Two new studies show that generating energy from corn stover biomass could create a new market for farmers and increase the value of ethanol by reducing its overall carbon footprint. The studies are based on the premise that the crop residue left behind in the fields after corn to be used for ethanol is harvested. Iowa-based Regional Strategic, Ltd. examined …
NAMA Going Full Throttle in Milwaukee
There are over 180 agri-marketing professionals here in Milwaukee this week for the 2017 NAMA Fall Conference, and 30 of those are new members, which makes NAMA president Amy Bradford very happy. “It is one of the higher new member numbers we’ve had at a conference,” said Bradford, who is Corporate Relations Manager for GROWMARK. “We’re making a concerted effort …
CREAATE Act Would Promote Ag Exports
U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Angus King (I-Maine), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation this week that would increase funding to USDA’s export promotion programs. The Cultivating Revitalization by Expanding American Agricultural Trade and Exports (CREAATE) Act would double funding for two of the USDA’s most successful programs, the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market …
Senate Ag Committee Hears from USDA Nominees
Nine months into the Trump Administration and the Senate Agriculture Committee just held a hearing this week on the first two nominees to help out Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at the USDA. The committee heard from Stephen Censky, long time CEO of the American Soybean Association nominated to be Deputy Secretary of Agriculture; and Indiana Director of Agriculture Ted McKinney, …
Corn Progress Lagging
About seven percent of the nation’s corn crop has been harvested so far, but maturity of the crop is running behind average. Less corn acres have reached the dented or mature stage than the five-year average according to the latest USDA crop progress report. With 86 percent of total corn acres dented by September 17 and mature acres at only …
Survey Says Cover Crops Boost Yield and Weed Control
New nationwide survey results show cover crops acreage has nearly doubled over the past five years and farmers using cover crops are reporting increased yields and improvement in the control of herbicide-resistant weeds. The survey of more than 2000 farmers across the country was conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) with help from Purdue University and funding support …
Ag Secretary Surveying Hurricane Damage
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue is in Florida today after surveying Hurricane Irma damage in his home state of Georgia last week. In Georgia, Perdue toured pecan farms where thousands of trees were lost and will take years to replace, with estimates that 20-30% of this year’s crop was lost, and also visited with cotton farmers who may have lost …
Iowa Makes $2.8B Grain Deal with Taiwan
A trade team from Taiwan visited Iowa last week and signed letters of intent to purchase $2.8 billion worth of U.S. grains over the next two years. The deal includes corn, soybeans, wheat, and the ethanol co-product distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS). Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) Director Mark Heckman signed the letter of intent between ICPB and the …
Ethanol Report on E15 Hurricane Help
Fuel disruptions due to Hurricane Harvey were mitigated somewhat, thanks to an early end to the summer restriction on sales of E15 (15% ethanol fuel) that helped offset gasoline supply shortfalls and limit fuel price spikes. In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast, Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen talks about how this should make the EPA …
Ag Secretary Heads Home to Survey Irma Damage
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will travel to Georgia today to see first-hand the damage the Hurricane Irma caused to crops in his home state. “We’ve been in constant contact with Secretary Perdue,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black in an interview this week with Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman. “We swapped some texts and within minutes had confirmation that ‘yes, …