An aerial image of the research study area in southwestern Kansas.

Cellulosic biofuels best bet for climate concerns

They’re lower impact than other options and can even sequester carbon rather than produce it

A new study from Colorado State University is breathing new life into the concept of biofuels produced from switchgrass instead of grain crops. The team says the non-edible native grass which grows in many locations throughout North America could be a better alternative than corn and other cereal and oilseed crops when it comes to

Leila Dehabadi puts corn at the centre of new, more efficient technology for separating water from ethanol.

Water out of wine

New University of Saskatchewan chemistry research could 
pave the way for cheaper gas and booze

A University of Saskatch­ewan PhD chemistry student has devised a new and more energy-efficient way to separate water from ethanol. Leila Dehabadi is using starch-based materials such as corn, and can extract the water without using additional energy to isolate the ethanol, which could reduce the cost of biofuels. “Compared to distillation, this new approach


Door opens to hog expansion

Door opens to hog expansion

Anaerobic digesters out, new barns in

New hog barns will be built Manitoba. After an all-night session at the Manitoba Legislature, Bill 24 has passed its final reading and received royal assent. Better known as the Red Tape Reduction and Government Efficiency Act, Bill 24 covers legislation ranging from consumer protection and labour relations, to residential tenancies and transportation of dangerous

The Manitoba Canola Growers Association thinks an opportunity could exist for canola producers to sell their product into the biodiesel market.

Carbon tax could translate into more demand for canola

“Nobody like taxes… but there is also going to be some opportunities,” as a result of Manitoba’s climate and green plan, Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA) president Chuck Fossay told the Keystone Agricultural Producers’ advisory council Nov. 2. While the plan includes a flat $25-a-tonne carbon tax starting sometime next year, it also says if


Preparing the bill at a restaurant to be taken to a table

The pursuit of convenience

Food costs are falling but many Canadians are paying as much or more than ever

Food inflation continues to be an illusion in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, food prices have dropped once again over the last month, by almost one per cent. Food prices are below the general inflation rate, just as they have been for most of the year to date. The food distribution landscape is much more

Canola draws strength from U.S. biofuel policy moves

Canola draws strength from U.S. biofuel policy moves

Slim supplies of high-protein wheat held up MGEX futures

Canola futures knocked at upper resistance repeatedly over the week ended Oct. 20, but held rangebound for the most part before finally breaking higher on Thursday and Friday. Gains in Chicago soyoil provided the spark for the eventual move higher in the Canadian market, as veg oil markets reacted to news the U.S. Environmental Protection


New research may be paving the way to more efficiently converting biomass like cornstalks into biofuels.

Cutting the cost of ethanol

Researchers devise a way to reduce the amount of enzymes needed to convert biomass into biofuels

Biofuels like ethanol could get cheaper if new research from Rutgers and Michigan State universities holds up. Scientists there have demonstrated how to design and genetically engineer enzyme surfaces so they bind less to cornstalks and other cellulosic biomass, reducing enzyme costs in biofuels production, according to a study published in the journal ACS Sustainable

Andy Martin (l) of Providence College discusses cattail biomass with Dimple Roy (c) and Richard Grosshans (r) of the International Institute for Sustainable Development. IISD and the college, along with several Hutterite colonies are proving biomass heating to be practical.

Hutterite colonies leading the masses with biomass heating

IISD, colonies and Providence College are proving biomass heating technology to be viable

Manitoba’s Hutterite colonies are leading a made-in-Manitoba farm heating movement. “With the provincial ban on the use of coal for space heating in Manitoba, a good number of Manitoba’s Hutterite colonies have recently upgraded or converted their heating systems from aging coal-burning systems to cleaner biomass boiler heating systems,” says Richard Grosshans, bioeconomy lead for


Oilseed values gaining on talk of U.S. biofuel rules

Speculation on Trump’s next move supports crush margins

ICE Futures Canada canola contracts posted solid gains during the week ended March 3, as a flurry of speculation about rumoured changes to U.S. biofuel regulation injected strength into oilseed prices. Canola’s May contract rose from a closing price of $515.30 per tonne on Feb. 24 to settle at a closing price of $532.60 on

Editorial: Biofuels fight

[Updated March 2, 2017]: What would a world with another five billion bushels of corn on the market look like? I am willing to bet that the grain growers among our readership just felt a small blood pressure spike at the very thought, anticipating dramatically lower crop prices. That figure represents the portion of the