How Soon Will Cellulosic Ethanol Arrive?

The arrival of ethanol produced from cellulosic feedstock sources has almost been a standing joke within the ethanol industry. Each year it has always been “four to five years down the road” before commercial production would become viable. That’s changed: the “four to five years” is now. At a recent ethanol workshop, several companies, including

Ethanol Consumes Extra Production

World agricultural commodity stocks have fallen sharply in the past decade and may continue to be hit by growing biofuels production and rising demand, a CME Group economist said Aug. 17. John Hill, an economist for CME – the world’s largest derivatives exchange – said the rise in biofuels output posed a threat to agricultural


Big U. S. Soy, Corn Crops May Deflate Price Boom

U. S. farmers this year will reap their largest soybean crop ever and their second-largest corn crop, mammoth harvests that will deflate an ethanol-fuelled price boom, the government said Aug. 12. In its first estimate of the fall harvest, the Agriculture Department estimated the soybean crop would be a record 3.199 billion bushels, up eight

Feed Grain Co-Op Plans To Register Two New Varieties Next Spring

Rumours of their imminent demise were greatly exaggerated. The Western Feed Grains Development Co-op, which was formed in 2005 with the goal of putting high-yielding, fusariumresistant feed wheat varieties in the hands of farmers, not companies, voted at its annual general meeting last week to continue its efforts. A funding shortfall has been temporarily resolved,


Agricultural Energy Expansion Must-Haves

The expanding renewable energy sector offers incredible opportunities for Manitoba producers. What we need now are the right policy tools and information on diversifying into new agricultural-based energy solutions such as biomass, wind power, and renewable fuels. Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) recently updated a policy paper regarding agricultural energy, which outlines our vision for the

Cellulosic Ethanol Makes Its Debut

Ethanol made from straw blended with regular gasoline is being pumped from a local Shell gas station to gauge consumer reaction to the product that produces less harmful emissions. Transport Minister John Baird participated in the formal launch of the product made at the Iogen Energy Corp. facility near the Ottawa airport. Iogen produces 40,000


Water Worries Cloud Future For U. S. Biofuel

“We really have to ask ourselves, do we want to be driving with renewable fuels or with gasoline made from petroleum resources?” – BRENT ERICKSON, EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT, BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY ORGANIZATION It’s corn-planting time in the U. S. Plains, and that means Kansas corn farmer Merl “Buck” Rexford is worrying about the weather – and hoping

Villagers Lose Land To Sugar Plantation

Farm Radio International is a Canadian-based, not-for-profit organization working in direct partnership with approximately 300 radio broadcasters in 39 African countries to fight poverty and food insecurity. The network, founded 30 years ago by Canadian broadcaster George Atkins, has lately turned its attention to the effects of foreign land grabs. This story is from a


Bioeconomy Remains Important To Farmers’ Future

Biofuels and the fledgling bioproducts industry continue to provide an important economic opportunity for farmers despite troubles the industry has experienced in the past year, says Gordon Quaiattini, president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. A recent report from the International Energy Agency should clear up charges biofuels are a greater source of greenhouse gases

New Regs Upset Ethanol Applecart

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on May 5 announced proposed regulations regarding implementation of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). Despite the legislation’s namesake, there isn’t much security for the growth of traditional corn ethanol. EISA was landmark legislation for the biofuels industry because it set a national goal of producing