This year’s corn plantings are expected to be down this year, but growers say there will be plenty of stockpiles for all needs. While soybean plantings are expected to be a record, the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture figures show that American farmers expect to plant 3.7 million fewer acres of corn this year, down four percent from 2013. But …
Sen. Thune Talks Rail Delays and Livestock Aid
Rail delays are impacting shipments of ethanol and grains, among other commodities, thanks in part to the long, cold winter – but also due to increased transport of crude oil from North Dakota. “The railroads are going to have to do a better job,” said Sen. John Thune during an interview in Washington DC last week after meeting with biofuels …
Conversation with Sen. Mike Johanns
During the American Coalition for Ethanol Biofuels Beltway March last week, I was fortunate to be able to tag along on a few Congressional office visits – and pushy enough to get a few interviews with some lawmakers! One of those was Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) who will be retiring this year after serving for more than 30 years in …
Little Ethanol Lobbyist
Wearing a tie and sporting a “Don’t Mess with the RFS” button, 10-year-old Ethan Fagen was the youngest of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Biofuels Beltway marchers last week on Capitol Hill. Ethan came along with his grandfather, Ron Fagen of Fagen, Inc., and he was right in the trenches with him handing out materials and talking about the …
Facts on Ethanol’s Side in Fight with Big Oil
It’s not always fact-based arguments proponents of ethanol are up against when battling Big Oil. But that’s why it’s all more important to make sure you have good facts on your side in the fight. Farmers who attended the recent Commodity Classic in San Antonio were able to sit in on a session titled, “Biofuels and the Renewable Fuels Standard, …
Corn Growers Talk Priorities at Commodity Classic
Members of the National Corn Growers Association are at Commodity Classic in full force this year, as part the more than 7,000+ corn, wheat, soybean and sorghum growers who have come to San Antonio. President of NCGA, Martin Barbre, a farmer from Illinois, outlined some of his group’s priorities in this coming year, including their work with a couple of …
Social Media in the War Room
Social media part of a war room discussion? Yep. It was at the 2014 National Ethanol Conference. Participating in a panel titled, “Communications and Social Media War Room” was Christina Martin, Executive Vice President, Renewable Fuels Association. We chatted about her panel at the conclusion of the conference. Christina says that the purpose of the session was “to capture the …
Led Zep 2 Rocks the Ethanol Industry
I never got to see Led Zeppelin live but last night I found out what it would have been like when Led Zeppelin 2 performed for the National Ethanol Conference. This band is fantastic. You can see what I mean in the video below (Dazed and Confused). Playing Jimmy Page on stage is Paul Kamp, founding partner of Leifmark and …
Live Speech on State of Ethanol Industry
Hello from the National Ethanol Conference in Orlando, FL. This morning we’ll live stream Bob Dinneen’s, Renewable Fuels Association, annual state of the industry address. Introductions will start at 8am, est., with Bob scheduled at 8:15am. We’re also recording it to post afterward. When you click on the player below it will start with a short commercial before the live …
Talking Ethanol in Orlando with RFA
Talk about getting a break from winter. The attendees at the National Ethanol Conference in Orlando, Fl are loving it! It’s a beautiful sunny day to start things off with some fun activities like the annual golf tournament or an Everglades airboat ride. I took golf pictures while Cindy is checking out the Florida wildlife. To kick off our coverage …