May Proclaimed as Renewable Fuels Month in Nebraska

Biofuels Improve Economic Activity, Environment and Human Health Across the State

Ethanol and soy biodiesel have become major markets for Nebraska corn and soybeans—and are providing significant economic, environmental and consumer benefits. In recognition of the importance of renewable biofuels to the state, Governor Pete Ricketts has proclaimed May as Renewable Fuels Month in Nebraska. 

Nebraska is the nation’s second largest ethanol producer, home to 25 ethanol plants with the capacity of more than two billion gallons of production. These plants, which employ more than 1,300 people, process more than 700 million bushels of corn a year into clean-burning ethanol as well as distillers grains, a high protein feed ingredient for livestock. Some Nebraska ethanol plants also produce carbon dioxide for bottling and food processing as well as corn oil for human food consumption.

Biodiesel production, which uses soybeans as a primary feedstock, is on the rise in Nebraska. A biodiesel plant in Beatrice is expected to begin commercial operation in 2016 with the capacity to produce 50 million gallons, requiring more than 33 million bushels of soybeans.

“Renewable biofuels have absolutely transformed the economic landscape in Nebraska,” said Ron Pavelka, a farmer from Glenvil and chairman of the Nebraska Soybean Board. “The additional demand for Nebraska commodities created by renewable fuels production has created a new market for farmers, generated significant investment and tax revenue in rural communities, and created good paying jobs in areas of the state that really need them.” 

“The growth of renewable biofuels has helped reduce our nation’s dependence on imported petroleum, reduced prices at the pump and provided greater choice for consumers,” said David Merrell, a farmer from St. Edward and chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board. “But perhaps the most important benefit of these fuels is their dramatically positive impact on the environment and on human health.”

For example, biodiesel reduces hydrocarbon emissions by 67 percent and reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by 86 percent compared to its petroleum based counterpart. The 2.1 billion gallons of biodiesel used in 2015 reduced the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by 18.2 million metric tons, the equivalent of removing 3.8 million cars from the road or planting 466 million trees.

Ethanol is a non-toxic, clean-burning fuel that dramatically reduces the level of toxics added to gasoline to increase octane, including proven and suspected carcinogens such as benzene, toluene and xylene. “Since these toxics do not completely combust in the engine, they enter the atmosphere through exhaust emissions and are directly connected to cancer, heart disease and asthma in humans,” Merrell added. “The more ethanol we add to gasoline, the lower the levels of these harmful toxics in the air we breathe.”


According to the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest, some 70 percent of harmful air pollution is attributable to mobile sources such as passenger vehicles, trucks, buses and construction equipment. “When consumers choose renewable biofuels at the pump, they are not only saving money and supporting a homegrown fuel, they are also making the choice for a better environment and cleaner, healthier air for their families,” Pavelka said.

2015 Corn and Soybean Checkoff Tour

The Nebraska Corn Board and the Nebraska Soybean Board are teaming up and hitting the road for their first ever Checkoff Tour. The tour, which will take place over the course of two days – January 6 and 8 – is meant to give producers and industry personnel the opportunity to learn more about how their checkoff programs are working to help increase yields and build demand.

During the meeting, representatives from both the Corn and Soybean Boards will give updates on how checkoff dollars are being invested in the areas of education, marketing and research. Producers and industry personnel are encouraged to attend this free event to learn more about the programs and initiatives of the corn and soybean checkoffs, ask questions and provide feedback.

Victor Bohuslavsky, executive director of the Nebraska Soybean Board, said these meetings offer valuable information for corn and soybean farmers. “One of the goals of these meetings is to give farmers the opportunity to learn more about the checkoffs firsthand. These meetings are an excellent opportunity to hear from your district checkoff representatives about your investments in research, marketing and promotional activities pertaining to the corn and soybeans you grow.”

The tour will include two stops each day, with one meeting over lunch and the other over dinner. Each two-hour meeting is free to all attendees and will include a meal, presentations and a question and answer session. The schedule and location for each meeting are as follows: 

Tuesday, January 6

• West Point:       11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Nielsen Community Center
• Mead:                 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the ARDC

Thursday, January 8

• Broken Bow:    11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the One Box Convention Center
• Minden:             5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the Minden Opera House

How to Register
If you are interested in attending one of the events, please RSVP by email or phone with your name and which location you plan on attending. To RSVP, simply send an email to RSVP@nebraskasoybeans.org or call (402) 480-4971. Registrations will be closed by noon on Friday, January 2.

“The Checkoff Tour is a great opportunity for the corn and soybean board to personally show producers the impact of their checkoff investment,” said Kelly Brunkhorst, executive director of the Nebraska Corn Board. “Their checkoff investment supports an entire portfolio of initiatives—each focused on adding value to every bushel produced in Nebraska.  We look forward to discussing these initiatives as well as answering any questions the producers have about their checkoffs.”

Gov. Heineman, Kenny Wallace and corn, soybean growers highlight ethanol, biodiesel

Gov. Heineman and Alan Tiemann with the proclamation.

In the midst of a NASCAR driver and corn and soybean growers, Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman proclaimed September Renewable Fuels Awareness Month at Husker Harvest Days yesterday.

He addressed the crowd and media, as did NASCAR Nationwide driver Kenny Wallace, Nebraska Corn Board chairman Alan Tiemann and Nebraska Soybean Board chairwoman Lisa Lunz.

The proclamation was coordinated through the Nebraska Corn Board and Nebraska Soybean Board, who said they hosted the event to recognize the contributions of Nebraska farmers and agribusinesses to the nation’s renewable fuel supply.

Lunz, Wallace, Gov. Heineman and Tiemann (at mic).

“Nebraska’s renewable fuels sector contributes to local communities by providing good paying jobs for thousands of Nebraskans,” said Heineman. “Renewable fuels are a critical component of becoming energy independent and by providing an alternative to imported oil. We are fortunate to have a strong biofuels industry with thousands of Nebraskans working to fuel America.”

One of Wallace’s sponsors this year is American Ethanol, which is supported in part by Nebraska farmers through the Nebraska Corn Board.

“I’ve been across the country meeting farmers and it is really exciting to see their commitment to ethanol and all renewable fuels,” Wallace said. “Biofuels bring so much good to rural communities and they keep more of our energy dollars in this country where they belong. I’m proud to promote ethanol and really appreciate knowing that there’s ethanol in every tank when we’re on the track each week.”

Wallace addressing the crowd.

In a Grand Island Independent article, Wallace said, "Biofuels bring so much good to rural communities, and they keep more of our energy dollars in this country where they belong. I'm proud to promote ethanol and really appreciate knowing that there's ethanol in every tank when we're on the track each week."

NASCAR switched to Sunoco Green E15, a 15 percent ethanol fuel, for races beginning this year.

“Across the country ethanol provides more than $3 billion in local, state and federal tax revenues and provides thousands of jobs, including more than 2,000 in small-town Nebraska,” said Tiemann, a farmer from Seward. “At the same time, ethanol plants produce millions of tons of the livestock feed distillers grains, which are widely used not only in the United States but around the world.”

Tiemann noted that ethanol production across the country is at an all time high and surpassed 13.2 billion gallons last year.

Wallace signing autographs.

Lunz, a farmer from Wakefield, Neb., said soy biodiesel is seeing new and exciting uses across the country, including in BioHeat, a heating oil blended with biodiesel used to heat millions of homes and businesses, primarily in the Northeast.

“The increased industrial demand of soybean oil for biodiesel, including for BioHeat, ultimately increases the supply of the feed ingredient soybean meal. That’s good for livestock producers right here in Nebraska,” she said. “We thank the Governor for his support of Renewable Fuels and Nebraska agriculture and we know that by working together, the future looks brighter, cleaner and greener for Nebraskans.”

While at Husker Harvest Days, Wallace took time to sign autographs and pose for photos with fans.

Below is the video from NTV, but for additional reports on the event, go to Nebraska Farmer, KHAS-TV and Nebraska Central News (10/11).

Food Systems Round-Table connects farm to fork

This week, the Nebraska Soybean Board hosted the annual Food System Round-Table event to bring everyone that deals with food to the table – literally! – to talk about food.

Part of the day featured a food panel discussion including a food blogger, a CommonGround farmer volunteer, a registered dietician and an ag promotion coordinator for the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

The food blogger was Ann Huddleston of Healthy, Tasty Chow (www.healthytastychow.com) who blogs from Elkhorn, Neb. Her perspective as a person outside of agriculture to a group of ag folks was very interesting – offending at times – but something we need in agriculture need to hear.

The CommonGround volunteer was Joan Ruskamp or Dodge, Neb. She is a self-proclaimed city girl converted to farm life. Joan and her family own and operate a feedlot, grow corn, soybeans and alfalfa and is very involved in her community, especially with five kids.

The registered dietician was Kelli Kennel from Hy-Vee grocery stores. Kelli grew up on a farm, but considers herself far from it. She specializes in helping customers make healthy food choices.

The remaining panelist was Casey Foster, ag promotion coordinator for the Nebraska Department of Agriculture who works closely on opening new markets for value-added ag products, like expanding the farmers market program in the state.

The conversation started with the question, “When it comes to food, what kind of things interest you in terms of issues surrounding food?”

Joan – “The biggest issue is misunderstanding of the general consumer. We {farmers} take it seriously that we’re producing food. We know we’re producing food and we want to be really good at it! I’m a consumer too and even though we have a feedlot of cattle outside of our home, I buy my beef from the grocery store. Our food system is safe and I trust it to feed my family.”

Kelli – “It’s important to make food enjoyable and healthy in your lifestyle. Consumers want the quick fix when it comes to healthy eating. I tell them the best fix is the good, old fashioned way with diet and exercise being the key, which surprises most people.”

Ann – “The most important aspect for my choice as a consumer for food is convenience that is healthy. I am more interested in how food is produced - any type of food production is interesting to me. I visited an egg farm in Arizona and didn’t mind it because it was really clean. Yeah, I wished their cages could have been bigger, but the cleanliness surprised me and I have a better trust in it. Another issue is taste for me. I will buy something over another because I like the taste – I buy grass-fed beef because I prefer the taste, not because of the production method.”

“How can we help you become more comfortable with modern agriculture?”

Ann – “I have never met a bad farmer. I get my information for my food blog from everywhere. If I don’t know if the source is credible, I will still use it, but take it with a grain of salt. I am always looking for a credible third-party researcher – not one out there with a profit affiliation.”

Joan – “As a farmer, I am using video. I want to show everyone out there what I’m doing on my farm and try to better explain it so they can “see” it for themselves.”

Casey – “We use surveys to see how people can become more comfortable with modern agriculture. With the farmers market program, a major factor of healthy food and trust is the produce that you buy. Finding wholesome, locally grown food ranks high on people’s list.”

Ann, the food blogger, also gave some intriguing insight to her consumer choices and why she does what she does. When it comes to buying natural, Ann buys as natural as she can, if it is affordable. “I will go all over the place to find the best food!”

Thanks to the Nebraska Soybean Board for putting this round-table event together to gain more insight on how consumers make decisions and how we in agriculture can help them make those decisions in an educated way.

Trade delegation signs deal in Taiwan for Nebraska crops

Nebraska Corn Board chairman Alan Tiemann, a farmer from Seward, is in Taiwan this week as part of a trade delegation.

The trade delegation and their Taiwanese counterparts.
(Alan Tiemann is seated on the right.) Click to enlarge.

Today, an announcement from Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman said the team had inked a deal with Taiwanese representatives for an estimated $436 million to $516 million in future sales of Nebraska crops to the country. The agreement pledges the future purchase of 800,000 to 1 million metric tons of corn, valued at $176 million to $220 million; 300,000-320,000 metric tons of soybeans, valued at $120 million to $128 million; and 500,000-600,000 metric tons of wheat, valued at $140 million to $168 million.

The agreement was signed by Tiemann; Dennis Fujan, vice-chairman of the Nebraska Soybean Board; Dan Hughes, past chairman of the Nebraska Wheat Board; and witnessed by Nebraska Agriculture Director Greg Ibach, who is leading the delegation.

Taiwanese representatives included indiviuals from the Taiwan Feed Industry Association, Taiwan Vegetable Oil Manufacturers’ Association and Taiwan Flour Mills Association. The agreement pledges to purchase crops through negotiations between importers and private suppliers over the next two years.

The nine-member trade delegation is exploring opportunities for agricultural exports in Taiwan and Hong Kong during the trade mission. While in Hong, the delegation will also promote Nebraska beef.

September proclaimed Renewable Fuels Month in Nebraska

At Husker Harvest Days today, Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman (center in the photo) signed a declaration proclaiming September as Renewable Fuels Awareness Month in Nebraska.

The Nebraska Corn Board and Nebraska Soybean Board hosted the event at HHD to recognize the contributions of Nebraska farmers and agribusinesses to the nation’s biofuel industry.

“The renewable fuels sector has been a tremendous asset in furthering economic development, particularly in our rural communities,” Heineman said. “This industry has added strength to our agriculture industry, created job and education opportunities for our residents, and brought new investment to our rural areas. Nebraska’s role as a major producer of biofuels is also helping American drivers reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”

In a Q/A afterward, Heineman was asked about the corn ethanol industry and some of the bumps in the road that sector has seen in the past year.

"Corn based ethanol is going to be the future of ethanol for a long period of time," Heineman answered. He added that we need to remember the $4 gasoline of last year and the importance of reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

In a news release, The Nebraska Corn Board and Nebraska Soybean Board noted that the proclamation is a reminder of the importance Nebraska plays in the renewable fuels sector, both as a production center and broad adopter of renewable fuels.

“Nebraska is the second-largest ethanol producing state in the country, which means we’re helping fuel the country with a renewable, clean burning fuel. At the same time, those ethanol facilities are producing a high-quality feed for our livestock industry, further adding to the benefits of corn ethanol production," said Seward farmer Alan Tiemann, chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board (left in the photo).

Tiemann added that ethanol production across the country is at an all time high and headed toward 10.5 billion gallons by year-end.

Weston farmer Gregg Fujan, chairman of the Nebraska Soybean Board (right in the photo), noted that as farmers head out to harvest bumper crops this year, many will be fueling their equipment with soy biodiesel and vehicles with ethanol – so it makes sense for corn and soybean farmers to work together for Renewable Fuels Awareness Month.

“The soybean checkoff has invested more than $60 million into the research, development and promotion of soy biodiesel fuel over the past 12 years. This commitment has created one of the fastest growing alternative fuels in the country today and has created opportunities for a new industry right here in Nebraska,” Fujan said. “Because biodiesel is only made from the oil portion of the bean, soy biodiesel production and use continues the reliable and consistent supply of soybean meal that livestock producers depend on.”

A good crowd turned out to hear Governor Heineman talk about the importance of ethanol and soy biodiesel to Nebraska. (Click photo for a larger image.)

Soy grower: It's time to expose HSUS

Brownfield has a good story and interview that reports Debbie Borg, president of the Nebraska Soybean Association, as saying it is time to fight fire with fire in dealing with the Humane Society of the United States and other animal rights groups.

Borg has been asked by the American Soybean Association to coordinate the group's efforts to battle the animal rights movement, Brownfield reports - with Borg saying it is time to expose HSUS for what it really is.

"Their goal, and all their documents tell us, that they are out to eliminate animal agriculture," said Borg. "That means that they want us to be a vegan society - no leather shoes, no leather boots and, obviously, no steaks on the table."

Borg believes a high percentage of those who contribute to HSUS have no idea their dollars are being used to attack animal agriculture.

For the full report and audio, click here.