Record Corn Crop….Record Speculation
While most Americans got a head start to the long Labor Day weekend by knocking off early Friday, corn futures traders had their most active day in 133 years. According to Drover’s, a record 556,034 corn futures contracts (the equivalent of 2.8 billion bushels of corn!) changed hands last Friday, marking the single busiest day in the corn markets since the Chicago Board of Trade began trading grain in 1877.
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They’re Baaack: Speculators Return to Grain Markets En Masse
Not since the commodity prices spikes of 2008 have speculators held such a prominent role in grain markets. But, as a review of the data demonstrates, the speculators are back in a big way and just waiting for the opportunity to artificially inflate corn and other commodity prices.
Posted in Agriculture, Ethanol, Research
Brazil’s Government Funded, Government Nurtured Ethanol Industry
Those who live in glass house ought not throw stones. It is quite brazenly disingenuous for UNICA to lecture Americans on our national ethanol policy. The Brazilian government has had a far heavier hand in growing the ethanol industry in that country than this post would lead you to believe.
Ethanol Fuels Air Show Performance by Greg Poe
RFA Staff attended the Offutt Air Show in Nebraska, promoting the use of ethanol fuel to the thousands of people who attended the show. Pilot Greg Poe was a main attraction as his plane is fueled by 100% ethanol. This fuel gives him the horsepower he needs to perform the jaw-dropping aerobatics that leave the crowd with a performance they won't forget!
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The American Spectator: Voice of Big Oil?
The August 27 blog post “Corny Capitalism” on the American Spectator website begs the question: When did The American Spectator stop fact checking? In fact, with the outdated information used in this story, one has to wonder how long it sat on the shelf waiting for a slow, sleepy week in summer to be dusted off and electronically published. And what is Matt Purple and The American Spectator’s answer to ending this country’s dangerous – both in terms of human life as well as the environment – addiction to foreign oil? It would appear that they would prefer to continue the status quo of sending billions and billions of dollars to hostile countries like Iraq and Venezuela.
The Games They’ll Play to Keep Us Addicted to Oil
The Big Oil Status Quo coalition is up to their old games again. They are deploying every stall tactic they can think of to keep the EPA from making a decision that will ultimately help reduce this country’s dependence on environmentally unfriendly, foreign-sourced oil.
Membership Spotlight: East Kansas Agri-Energy Turns Five!!
This October, RFA Member East Kansas Agri-Energy, LLC (EKAE) will be celebrating their 5th year anniversary of ethanol production and helping fuel America. A short five years ago, EKAE accepted their first load of corn, produced and shipped their first gallon of ethanol and delivered their first shipment of distillers grains. Throughout these past five years, EKAE has exceeded expectations, now producing ethanol past nameplate capacity and receiving numerous safety awards and energy efficiency recognition.
Posted in Ethanol, Energy, Environment, Exports, Fuel, Production, Water
DDGs Feed Livestock and Our Economy- Export Exchange 2010
The United States is producing more dried distillers grains than ever. The ethanol co-product, commonly used in livestock feed for its high levels of protein and fiber is unfortunately hitting a domestic “feed wall” here in the U.S. and exports are becoming more important. Along with the U.S. Grains Council, the RFA will be co-sponsoring the Export Exchange 2010 to focus on educating and connecting international buyers of DDGs and coarse grains. Now it is more vital than ever to keep these relationships strong so we do not hit an international “feed wall” as well.
Rev Up Your Engines, Ethanol Promotion at Sturgis Was A Success
RFA staff attended the 70th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, SD, partnering with the Legendary Buffalo Chip to promote ethanol. With over 800,000 attendees, this was a great opportunity for the RFA to chat with motorcycle enthusiasts and talk about the benefits of using ethanol in their motorcycles, and every other vehicle they might have at home. Attendees were able to leave with an abundant amount of ethanol information that was handed out, along with 2010 RFA Sturgis t-shirts and koozies.
5 Billion Gallon Challenge Isn’t As Clean as it Seems
The growth and commercialization of next generation biofuels is essential to the long term success of America’s ethanol industry. This success does not need to come at the expense of current technologies. The RFA does not believe that U.S. biofuel policy should be crafted in a manner that jeopardizes the tremendous advances that have come from the investment our nation has made in renewable fuels or causes cannibalization in the industry. It is true that we need to support and promote the growth of next generation biofuels in order to become energy independent and to combat global warming. However, this will not be achieved by pitting different sectors of the industry against one another or abandoning support for one sector of the industry for another when the entire industry needs support as long as we continue to provide permanent tax breaks to oil producers.
Posted in Agriculture, Ethanol, Energy, Fuel, Renewable Fuels, Renewable Fuel Standard, U.S Dept. of Energy, USDA, VEETC, Water
Harvesting Corn for Local Chicago Area Shelters
Last week, community members including the Illinois Corn Growers Association, local Farm Bureau, Boy Scouts and Church groups harvested sweet corn from a family owned farm in Manhattan, Illinois to donate to local food banks in the under-served Chicago area.
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No Surprise Here - More Problems Emerge with RFS Greenhouse Gas Calculations
Despite the fact that real-world data and events have disputed the ILUC theory at every turn (e.g., grain and oilseed exports haven’t fallen off, soybean acreage hasn’t decreased, livestock feed use remains steady, Amazon deforestation is decreasing, etc., etc.), EPA’s final rule for the RFS2 institutes a severe ILUC penalty against corn ethanol and other biofuels. But there’s a major problem with how EPA derived its ILUC penalties: the agency based the penalties on modeling scenarios where each individual biofuel was isolated and volumes of that biofuel were increased while other biofuel volumes were held constant. Of course, that’s not how the RFS2 works—the regulation requires simultaneous increases of several types of biofuels. When EPA modeled a scenario in which all biofuels volumes were increased simultaneously in accordance with RFS2 requirements, the amount of land use change was half of what it was in the cases where EPA isolated individual biofuels. If EPA had used this modeling case to develop its LUC penalties, the hit to corn ethanol would have been 10.8 g CO2e/MJ, rather than EPA’s estimate of 28.4 g/MJ. Such a reduction in LUC emissions means overall lifecycle GHG emissions for 2022 average corn ethanol would be 38% less than baseline gasoline emissions, rather than the 21% estimate finalized by EPA.
Posted in Ethanol, EPA, Environment, Land Use, Renewable Fuel Standard, Research
Senate to Adjourn with No Energy Bill…Not That Anyone is Surprised
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has pulled even a scaled-back version of an energy bill from consideration before the Senate leaves this week for recess. This is disappointing, but not surprising.
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World Bank Reverses Course on Blame for 2007/2008 Commodity and Food Price Spike
Many will remember the "leaked" report from the World Bank that blamed biofuels for 75% of the run up in commodity prices a few years ago. Now, a new report from the Bank's Development Prospects Group comes to a different conclusion. The authors of the report find that "“…the effect of biofuels on food prices has not been as large as originally thought..". That sounds familiar.
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Environmentalist Expose Big Oil’s Record of Destruction…Finally
Many people, including me, have been puzzled by the silence, or at least perceived silence, of the environmental community over the oil spill in the Gulf. As millions of gallons of oil kill ocean life and ruin coastlines, many in the environmental community seem oddly muted in their protest. Finally, the National Wildlife Federation is exposing the record of spills, accidents and other incidences that have released countless gallons of oil into the environment all across the country since 2000…all while a new oil spill in Michigan highlights the risk of oil to all parts of the country.
Posted in Agriculture, E-Xchange, Ethanol, Energy, Environment
Corn Commentary Takes on the Gray Lady
East Coast media has long had disdain for agriculture, and by extension, ethanol. Much of this dislike stems from a fundamental lack of understanding about the industries and issues important to rural America. While the Wall Street Journal has long been the standard bearer for such vitriol, when it comes to ethanol, the New York Times doesn't fall too far behind. The Times' latest anti-ethanol effort is disguised as a choice between good and bad energy subsidies. The Times argues that subsidies for wind and solar are critical to those industries' survival and our nation's goal of reduced oil consumption (we don't use oil to produce electricity, by the way). The Times then says investments in ethanol, which does replace oil directly in American gas tanks, is unworthy. To be clear, we should be increasing investments in all renewable energies, not picking and choosing winners. Supporting its position, the Times relies on many of the canards offered by ethanol critics about environmental concerns and land usage. My friends over at the Corn Commentary take exception with the Gray Lady's portrayal and perception of ethanol, and offer a rebuttal. Worth a read.
Posted in Agriculture, Ethanol, Energy, Environment, Fuel, Land Use, Media, VEETC
Congress, Ethanol Industry Ask Similar Quesitons of EPA re: E15
The Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, along with the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee, today asked EPA some very relevant questions concerning its deliberation on the E15 waiver - in particular the EPA's apparent decision to approve E15 for only those vehicles 2001 and newer. The RFA agrees with some of the line of questioning the members of Congress are pursuing, particularly given the importance of moving beyond E10 and the success of the Renewable Fuels Standard.
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RFA Attends Ag Media Summit
Earlier this week, I attended the 12th Annual Agriculture Media Summit which took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on the Riverfront in St. Paul, MN. Here, numerous journalists, editors, photographers, publishers and communicator specialists in agriculture gathered to network with those in their industry and promote and enhance the viability of agriculture media as an effective and efficient communications medium. This year seemed to have a large focus on the social media world. It was hash tag (#) galore at #AgMS with people tweeting to win prizes like the iPad, updating their followers of their location or highlighting the new skills and applications that had been discussed during the breakout sessions.
Posted in Agriculture, Media
Farmers, Ethanol Producers Push for E12 Now, E15 As Soon As Possible
Three major farmer and ethanol groups today called on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson to formally approve the use of E12 (12% ethanol) in the nation’s gasoline supply. The groups – American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) – in a formal letter to the EPA Administrator wrote, “based on the EPA’s delay in acting upon the full E15 waiver and on our concerns that the Agency will restrict the use of E15 to cars made in 2001 and thereafter, we encourage the EPA to formally approve the use of E12 for all motor vehicles as an immediate interim step pending any ongoing additional testing on E15.”
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Letter to the Editor: Wall Street Journal
Seeking even-handedness from the editors of The Wall Street Journal is like expecting a mama grizzly to forsake her cubs.
Posted in Ethanol
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