Whether it is the drop in oil prices due to a major spat between Russia and Saudi Arabia or the COVID-19 outbreak, the ethanol industry is dealing with massive challenges in the short term. Ethanol plants in Canada and the U.S. are reportedly scaling back production as a result, which is creating concern for corn… Read More
With just under two weeks left until the provincial election in Manitoba, the Progressive Conservative party has announced it would set the country’s highest biofuel requirements, if re-elected. Premier Brian Pallister says his government will increase the ethanol requirement in gasoline to 10 per cent and the biodiesel requirement from two to five per cent… Read More
After closing the doors to three feed production facilities last week, Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) has announced it has acquired Terra Grain Fuels (TGF) ethanol plant near Belle Plaine, Sask. The facility has been operational since 2008, and makes roughly 150 million litres per year. “We are very pleased that our business is being acquired… Read More
The Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission (SaskCanola) awarded Zenneth Faye its Canola Influencer Award earlier this week at the commission’s annual general meeting. Faye is being recognized for his pioneering work in Saskatchewan farm organizations and value-added industries. He served on the commission’s board and the board of the Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association in its early days. He… Read More
With producers keeping a close eye on the Canadian Pacific (CP) railway, the company recently shared that during last month (October) it broke an all-time record for the shipment of grain, moving 2.64 million metric tonnes (MMT) of Canadian grain and grain products. This broke the last record held for September 2017. In a news release,… Read More
Anaerobic digesters have popped up on farms across Ontario in recent years, but there are none quite like the digester Rob McKinlay has installed at Harcolm Farms at Beachville, Ontario. What makes it unique is its size – at 20 kilowatts, it’s 10- to 20-times smaller than the other 42 digesters currently operating on Ontario… Read More
U.S. corn growers are voicing concerns and disappointment with their federal administration as the penny-per-bushel trade aid announced earlier this week added to frustrations over retaliatory tariffs and how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is handling ethanol policy. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue tried to allay those concerns at the Farm Progress Show in Boone,… Read More
What do you get when you connect two ‘city kid’ filmmakers, a world-class chef, and nine farmers and their families? You get Before The Plate, a genuine behind-the-kitchen-door, on-the-farm look at how food is produced in Canada, and the passion and commitment chefs and farmers apply to their craft. The driving force behind the film… Read More
Why is ethanol important to agriculture, the environment, and consumers? On this episode of the Corn School, RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin travels to the Honda Indy in Toronto for a firsthand look at how Ontario grain farmers are reaching out to consumers to increase understanding of biofuels and the role farmers play in powering cars in the… Read More
The issue: The Canadian government says it is closely monitoring U.S. biofuel policy discussions, but isn’t publicly saying whether it would challenge a proposed policy that the Canadian biofuel industry says would amount to an export subsidy for American ethanol. As part of the ongoing negotiations between U.S. energy and agriculture interests over the future… Read More
The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is currently the subject of heavy debate in the United States, as President Donald Trump tries to satisfy both the farm and energy industries in his base. On one side, you have Ted Cruz (R-TX) working hard on behalf of the refiners to push for changes to the RFS and… Read More
Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, canola processor and biodiesel manufacturer Milligan Biofuels has entered receivership. The company, which was founded by a group of farmers as Milligan Bio-Tech in the ’90s, is known for purchasing heated and off-grade canola from growers across Western Canada, producing biodiesel, fuel conditioners, road dust suppressant, rust inhibitors, and other canola derivatives…. Read More
Do your corn fields yield less than 170 bu/ac? If so, you have to be careful when removing corn residue from those fields because you could be depleting the field’s soil organic matter. That was the message USDA research agronomist Shannon Osbourne shared with those attending the recent Southwest Agricultural Conference at the University of… Read More
The Ontario Liberal government has had its share of challenges in 2017. For starters, Premier Kathleen Wynne’s approval rating sunk to the low teens as Ontarians continued to gnash their teeth in response to the government’s hydro power plan. And then there was the government’s plan to increase the provincial minimum wage to $15 by… Read More
The European Commission published its decision to allow Canadian canola to have continued access to the EU biodiesel market this week. “This decision means continued access to an important market for Canadian canola,” says Jim Everson, president of the Canola Council of Canada (CCC). “The Canola Council has worked hard on this over the past… Read More