Growth Energy states the group has uncovered some documents that suggest the California Air Resources Board ignored some data and comments from its own consultants when the board wrote rules for a new low-carbon fuels standard.
Grim financials for dairy and pork producers are casting a pall over proceedings of the National Agricultural Bankers Conference in San Antonio, Texas, this week. Between sessions titled "Organizing for Loan Workouts," "Stress Testing Your Portfolio," "Farm Service Agency Guarantees--Are They Right for You?" and "Will Your Bank Survive?" many of the 225 farm lenders here seem deeply troubled by what they expect will be a wave of livestock industry failures over the next few months.
BP's CEO Tony Hayward said U.S. gasoline demand will never return to 2007's peak, the Wall Street Journal said, as greater use of biofuels and increased engine efficiency has slashed fossil fuel consumption.
Just because Ohio voters approved the creation of a board to set farm animal-care standards doesn't mean the battle is over, even in Ohio. To win future battles, the animal agriculture industry needs to come up with better arguments.
Mead, Neb.-based E3 Biofuels LLC is scheduled to hit the auction block on Dec. 11, according to Ethanol Producer Magazine, and will be sold on an "as-is" basis. E3 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late 2007 and began seeking investors after the plant struggled to get off the ground because of mechanical problems.
11/20 1:57PM In a quiet session, grain contracts closed mixed on a lack of fresh news. However, soybeans were once again the story with a higher close against pressure from outside markets.
Weather
Light Rain, Snow Early Next Week11/20 1:51PM We'll see a mix of light rain and snow move into the northern Midwest Monday and Tuesday as conditions turn less favorable for harvest progress during the next five days.
Crops
U.S. propane stockpiles are at about a 15-percent surplus, but farmers are finding propane in short supply in some areas of the country when they need it the most with their wet harvest. (Photo courtesy of GT Manufacturing)
Corn Drying Needs Boost Propane Demand
Shortages Due to Distribution Issues, Not Supply11/13 4:39PM Pipeline companies are struggling to keep pace with the high demand for propane to dry wetter-than-normal corn, resulting in shortages in some areas of the Midwest.
"Thinning left the ground open for weeds," explains Andy Andreasen. "But the cattle grazed the weeds along with volunteer grasses and helped us manage the understory. (DTN/Progressive Farmer image by Becky Mills)
Double Cropping With A Twist
Timber, Cattle Work Together 11/16 10:25AM Andy Andreasen already had planned to graze cattle under his pine trees after the trees were thinned in 2004. When a tornado from Hurricane Ivan thinned them again six months later, the plan became a necessity.
Mon Nov 16, 2009 09:52 AM CST Farmers would fare better under a climate bill that creates multiple opportunities for farmers and livestock producers to boost income rather than continuing to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to draft greenhouse-gas emission rules that provide no carbon offsets, a study concludes.
Mon Nov 16, 2009 09:44 AM CST The National Cattlemen's Beef Association has raised objections to an EPA study on dust, which could have implications for the ongoing debate over greenhouse gas regulations.
After months of losses, dairy and pork producers are living off their equity. Some will never recover even if prices rebound in 2010, cautions Bank of the West's Curt Covington. (DTN photo by Marcia Zarley Taylor)
Livestock Woes Raise Ag Bankers' Angst
Voluntary Livestock Liquidations on the Rise, Say Bankers11/17 11:48AM Dairy and pork producers have bled equity out of their herds and mortgaged a good portion of their assets. The price recovery in 2010 may come too late to restore some of the most leveraged operators to health, ag bankers warn.
Finished project: Here's the completed planning center. With a few pieces of steel, we've built a work desk that rolls to the site. (Progressive Farmer image by Rob Lagerstrom)
Mon Nov 16, 2009 10:48 AM CST Using solar and wind power to produce hydrogen, and using that hydrogen on the farm, eliminates the need to construct transmission lines to move power to other locations.
Fri Nov 6, 2009 01:43 PM CST Equipment mechanics say farmers can only keep on top of normal maintenance to prevent breakdowns in wet, muddy conditions. Machines will need a thorough servicing and checking for worn augers, threshing components and other systems at season's end.
Ag Policy
This map shows a sliding scale of income changes that would occur under an environment in which farmers and livestock producers have multiple carbon offsets or income options from climate legislation. Areas in green to blue show positive income impacts. Areas from white, orange and red show no positive gains or net income losses to agricultural producers. (Map courtesy of Bio-Based Energy Analysis Group, University of Tennessee)
Cap-and-Trade Can Boost Farms
Study Highlights Possible Income From Offsets, Bioenergy11/11 10:08AM Farmers would fare better under a climate bill that creates multiple opportunities for farmers to boost income rather than continuing to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to draft greenhouse-gas emission rules that provide no carbon offsets, a study concludes.
One of the first ethanol projects in Nebraska, KAAPA is located near Minden and is the largest farmer-owned ethanol plant in the state. (DTN Photo by Elaine Shein)
Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:04 AM CST Almost as soon as "The Omnivore's Delusion: Against the Agri-Intellectual" was posted on a website, the article circulated among farmers and foodies, giving food for thought to those who question the writings of author Michael Pollan.
Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:31 AM CST As harvest progresses, our Minnesota View From the Cab participant says fun has returned to the season. But our Illinois farmer still has a few more weeks of corn harvest ahead.
11/19 9:51AM The average corn basis was 1 cent weaker for the past week while the average soybean basis increased 2 cents. The national average SRW wheat basis was 1 cent firmer for the week as was the spring wheat basis while the average HRW wheat basis was unchanged.
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Fertilizer to be Made from Corn Residue
