8/7/2008 - Craig Chase can't recall more volatile time in agriculture
Agri News: GARNER, Iowa -- Craig Chase, Iowa State University farm management specialist based in Tripoli, can't recall a more volatile time in agriculture. 'I started with Extension in the late 1970s and rode out the 1980s, and it was a whole lot easier to predict what was going to happen then than it is now,' Chase said at a farmland leasing meeting last week in the Hancock County Extension
6/10/2008 - USDG inaugurates ethanol rail terminal in Texas
Ethanol Producer Magazine -- U.S. Development Group LLC, an industry leader in ethanol handling and distribution terminals, celebrated the grand opening of its Dallas-Fort Worth Rail Terminal LLC, a state-of-the-art ethanol handling and distribution terminal located in Arlington, Texas. A wholly owned subsidiary of Houston-based USDG, the rail terminal will distribute a majority of fuel-grade
5/30/2008 - Anti-ethanol coalition stokes food versus fuel debate
Medill Reports, May 28, 2008 - There is a battle blewing over cornstarch-based ethanol in Washington, pitting onetime allies against each other. The camps are not separated by party affiliation, but by geography and interest in the agriculture supply chain. Each side is vying for the public’s compassion in a time when Americans are faced with a faltering economy and rising energy and food
5/28/2008 - Researchers use fungus to improve corn-to-ethanol process
PHYSORG.com - Growing a fungus in some of the leftovers from ethanol production can save energy, recycle more water and improve the livestock feed that’s a co-product of fuel production, according to a team of researchers from Iowa State University and the University of Hawai’i.“The process could change ethanol production in dry-grind plants so much that energy costs can be reduced by as much as
5/28/2008 - Late corn crop threatens food supply
msnbc.com video: This year's planting delay caused by bad weather is the topic of a two-minute video clip aired on msnbc.com Nightly News. The story was developed with assistance from Jim Fawcett, ISU Extension field agronomist based in Iowa City.
5/22/2008 - US ethanol policy under siege in food-for-fuel debate
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Amid a surge in food prices blamed in part on US expansion of corn-based ethanol production, lawmakers, experts and industry officials are urging the government to rethink a new law mandating alternative fuels.The United States is the world's top producer of corn-based ethanol, which the administration of President George W. Bush sees as a way of reducing dependence on foreign
5/22/2008 - Some of the pressures facing ethanol
By The Associated Press - The ethanol industry finds itself with fewer friends these days. Some of the forces lining up against it:HIGH FOOD PRICES: The food industry says ethanol and its demand for corn is behind much of the run-up in food prices over the past year and food shortages in some countries. Ethanol makers and a number of independent studies say ethanol is a minor factor compared to
5/22/2008 - Ethanol turmoil a serious threat to some companies
BusinessWeek -- Not long ago, the fledgling ethanol industry was the darling of investors, farmers, the federal government and a lot of Americans who liked the idea of turning corn into fuel.But suddenly, it doesn't have nearly as many friends.Rising worldwide food prices and shortages have spurred calls in Congress to roll back the federal requirement that increases the amount of ethanol and
5/21/2008 - Purdue Economist Says Biofuels Not Biggest Cause of Food Price Increases
Hoosier Ag Today - The third Purdue Biofuels Symposium started yesterday, merging current research updates with policy and planning discussions for a bioeconomy. Last night’s guest speaker was Purdue ag economist Dr. Chris Hurt. He ensured the gathered representatives of industry, government and academia that, despite all the issues surrounding the biofuels industry, it should be full speed ahead
5/17/2008 - US disputes IMF on food prices
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration on Wednesday was downplaying the role of biofuels production in rising food prices.The debate involves questions of blame for rapidly inflating prices for staple crops that have led to famine and riots in many parts of the world.Some economists and food scientists have argued that biofuel production should be scaled back because it is a major factor in
5/15/2008 - Sweet sorghum, clean miracle crop for feed and fuel
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The hardy sweet sorghum plant could be the miracle crop that provides cheap animal feed and fuel without straining the world's food supply or harming the environment, said scientists working on a pilot farming project in India."We consider sweet sorghum an ideal 'smart crop' because it produces food as well as fuel," William Dar, Director General of the non-profit International
5/6/2008 - Obama: Change in ethanol policy might be needed
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama said Sunday the federal government might need to rethink its support for corn ethanol because of rising food prices, a stance similar to Republican John McCain's but at odds with farm states considered important to the November election."What I've said is my top priority is making sure people are able to get enough to eat. If it turns out we need to make
5/3/2008 - Iowa State-ConocoPhillips Collaboration Advances 26 Research Projects in First Year
HOUSTON & AMES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE) --The first year of ConocoPhillips’ (NYSE:COP) eight-year, $22.5 million research program at Iowa State University (ISU) has supported 26 research projects and helped establish new research collaborations to further diversify America’s sources of energy and help meet growing energy demand.ConocoPhillips, the third-largest integrated energy company in the
4/29/2008 - Food price hikes fuel anti-ethanol moves in U.S.
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - Missouri is considering rolling back a mandate supporting ethanol production amid growing outrage over rising prices for food and livestock feed.It was less than four months ago that ethanol supporters were celebrating the implementation of a Missouri law requiring gasoline sold throughout the state contain 10 percent ethanol. The law, passed in 2006, took effect
4/24/2008 - Ethanol pumped in all states but not everyone sold on it
By JAMES MacPHERSON, Buisness Week -- Ethanol has a toe-hold in every state, pushed by increased production, government subsidies and people looking to save a few pennies at the pump. "For the farmer, it's another market for our product -- this is a good thing," said Mike Clemens, a Wimbledon farmer and a director of the North Dakota Corn Growers Association.
4/24/2008 - Ethanol's Failed Promise
The Washington Post - By Lester Brown and Jonathan Lewis, April 22, 2008; The willingness to try, fail and try again is the essence of scientific progress. The same sometimes holds true for public policy. It is in this spirit that today, Earth Day, we call upon Congress to revisit recently enacted federal mandates requiring the diversion of foodstuffs for production of biofuels. These "
4/24/2008 - Study: Cellulosic ethanol a long shot
Biomass Magazine -- By Kris Bevill - Research recently conducted by The Context Network LLC, an Iowa-based consulting firm, concluded that widely held notions about the progression of cellulosic ethanol in the United States may be too optimistic.
4/17/2008 - Cattle power new ethanol plant technology
Delta Farm Press - A new technology integrates cattle and an ethanol plant into a so-called closed loop system that also produces energy required for the thermal needs of the plant and fertilizer for crop production.
4/8/2008 - Identifying Conversion Technologies
The Engineer Online - Iowa State University, ConocoPhillips and the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are to work together to identify promising cellulosic biomass conversion technologies.The collaboration will bring three independently established programs together to help identify the most efficient and cost-effective methods for making liquid transportation
4/7/2008 - Weekly US ethanol profits fall on record corn price
NEW YORK, April 4 (Reuters) - Average profits for distilling U.S. ethanol fell this week as corn prices soared to a record $6 a bushel, after a government report showed farmers would plant less of the grain this year, analysts said.Ethanol margins fell about 10 cents to 15 to 25 cents per gallon from last week's range on higher prices for corn, the main U.S. feedstock for the alternative motor
4/7/2008 - Time for Second Thoughts on the Ethanol Mandate
The Heritage Foundation, WebMemo #1879 -- America's energy policy has been on an ethanol binge, and now the hangover has begun. The federal renewable fuels mandate is an unfolding failure, and more Members of Congress are taking notice. If repeal of the mandate is not yet possible, Congress should at least freeze ethanol use at current levels while the nation reassesses its renewable fuels policy.
4/4/2008 - Fueling Ethanol Production While Protecting Water Quality
ScienceDaily (Apr. 4, 2008) — Grain-based ethanol production has increased dramatically in recent years as the cost and instability of oil has increased. New U.S. government policies require major increases in ethanol production. While future plans call for a viable cellulosic ethanol industry, expanded grain ethanol production will lead to further growth of corn acres in the near term, with
3/21/2008 - Analysis: Can biotechnology save ethanol?
By ROSALIE WESTENSKOW, UPI Correspondent -- Some experts have questioned the feasibility of Congress's new biofuels mandate, but emerging biotechnologies may boost the industry above and beyond expectations.Traditional corn ethanol has received a bad rap in the popular press lately due to concerns increased production and conversion of corn into fuel may increase emissions and raise food prices.
3/21/2008 - Beyond Ethanol
Forbes - In 2007, ethanol fuel production rose more than 34% in the United States, reaching a record-high of 6.5 billion barrels. Industry groups expect similar growth rates for this year. The ethanol industry should savor the time, however--this could be as good as it gets.A handful of small companies, including Pasadena, Calif.-based start-up Gevo, are scrambling to commercialize