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 »
Category: Biofuels
City kids connect farmers to consumers in ‘Before the Plate’
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 »
Corn School: Ethanol powers the Honda Indy
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 »
Canadian government “closely monitoring” U.S. ethanol discussion
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 »
Would Canada challenge Ted Cruz’s plan to attach RINs to U.S. ethanol exports?
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 »
Milligan Biofuels enters receivership
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 »
Corn School: How much corn residue should you remove?
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 race is on — Jeff Leal talks ethanol, wages and election prospects
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 »
Canola Council welcomes continued access to EU biodiesel market
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 »
Canadian farm groups and ethanol producers very positive about Clean Fuel standard
The Canadian government has outlined its long-awaited Clean Fuel Standard (or CFS), which Environment Minister Catherine McKenna says will allow Canada to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 million tonnes annually by 2030. A key piece of the CFS is the carbon intensity requirement, which encompasses all facets of biofuel production, measuring carbon emissions… Read more »
More corn needed to meet Wynne government’s proposed new ethanol mandate
The demand side of the Ontario corn balance sheet is poised to grow with the provincial government proposing to double its ethanol mandate for gasoline from five percent to 10 percent by 2020. “We currently have the five percent mandate in place and it takes at least about a third of the corn production in… Read more »
GFO welcomes proposed increase to ethanol mandate in Ontario
Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) is welcoming the Ontario government’s proposal to increase its ethanol mandate in gasoline from 5 to 10 percent in 2020. The province’s environment ministry published draft amendments last week to update the renewable fuel regulations under the province’s Environmental Protection Act. “We are pleased to see the Ontario government committed… Read more »
Oilseed outlook: Chinese demand will continue to support soy price
China’s insatiable appetite for soybeans will continue to provide support for the oilseed crop through the next year. It will also be the catalyst for soybean acreage to surpass corn for the first time in 2018, says Bill Lapp, president of Advanced Economic Solutions. He shared his oilseed outlook during a panel discussion at the… Read more »
New Holland unveils ‘methane-powered’ concept tractor
In three years, farmers could be using methane produced on their farms to fuel New Holland methane-powered tractors. In the future, farms could be completely energy independent, producing all the fuel and energy required right on the farm. That’s the vision New Holland unveiled on the first day of the 2017 Farm Progress Show in… Read more »
Why the Canadian ethanol industry could be set to grow
In Canada we do not talk about biofuel production like they do in the United States. I attend many farmer meetings across the country and rarely do I hear talk on the agenda or in the hallways about ethanol or biodiesel production in Canada. In the U.S. ethanol production is a major user of the… Read more »