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Farmers Take Another Blow with Tax Statements
Mon Feb 8, 2010 02:48 PM CST
Minnesota farmers received some unwelcome news with their 2010 property tax statements -- increases from 20 percent to even 100 percent in some cases, the Monticello Times reported recently. A perfect storm of factors came together to cause these large increases, said John Hagen, assistant director in tax revenue for the Minnesota Department of Revenue.
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Morgan County Farmer Says Federal Aid is Needed
Mon Feb 8, 2010 02:47 PM CST
After a wet harvest, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen is requesting Morgan and Fentress counties in eastern Tennessee be named federal natural disaster areas, WATE-TV Channel 6 reported on Sunday. Phil Mehlhorn, a cattle farmer from Wartburg, said he has had one tough year.
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Hope Returns After Year of Steep U.S. Dairy Losses
Mon Feb 8, 2010 02:47 PM CST
With milk prices improving, dairy farmers say they will be able to reverse the trend of slaughtering milk cows to solve a milk glut and will produce as much milk as possible this year, according to the Associated Press.
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China Seizes More Melamine-Tainted Milk Powder
Mon Feb 8, 2010 02:46 PM CST
The efforts of Chinese officials to find contaminated milk have resulted in a number of dairy firms shut down and at least 72 metric tons of melamine-tainted milk powder being seized, Reuters reported.
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ICM Takes on Management of N.D. Ethanol Plant
Mon Feb 8, 2010 02:45 PM CST
ICM Inc. will be providing plant management services at a North Dakota plant where the company has been completing a retrofit, reported Ethanol Producer Magazine. ICM Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of the company, will manage the day-to-day operations and activities of the 110-million-gallon plant near Casselton, N.D.
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Applied Process Tech Buys Delta-T
Mon Feb 8, 2010 02:44 PM CST
Applied Process Technology International LLC, a subsidiary of Bateman Litwin N.V., purchased the assets of ethanol-technology company Delta-T Corp. for the minimum bid of $2.2 million at a recent auction, Ethanol Producer Magazine reported.
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Nebraska Ethanol Plant to Open
Fri Feb 5, 2010 01:58 PM CST
The new owners of the ethanol plant in Cambridge, Neb., re-opened the plant Feb. 2, though production is not expected to begin for another month, the McCook Gazette reported. Eric Meeuwsen said his family will operate the plant as Nebraska Corn Processing LLC.
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Distillers Grains Exports Exploded Last Year
Fri Feb 5, 2010 01:57 PM CST
During 2009's volatile year for ethanol plants, distillers grains acted as safety valve when ethanol producers spent nearly the first six months of the year battling red ink, the Des Moines Register reported.
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Large Surplus, Small Prices Hurt Farmers
Fri Feb 5, 2010 01:57 PM CST
Illinois farmers are feeling the effects of the decline in prices of corn and soybeans, the Daily Illini reported on Thursday. The Jan. 12 USDA report showed a larger supply of corn and soybeans than expected, so the returns on the two crops will likely be lower the rest of 2010, said Ken Dalenberg, a farmer from Mansfield, Ill.
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California Turbines Frozen in Minnesota Wind
Fri Feb 5, 2010 01:56 PM CST
Eleven refurbished wind turbines originally from California that were erected last fall in and around Minnesota's Twin Cities have been largely motionless, apparently paralyzed by Minnesota's frigid winter weather, the Minneapolis-St.
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Iowa House Subcommittee Approves Biodiesel Mandate
Fri Feb 5, 2010 01:55 PM CST
An Iowa House of Representatives subcommittee approved a bill that would require all diesel fuel sold in Iowa contain 5 percent biodiesel, reported the Des Moines Register, moving the bill to the full Iowa House Ways and Means Committee.
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Senator Withdraws Maine Bill to Require No-Ethanol Gasoline
Fri Feb 5, 2010 01:54 PM CST
Maine Sen. Lisa Marrache has withdrawn a proposed bill to require stations to offer no-ethanol gasoline blends, Bloomberg Business Week reported, claiming that she had no other choice because federal law requires the use of a minimum amount of ethanol in all gasoline.
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Abilene Gets Nearly Inch of Rain; Area Farmers Loving It
Thu Feb 4, 2010 02:13 PM CST
Recent slow, steady rains without the flooding problems heavier rains cause in the Abilene, Texas, area is good news for the region's farmers, the Abilene Reporter News reported on Thursday. Abilene Regional Airport received 0.86 inch of rain Wednesday with Snyder reporting 1.35 inches, Big Springs with 1.14 inches and San Angelo with a record 1.39 inches.
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Minnesota State Vehicles Expand E85 Use
Thu Feb 4, 2010 02:12 PM CST
Minnesota's state agencies used about 25 percent more E85 in state vehicles in 2009 compared to 2008, according to PR Newswire. In 2009, state agencies used 816,568 gallons of E85, up from 650,036 gallons in 2008.
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Ethanol Plant Votes to Go Private
Thu Feb 4, 2010 02:12 PM CST
Stockholders of United Wisconsin Grain Producers in Friesland, Wis., voted to take the company private, the Beaver Dam (Wis.) Daily Citizen reported, as a way to save the company about $250,000 a year.
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Agriculture Prediction Alarming for Producers
Thu Feb 4, 2010 02:11 PM CST
Alberta Agriculture and Development officials are warning agricultural producers to expect lower yields and delayed grazing as a severe drought is predicted to extend through the upcoming growing season, the Wetaskiwin Times reported on Wednesday.
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Building Relationships Helpful in Land-Rental Negotiations
Wed Feb 3, 2010 02:24 PM CST
When figuring out a land-rental agreement the relationship between the land owner and renter is just as important as the price, the Minnesota Farm Guide reported on Thursday. Willie Huot, North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension agent for Grand Forks County, said the first question farmers need to ask themselves is how much is too much for rent.
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House ag Chairman Backs Bid to Block EPA GHG Regs
Wed Feb 3, 2010 02:24 PM CST
A trio of House lawmakers led by Agriculture Chairman Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., introduced a bill Tuesday to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gases, the New York Times reported.
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Algenol Vote Sets Lee County, Fla., on New Path
Wed Feb 3, 2010 02:23 PM CST
The Lee County, Fla., Commission approved a contract with Algenol Biofuels Inc. Tuesday that will provide about $10 in incentives for the company to relocate its corporate headquarters and laboratory to the county, the Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press reported.
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Agronomist: Panhandle Wheat Growers Always Like a Good Snow
Wed Feb 3, 2010 02:21 PM CST
The worst winter storm in 10 years was bad for Texas Panhandle drivers but it was good news for wheat growers, the High Plains Observer reported on Tuesday. The blizzard brought with it from 10 to 12 inches of snow in some areas with some areas receiving less snow but they also got some rain before the snow came.
