Once again this year at the ASTA CSS 2013, for the third year in a row now, AgResource Company president Dan Basse looked at the year in review for grain markets and gave his outlook for the future. While there are bright spots, Dan’s overall outlook for the year ahead is pretty sobering, saying the good times may have come …
RFS Hearing Goes 12 Hours, Draws Hundreds
Over 140 stakeholders testified at a hearing Thursday on the Environmental Protection Agency proposal to lower the biofuels targets under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in 2014, and those opposed to the plan outnumbered those in favor by a ratio of more than two to one. “More than 100 of the 144 speakers support #ethanol, #biodiesel & advanced biofuels,” tweeted …
EPA Hearing on Biofuels to Draw Big Crowd
A huge turnout is expected Thursday at a public hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Renewable Fuel Standard volume obligations for 2014. Literally busloads of stakeholders, both opposed to and in favor of cutting the requirements, are attending the hearing at the Hyatt in Crystal City, Virginia. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad will be attending with several Iowa livestock producers, …
Rabo AgriFinance Report From NAFB
Rabo AgriFinance was present for the recent Trade Talk during the 2013 NAFB Convention. The company is the leading U.S. ag lender and specializes in protein to produce and inputs to oilseeds. Their expert team monitors and evaluates the global market that influences agriculture around the world. I spoke with two of the team’s analysts at the event and they …
Farm Bill Top Topic at NAFB Trade Talk
For the third year in a row now, the main topic of discussion at the NAFB Trade Talk was farm bill, or lack thereof. Despite reports that high hopes are fading for a farm bill yet this year, the ag group representatives we talked to were still cautiously optimistic. “I think progress is being made and I’m still confident that …
Classic + Ag Connect = Really Big Show
With corn, soybeans, wheat and sorghum growers all part of the Commodity Classic, who thought it could get any bigger? But it will definitely be bigger in 2016 when Classic joins forces with AG CONNECT expo to become what may well be the biggest farm show on Earth. In this edition of the ZimmCast, we hear from Sara Mooney, AG …
Iowa Corn Growers “Fill Up on Me’ Sweepstakes
A new multimedia campaign features four Iowa corn farmers called ‘Fill Up on Me’ Sweepstakes. The statewide campaign from the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board includes TV, online, print and radio advertisements focusing on ethanol/economic development, products from corn to ethanol process and conservation practices found on the farm. “We are proud of the outstanding …
EPA Unveils 2014 RFS Renewable Fuel Volumes
Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its proposal for the 2014 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) as part of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for the amount of renewable fuels to be blended into gasoline and diesel. The EPA has proposed to set the cellulosic biofuel category at 17 million gallons, biomass-based diesel at 1.28 billion gallons, advanced biofuel at …
Iowa Farmer Claims AP Report is Misleading
Leroy Perkins is an Iowa farmer who will be featured in an Associated Press “investigative report” being released this week about ethanol and the environment. He claims that his comments were taken out of context and reporters who interviewed him never told him it was for a “story to put down ethanol.” “I think the AP folks wrote a little …