crude oil prices
September 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Crude Oil Pressures Ethanol / DTN Hypothetical Ethanol Plant Margins Narrow
by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) It has become the question of the day for U.S. ethanol producers: What happens to the industry if crude oil prices continue to tumble? ... Donna Funk, certified public accountant with K-Coe Isom in Lenexa,
August 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Ethanol Acts as Lone Bright Spot Amid China Commodity Gloom
by Chris Prentice and Niu Shuping (Reuters) Recent news from China makes depressing reading for commoditiesproducers, with a slowing economy, tumbling stock prices and a currency devaluation all signaling weaker demand. There is one exception: the world's second biggest economy has begun
August 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Lower Gasoline Prices Still Pinching the Ethanol Industry
by David Shaffer (Star Tribune) Profits are down even though price of corn for fuel remains low. U.S. ethanol plants are producing more fuel, selling it at lower prices and taking a hit on profits. ... Producers made record or near-record profits in
August 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Past Few Years Have Been Tough on Corn, Bean Prices
by Scott Seitz (Norwalk Reflector) Revenue for local farmers is below the ‘break-even point’ -- In 2012, corn was priced as high as $8.25 per bushel, while soybeans went for as much as $18. Fast forward to today, where corn
August 10, 2015 Read Full Article
THE CASE FOR BIOFUEL: The Magic Bullet for Energy Security and Rural Development in Africa
by Olatomiwa Bifarin* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Around 770,000 BC, it was fire, at some point – wood, dung and coal, to the now-ominous fossil fuels. This is the evolution of energy, and today the evolution must be accelerated to save
July 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Livestock Feed to Overtake Biofuel in Grain Demand Growth - FAO/OECD
(CNBC/Reuters) Livestock feed will surpass biofuels as the main source of growth in global grain consumption in the next 10 years as emerging countries consume more animal protein while lower oil prices and policy changes end a decade of high
July 01, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuel Crops Will Feel Effects of Slumping Oil Prices, Research Shows
Eric Atkins (The Globe and Mail) The crash in oil prices will be felt at the farm gate as demand and prices moderate for biofuel crops corn and soybean, says a new report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
July 01, 2015 Read Full Article
EPA Hearings on Renewable Fuel Standard: Testimony of Steve Murphy, GM, POET Biorefining-Laddonia & POET Biorefining – Macon
(Biofuels Digest) Good afternoon, My name is Steve Murphy and I am the General Manager for two POET Biorefining plants. ... I am here to make one and only one point today. What this proposed rule does will harm those who
June 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels under Attack: Same Old Story
by Chuck Grassley (The Iowa Republican) ... Consumers like biofuels. The idea of a homegrown product that reduces emissions harmful to the environment and brings the United States freedom from volatile oil-producing countries is appealing. The EPA should know this. Instead, the
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Don’t Blame Ethanol and the RFA for High Food Prices
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Wall Street Journal) There is no support for the statement that ethanol production has driven up food prices. Mike Brown and Rob Green’s “Paying for Ethanol at the Pump and on the Plate” (op-ed, May 15)
May 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Follow the Money
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) After a period of incredible profitability, leaders in the ethanol industry are better positioned for thinner margins. In an industry ruled by volatility, it’s important for producers to position themselves to take advantage of favorable
May 19, 2015 Read Full Article
Commodities: DDGS Priced out of Domestic Market
by Sean Broderick (CHS/Ethanol Producer Magazine) With planting season right around the corner, the conversation about grain prices this time of year normally focuses on soil moisture, and temperatures. This year, though, conversations about DDGS are more focused on Chinese
April 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Prices Giving Positive Ethanol Margins, Negative for Corn Farmers
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Market conditions in mid-March indicated ethanol producers could pay about 10 percent more than the current cash corn price before reaching the plant “shut-down level,” according to an analysis by retired Iowa State
April 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Corn Futures Dependent on Battle between Wheat and Soybeans
by Ryan Crossingham (Farm & Ranch Guide) Corn futures have been stuck in a holding pattern according to Randy Martinson, Progressive Ag managing partner in West Fargo, N.D. “Basically we’ve been sideways,” he said. “It looks like corn is waiting for
March 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Brazilian Study Explores Multiple Causes of 2007 Mexico Tortilla Crisis
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) In light of signs of a moderation in the long upward trend in commodity prices, and recurrent assignment of blame for food insecurity and high food prices to the emergence of biofuels markets, particularly
March 02, 2015 Read Full Article
The Big Move: The Leap from First-Gen to Next-Gen Biofuels Companies, How Does It Happen?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How does the biofuels industry move from its roots in first-gen corn starch or cane sugar fermentation towards diversified products, more capacity and distribution, and new inputs like cellulosics? How are the economics now — and
February 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Once-Golden Biofuels Market Flattened by Cheap Diesel
by Chris Fleisher (Trib Total Media) Last fall, Ed Vescovi planned to restart a dormant biodiesel plant in Beaver County. The market for biofuel was shaky. But a new owner, Weavertown Environmental, pledged to get the plant going after purchasing
February 08, 2015 Read Full Article
House Bills Aim to Alter, Eliminate the RFS
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) On Feb. 4, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., announced the introduction of two bills that aim to alter the renewable fuel standard (RFS), including the RFS Elimination Act and the RFS Reform Act. Reps. Peter Welch,
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Margins, Fuel, Land Prices among Concerns at Ag Summit
by Jim Offner (WCFCourier.com) ... “With crop prices going down, we think leases are going to have to start being adjustable and they’re going to have to lower land prices and lower rent prices, and that’s coming in the next couple
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Margins, Fuel, Land Prices among Concerns at Ag Summit
by Jim Offner (WCFCourier.com) ... “With crop prices going down, we think leases are going to have to start being adjustable and they’re going to have to lower land prices and lower rent prices, and that’s coming in the next couple
January 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Welcome to the Twilight Zone
by Robert E. Kozak* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Imagine if you will a country with two natural resource industries. Both produce high demand products. One is the lowest priced producer on the planet and is able to sustain output from their
January 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Crop Outlook Reveals Lower Corn Prices, Shrinking Demand from Biofuels
(American Farm Bureau Federation) The crop demand outlook for the 2014/15 marketing year is a mixed bag, according to Patrick Westhoff, director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute. Westhoff gave attendees of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 96th Annual
January 14, 2015 Read Full Article
Will New Congress Take on Ethanol?
by Rob Nikolewski (Watchdog.org) It’s possibly the most controversial mandate on the books — a requirement under the Renewable Fuel Standard that billions of gallons of ethanol be mixed into the gasoline American consumers put into their tanks. But there’s a new Congress
January 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Gasoline Price Plunge in U.S. Slowed by Higher Ethanol Costs
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) The biggest plunge in U.S. gasoline prices since 2008 is slowing as higher ethanol boosts the cost to make the motor fuel. Ethanol futures surpassed gasoline last month for the first time since March. Faced with
January 08, 2015 Read Full Article
USDA Says Corn Acres to Decline, Yields Increase in Decade Ahead
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) USDA long-term projections call for slightly lower corn acres to be planted over the next decade while corn yields steadily climb. The USDA will release the complete long-term supply, use and prices projections
December 30, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol Production and Profits Are Through The Roof
by Emily Cassidy (Environmental Working Group) Corn ethanol production has soared to record heights this year, and with large harvests and low corn prices, that means record profits for the industry. ... ... Production has soared in large part because of
December 07, 2014 Read Full Article
High Turkey Prices: Don't Blame Ethanol
by Alan Neuhauser (U.S. News and World Report/MSN.com) No clucking way. Turkey prices are still higher than average, the American Farm Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics found last week – but don’t blame the Environmental Protection Agency's renewable fuel standard. The
November 26, 2014 Read Full Article
Fuel Standard Good for US Economy
by Tim Walz (D-Minn.) (AgWeek) Imagine a future where America controls its own energy destiny — a future in which we stop spending $1 billion per day on foreign oil and start investing those funds to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure
November 18, 2014 Read Full Article
Stu Ellis: What Do We Do with All of This Corn?
by Stu Ellis (Herald-Review.com) ... Last fall, the market was telling farmers to raise more soybeans in 2014, but don’t cut back too much on corn acres, and total planted acreage in the U.S. subsequently increased by 6 million. In
October 30, 2014 Read Full Article
New Report Sheds Light on the Old "Food Vs. Fuel" Bioenergy Debate
by Jennifer Runyon (RenewableEnergyWorld.com) There was never any conflict between using corn for food or for ethanol since corn growers send most of their product to animal feedlots. That product isn’t even meant for human consumption anyway. It was an abundant year
October 14, 2014 Read Full Article
Commodities: DDGS Value Comes Down to Logistics
by Sean Broderick (CHS/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Chinese MIR 162 (Syngenta trait corn) issues are still not resolved, leaving significant amounts of contracted tonnage that needs to move a different direction. River logistics are still an issue with barge rates that
October 02, 2014 Read Full Article
Fuel Standard Good for US’s Economic Engine
by Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) (The Hill) Imagine a future where America controls its own energy destiny — a future in which we stop spending $1 billion per day on foreign oil and start investing those funds to rebuild our
October 01, 2014 Read Full Article
That Dread US Ethanol Policy that Reduced Foreign Oil, Saved Consumers $800 P.A., and Produced More Food
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, USDA released its August World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report. The 2014 corn crop is estimated at 14.032 billion bushels. That is 172 million bushels higher than the previous record established
August 15, 2014 Read Full Article
The Impact of Ethanol Production on the North Dakota Agricultural Retail Industry
by Richard Taylor and Won W. Koo (Center for Agricultural Policy and Trade Studies North Dakota State University) ... The first immediate impact of ethanol was increased agricultural commodity prices. In 2005, the corn price averaged $2.00 per bushel. At the end of 2006,
August 12, 2014 Read Full Article
Low Corn Prices Favor New Type of Ethanol in Brazil
by Gustavo Bonato and Caroline Stauffer (Reuters) Low corn prices in Brazil following a bumper crop are worrying farmers but providing favorable margins for an incipient corn-ethanol industry, said the manager of Usimat, the first Brazilian mill to produce the corn-based
July 22, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol & Corn Production Up, Food & Gas Prices Down
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Growth Energy is attacking the myth that ethanol production increases food prices. Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy notes that time and again, Big Oil, big Food and special interests are attacking the ethanol industry and placing blame on them
July 18, 2014 Read Full Article
Corn Ethanol Benefits Farmers, Community, Industry
by Heather Meade (Daily Advocate) There are seven operational ethanol plants in Ohio, one of which is located just outside of Greenville - The Andersons, Inc., which was opened in conjunction with the Marathon Petroleum Company out of Toledo, in
July 11, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol, Oil, Corn Duke It Out in “The Battle of the Benjamins”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Corn producers, ethanol producers and crude oil refiners: locked in a rollercoaster of commodity prices, and a battle for market share and profits. As the EPA readies to unleash its view of the future volumes
June 13, 2014 Read Full Article
Corn Farmers Eye Other Crops for Next Year
by Kai Ryssdal (MarketPlace.org) ... Keith Alverson, a sixth generation ethanol corn farmer in Chester, South Dakota, says it’s all about supply and demand. Corn prices were up last year thanks to two years of drought that lowered supplies. That meant
January 15, 2014 Read Full Article
Sen. Amy Klobuchar: Renewable Fuel Standard Is Working, So Why Change It?
Senator Amy Kolbuchar (D-MN) (Post Bulletin) ... Unfortunately, a recent proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency to lower the biofuel targets for 2014 threatens the progress we have made. The EPA's proposed Renewable Fuel Standard rule would, for the first time, allow
January 06, 2014 Read Full Article
Improved Margins Could Support Ethanol Production Despite the EPA
by Xun Yao Chen (MarketRealist.com) The EIA’s proposal to cut use of ethanol in oil has also negatively impacted corn prices this year. A significant portion of corn is used to produce ethanol, so a cut could negatively affect current
January 02, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plunges Most in Two Weeks as Cheaper Corn Reduces Costs
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg) Ethanol futures plunged the most in two weeks as cheaper prices for corn, the worst-performing commodity this year, made it more profitable for distillers to increase output. ... Ethanol’s discount to gasoline widened 2.91 cents to 87.48
January 02, 2014 Read Full Article
Corn Plummeting Spurs Talk of ’80s U.S. Farmland Bust: Mortgages
by Kathleen M. Howley (Bloomberg) ... Now, as corn prices start to decline, bankers and agricultural economists are predicting a slowdown in farmland prices that could turn into a bust. “I can see the fear in farmers’ eyes when they think of
December 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Use to Hit Record as Corn Prices Slump, Feds Project
by Zain Shauk (FuelFix) Corn prices have fallen 40 percent in 2013, a drop that inspired refineries to blend a record amount of ethanol into gasoline in August. The price drop came as the government projected record corn production of 14
December 17, 2013 Read Full Article
Oil Seen as Main Driver of Ethanol and Grain Prices in UN Study
by Rudy Ruitenberg (Bloomberg) Oil prices were found to be the main drivers of ethanol and grain prices in a statistical analysis by the United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organization. Ethanol moves in line with oil in the long term, while
December 16, 2013 Read Full Article
Low Corn Prices Predicted to Push Ethanol Demand
(UPI) Corn used for ethanol production could exceed the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimate this year due to low prices, a University of Purdue economist said. The department has set a target of 4.9 billion bushels of corn for ethanol production. The
December 12, 2013 Read Full Article
EPA Caves to the Petroleum Industry, Could Cost Taxpayers
by Laura Sesana (The Washington Times) The petroleum industry’s renewed campaign against Congressionally mandated increasing levels of ethanol in gasoline appears to be working. The result, however—EPA’s proposal to reduce ethanol requirements for 2014—could cost taxpayers and secure petroleum’s hold on
December 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Dinneen: RFS Not for Big Oil’s Convenience
by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) The case for keeping the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) as-is is being made today at an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing in Arlington, Va. Our friends from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) have shown up in
December 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Nightmare Scenario: Renewable Fuels’ Defenders Pull out the Stops to Persuade EPA to Continue the War on Imported Oil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Today, the EPA has scheduled a day of testimony on its proposed 2014 Renewable Fuel volume targets — and a proposed 40 percent slash in the advanced biofuels category to 2.2 billion (ethanol equivalent) gallons,
December 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Iowans Worry about Ethanol's Lost Political Clout
by Thomas Beaumont (Associated Press) ... Now, Iowa's senior political leaders are pondering how to shore up political support for the corn-based fuel at a time when its economic and environmental benefits are under attack . The latest blow came this month,
November 25, 2013 Read Full Article
CARD Report: Altering RFS Would Have Modest Effect on Corn Prices
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A new paper from the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University indicates that if the U.S. EPA does significantly reduce the renewable fuel standard (RFS) renewable volume obligations, it would mean only
November 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Declining Corn Prices Hurting South Dakota Farmers
by Jeff Natalie-Lees (Aberdeen News) Corn is about one-half the price it was a year ago, a movement that will dramatically impact farmers' bottom lines. The cash price for corn at North Central Farmers Elevator in Ipswich on Monday was $3.71 per
October 29, 2013 Read Full Article
Make Hay: The Global Bioenergy Mood
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... To check on the current mood, we stopped in this week for a conversation with Novozymes EVP Andy Fordyce, who’s been on the hustings all this year as Novozymes rolled out with a spritely line-up
October 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Bipartisan Group of Legislators Introduce RFS Reform Act
(Office of Representative Jim Costa (D-CA 16th)) Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Steve Womack (R-AR), and Peter Welch (D-VT) released the following statement today regarding the introduction of the RFS Reform Act in the U.S. House of Representatives: “The
October 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Corn Prices Pressured by Both Supply and Demand Factors
by Darrel Good and Scott Irwin (University of Illinois/FarmDocDaily) Corn prices continue the long retreat from the peak of September 2012, declining to the lowest level since late August 2010. The most recent price weakness reflects both supply and demand
October 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Letters to the Editor: Supporting Ethanol; Bumper Corn Crop; Corn for Feed
(Chicago Tribune) by Martin Barbre (National Corn Growers Association) Your Oct. 5 editorial "Crop politics; Government subsidies promote corn over common sense" reflects several things: The Tribune is not the pro-business/jobs advocate you pretend to be, you have no grasp of
October 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Prices Plummet, Pressuring Gasoline
(Lincoln Journal Star) A "somewhat meager rally" may be underway for spot gasoline prices, but oil market expert Tom Kloza said lower corn prices are causing "radical changes" for ethanol, and even for Renewable Identification Numbers, the currency of ethanol
October 03, 2013 Read Full Article
Tulare County Farmers Hear about Raising Sorghum for Biofuel
by David Castellon (Visalia Times Delta) When the subject of biofuel comes up, chances are you’ll think of corn converted to ethanol. But on Wednesday, representatives from a Chicago-based seed manufacturer tried to change that way of thinking by inviting Valley farmers
October 02, 2013 Read Full Article
RFS Hasn't Hurt the Poultry Industry
by Gary Pestoriou (The Hill's Congress Blog) I followed with interest the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearings concerning the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). I became very skeptical of the statements by those representing the livestock and poultry sectors
September 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Analyzing the Influence of Energy Policy
by Jake Ferris (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... The change in stock levels from 2001-’05 accounted for about $1.28 of the $2.49 per bushel increase in corn prices (Table 2)—just over 50 percent. About 18 cents per bushel can be attributed
September 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Uneven Crop, Shifting Markets: Considering the Prospects for the Corn and Ethanol Markets Ahead.
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... (Bruce) Babcock (the Cargill endowed chair of energy economics at Iowa State University) is more optimistic about the potential for E85 consumption to grow. If corn prices stay low and gasoline prices stay
September 25, 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
Analyst Says Ethanol Rush Is Over, Corn May Drop to $3.25
by Brett Wessler (Ag Professional) Livestock producers are likely to see shrinking feed costs ahead with one market analyst forecasting lower corn prices as ethanol demand will be “flat-lining” into 2022. Dan Basse, AgResource Company, told the good news to cattle producers
September 12, 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
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
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
Pacific Ethanol Says Importing Sorghum to Make Biofuel
by Karl Plume (Reuters) Pacific Ethanol Inc said that it is importing sorghum as well as buying the grain from domestic sources as prices for corn, the primary feedstock for the U.S. ethanol industry, hovered near historic highs. "Both as a
April 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Producers Respond to Market Conditions
(U.S. Energy Information Administration/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Beginning in summer 2012, the prices of ethanol and corn reached levels where production costs at relatively simple ethanol plants exceeded revenue. These simple plants, which are not able to recover corn oil, make
March 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Rises Versus Gasoline as Motor Fuel Slumps, Corn Gains
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg) Ethanol’s discount to gasoline fell the most in more than three months as the motor fuel slumped and corn rose. The spread narrowed 10.45 cents to 58.56 cents a gallon, the smallest difference since Feb. 4 and
February 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Perspectives on 2013: Ethanol Industry Executives Approach 2013 with Optimism and Concern.
by Holly Jessen & Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Looking into the future, Jeff Roskam, CEO of the Kansas Alliance for Biorefining and Bioenergy, fears any modification of the renewable fuel standard (RFS). “Period,” he says. “Not only would this
November 06, 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
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
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
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
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