The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is targeting boaters and future drivers in educational efforts for 2018 with the renewal of its co-title sponsorship of the Crappie Masters Tournament Trail, and the launch of an on-line Ethanol in the Classroom program. In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White talks about the importance …
Driving Ethanol Policy Priorities
Growth Energy Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley is featured in this episode of the Driving Ethanol podcast after he appeared on a panel at the National Biodiesel Conference to talk about how they worked together last year to fight back against the attempt to change the Point of Obligation and the Notice of Data Availability that threatened volumes …
ZimmCast 572 – Biodiesel and More
This week has been about all things biodiesel in Ft. Worth at the National Biodiesel Conference. It marks the 13th year we have produced the biodiesel conference blog and the 25th anniversary of the National Biodiesel Board, so our ZimmCast this week celebrates all things biodiesel. We start with an interview on biodiesel with Willie Nelson in 2006, and also …
Ethanol Report on 2017 Production
Ethanol production averaged over a million barrels per day (b/d) for 44 out of 52 weeks in 2017 which means another record year for the industry. And despite a very average growing season, corn yield for 2017 is estimated at a record high 176.6 bushels per acre, and production was only down four percent because farmers planted less acres. In …
SMART Farmer Podcast 2018
Welcome to the first SMART farmer podcast of 2018! In 2017, we interviewed 22 farmers and ranchers and other agriculture industry people from across the country for the SMART farmer podcast to learn how they use the latest technology in their production of food and fiber for the world, like poultry barns with environmental controls on smart phones, using GPS …
ZimmCast with MN Soybean
Tom Slunecka is one of the first people ever to be featured in a ZimmCast, back in 2005 when he was executive director for the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC). That organization became Growth Energy in 2008, and Tom has been executive director for Minnesota Soybean, which includes both the state Growers Association (MSGA) and the Research & Promotion …
Ethanol Report on 2017
All in all, 2017 was a pretty good year for the ethanol industry with a new advocate in the White House and record production. Among the highlights of the year, increased exports despite Brazil taking a protectionist stance against ethanol imports, EPA releasing new RVO numbers on time, and ethanol champions rally to protect the RFS and win. In this …
Ethanol Report on RFS2 10th Anniversary
Ten years ago this month, just days before Christmas, President George W. Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act which greatly expanded the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to include up to 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022. The expansion became known as RFS2, like the sequel to a big movie that had just been released two …
Driving Ethanol Home for the Holidays
Last year, AAA estimated that nearly 100 million Americans took a holiday road trip and we can expect at least that many on the road this year heading home for the holidays. Growth Energy wants to let all those holiday drivers know that E15 (15% ethanol) can brighten the season even more by helping them save a little green. In …
ZimmCast from #ASTACSS
This ZimmCast comes to you from the ASTA CSS 2017 and Seed Expo in Chicago which Cindy attended last week for the sixth year in a row, and Jamie got to experience for the first. Cindy and Jamie sat down with Greg Lammert of Rhea+Kaiser, who was at the event representing their client Bayer, and we talked about the conference, …
SMART Farmer Lauren Arbogast
Lauren Arbogast is a city girl who married into the farm and found it so interesting that she started a blog about it. On her blog “Paint The Town Ag”, which has also become her Facebook and Twitter platform, Lauren shares photos of musings of life on the farm with her husband and two “mini farmer” sons. She became a …
Ethanol Report on Final 2018 RVOs
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for 2018 as scheduled on November 30, with relatively little change from the July proposal, keeping the statutory 15 billion gallon requirement for conventional renewable fuels like corn ethanol. While that is good news, there is disappointment with volumes decreased or flatlined for cellulosic …
SMART Dairy Farmers
This episode of the SMART farmer podcast comes from the 2017 World Dairy Expo where Jamie Johansen sat down with Chris Galen of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) to have him explain some of the many ways dairy producers are SMART farmers when it comes to efficiency and sustainability. NMPF was one of the founding members of the U.S. …
Growth Energy Podcast from NAFB
The Growth Energy Driving Ethanol podcast this week comes from the National Association of Farm Broadcasting 74th annual convention in Kansas City last week. It was the first time that Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor spoke with dozens of broadcasters at the event, commenting on a variety of issues, including the hold up of Bill Northey’s nomination, the upcoming release …
Ethanol Industry Asks USTR to Suspend Brazil GSP Status
The U.S. ethanol industry is asking U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to suspend Brazil’s designated country status under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) due to “protectionist and market distorting actions in implementing a Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) that affects imports of U.S. ethanol.” A letter was sent to Lighthizer this week, signed by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), Growth …