Alden, Iowa-based Summit Group announced a project to build the first modern corn ethanol plant in Brazil during the 2014 Farm Progress Show. The project will consist of a US$140 million ethanol plant near Lucas do Rio Verde in Mato Grosso, a leading agricultural state in west central Brazil and the country’s largest producer of corn and soybeans. The project …
Growth Energy Displays a Model Ethanol Plant
As part of New Holland’s commitment to being the Clean Energy Leader the company is very publicly and actively showing its support for biofuels like ethanol. During the Farm Progress Show not only could you find displays showing how and why the company supports home grown energy but there was also a special display on hand from Growth Energy. New …
Corn Growers at Farm Progress Show
National Corn Growers Association officers were out in force at the 2014 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa this week. Right out of the gate on the first day I met up with NCGA chairwoman Pam Johnson of Iowa, First VP Chip Bowling of Maryland, and President Martin Barbre of Illinois. It was a soggy start to the show on …
New Holland Loans Tractors to BioCentury Research Farm
This morning during the Farm Progress Show, New Holland hosted a tour of the Iowa State BioCentury Research Farm. New Holland got involved with the project when they saw a need for the use of some of their equipment and loaned them two tractors, which provided new options for their biomass research projects. The BioCentury Research Farm combines biomass feedstock …
No RFS Means Less Choice at Pump
With oil prices on a roller coaster because of the deteriorating situation in the Mideast, Americans United for Change stress that Americans need the EPA to stand by a secure, safe, reliable energy source the U.S. has complete control over: clean-burning, homegrown renewable fuels. Preserving the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and cheaper choices at the pump for American consumers means …
American Ethanol Winning Races
Ever since I met Ryan Hunter Reay as the driver for the Indy Team Ethanol Car I’ve been following him as his racing gets better and better. He showed it this weekend when he roared to a dramatic finish and won the Iowa Corn Indy 300, presented by Dekalb. He’s pictured here with board members of Iowa Corn. With the …
Illinois Corn Interns Summer Promotional Videos
Let’s put those interns to work. That’s what Illinois Corn is doing. Interns Tim Marten, a student at SIU-Edwardsville, and Elizabeth O’Reilly, a student at ISU, have been tasked with creating short videos that promote corn. The internships are funded by two communications scholarships from the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. Here’s an example of one of them below. You can …
BCAP Funding Application Period Opens
One energy and ag program that was saved by the 2014 Farm Bill was the Biomass Crop Assistance Program or BCAP, designed to provide financial assistance to mainly farmers and ranchers who establish and maintain new crops of energy biomass or harvest and deliver forest or ag residues to a qualifying energy facility. Farmers who harvest ag residues such as …
USDA Chinese Trade Mission
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse led a mission to promote U.S. biofuels and agricultural product exports in northeast China May 5-13. The mission was part of President Obama’s “Made in Rural America” export and investment initiative, designed to help rural businesses and leaders take advantage of new investment opportunities and …
Senators and Industry Call for Biodiesel Support
A group of U.S. Senators including Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Al Franken (D-MN), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined the National Biodiesel Board on Wednesday to release the results of a national survey highlighting uncertainty in the biodiesel industry as a result of policy setbacks in Washington this year. The survey found that …