Fire up the corn planter, EPA opens ethanol floodgate
Article date: 5 Feb 2010
By Rita Jane Gabbett for meatingplace.com
President Obama on Wednesday announced a series of steps to enhance American energy independence, including an EPA final rule that will pave the way for more corn-based ethanol production.
EPA's final rule Renewable Fuel Standard mandates 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022, compared to last year's 11.1 billion gallons. The rule mandates that by 2022, advanced biofuels would account for 21 billion of the 36 billion gallons total, leaving 15 billion gallons available for biofuels such as corn-based ethanol.
According to the American Meat Institute, the EPA decision reverses previous EPA studies that found corn-based ethanol would fail to meet the 20 percent threshold in greenhouse gas reductions, due to land -use issues. This would have limited its future use as a renewable fuel.
"Based on what we know now, including indirect land use, there is no basis to exclude (corn-based) fuels," EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said at a news conference. She went on to explain that earlier EPA data has been updated with new yield information. Plus, indirect land -use modeling was broadened to include 120 nations from the initial 40 nations used to calculate land -use implications of corn-based ethanol production.
|
 |
12 Aug 2010
Australian Wheat Crops, Outlook Boosted By Seasonal Conditions
Favorable seasonal conditions continue to underpin upgrades of production estimates for Australian winter crops, with FO Licht raising its wheat production forecast to 22.5 million metric tons in the crop year that began April 1, from 21.9 million tons forecast in July.
7 Jul 2010
Global demand for lamb, sheep and goat meat rising
Worldwide demand for sheep meat --- lamb and mutton both --- is picking up steadily worldwide, along with demand for goat meat. That's good news for lamb producers in Australia and New Zealand, where production is down but prices are up.
30 Jun 2010
Australian Bureau: Pacific Cools More; La Nina Developing
Key indicators in the Pacific Ocean suggest a La Nina climate episode is developing, with such an event usually associated with above-average rainfall in Australia, the government's Bureau of Meteorology reported Tuesday.
2 Jun 2010
Foot-and-mouth disease restricts imports from Japan
The appearance of foot-and-mouth disease among cattle in Japan has prompted USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to restrict imports of Kobe beef from that country.
19 May 2010
Middle East eyes new sheep sources
Kuwait is looking for new sources for imports of sheep to make up for shortage of imports from Australia, the country's main long-time supplier.
27 Apr 2010
Economist predicts record beef prices
Beef prices could hit record highs this spring and summer, eclipsing the third quarter of 2008 when the average retail beef price hit a record $4.46 per pound, according to Purdue University Extension Economist Chris Hurt.
16 Mar 2010
EYCI Rise Continues
Grass fever seems to have hit the cattle market, with the EYCI gaining a further 4¢, or 1%, last week to close Monday at 350.75¢/kg dwt.
5 Feb 2010
Fire up the corn planter, EPA opens ethanol floodgate
President Obama on Wednesday announced a series of steps to enhance American energy independence, including an EPA final rule that will pave the way for more corn-based ethanol production
6 Jan 2010
Rain yet to register with markets
MLA's NLRS saleyard reporting has had a well earned break over the last two weeks as the regular livestock sales paused for the annual holiday period. As a result we are yet to see the impact of the rain in New South Wales and Queensland on the cattle market.
14 Dec 2009
Wool price outlook remains high: bank
Wool prices are expected to remain at their high levels in the medium term but any further price increases depend on the rate at which the world economy recovers, Rabobank says.
26 Oct 2009
Cattle prices will come back with economy
Beef and cattle prices are more directly impacted by changes in economic prospects than pork or poultry markets. Therefore, as the economy recovers so should beef and cattle prices, according to Purdue University Extension Economist Chris Hurt.
14 Oct 2009
NSW Wheat forecast cut by DPI
Dow Jones reported last night that NSW DPI winter cereals technical specialist Frank McRae is forecasting wheat production to be between 4 and 4.5 million tonnes, down from 6.5 predicted in late August
28 Sep 2009
Dairy cow cull swells to 226,000 this year
Cooperatives Working Together said its audits show a total of 225,783 dairy cows have been retired so far this year in an effort to address a supply-and-demand imbalance that has fueled a severe financial crisis in the dairy industry.
16 Sep 2009
EYCI on the slide
It was a cautious week in the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) markets last week as the price recovery continued slowly with little confidence that spring is going to deliver the required rain.
28 Aug 2009
Corn seen staying below $4 through 2014 — report
U.S. corn prices are expected to average $3.47 per bushel in the 2009/2010 marketing year beginning Sept. 1 then gradually increase annually to reach $3.98 by 2014/15, according to the University of Missouri.
|
