DDGS on sale, but buyers wary

Prices for DDGS — dried distillers grains (with solubles) — have come down significantly over the past few weeks, but are still too high when compared to other feed options. “Prices are dropping, but they haven’t dropped significantly enough to attract Canadian buyers,” said Ryan Slozka, senior commodity trader with Rycom Trading, a major importer



Talking turkey over energy

The pre-American Thanksgiving decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deny the meat industry requests for a waiver on that country’s renewable fuel standard did little to calm the rhetoric between the livestock and ethanol sectors over who should have access to limited corn supplies this year. Shortly after the announcement, the National Turkey

Fungus boosts ethanol extraction from cornstalks

Scientists looking for a way to extract the sugars from cornstalks for ethanol production have found an ally in white rot fungus, the American Chemical Society reports in a podcast. Based on a report by Yebo Li, PhD, in ACS’s journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, researchers found that by treating stover with the white


Canada’s grain system world’s best

For years Canada’s grain industry engaged in self-flagellation, condemning the grain-handling and transportation system as inefficient. Not anymore. “We have arguably the world’s most efficient handling network,” Don Solman, Richardson’s vice-president of finance and chief financial officer told the Grain Industry Symposium Nov. 21. “Back in the 1990s, basically the network was rebuilt with large

U.S. upholds ethanol mandate

Reuters – The United States upheld its program to turn a large share of the corn crop into ethanol for motor fuel Nov. 16, saying it did not cause undue economic harm despite steep competition for depleted U.S. grain supplies after the worst drought in 50 years. In August, as the drought seared the Midwest,


U.S. crop insurance a post-election target

The federal government will likely shell out $15 billion or more for its share of crop losses caused by drought

Reuters – Federally subsidized crop insurance will be a big target for U.S. lawmakers looking to cut the budget deficit in the lame-duck session of Congress that opened recently after a status quo general election. But lawmakers aren’t expected to break their deadlock over enacting a five-year, $500-billion Farm Bill covering a wide range of



U.S. Plains farmland prices set record but gains slow

Reuters / Average farmland prices in the U.S. Plains states jumped as much as 25 per cent in the third quarter, setting new highs as demand remained strong, according to the Kansas City Federal Reserve. But the rate of gains slowed down from the torrid pace of the past two years. “Drought conditions had little

Unblended biofuel takes first flight

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) says it achieved a major milestone for the aviation industry Oct. 29 as it flew the first civil jet powered by 100 per cent unblended biofuel. “This historic flight symbolizes a significant step not only for the aerospace industry, but also towards advancing sustainable sources of renewable energy,”