The Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN) has released a series of internet-based videos on its new website to give viewers a chance to see modern livestock operations up close and personal in a way that most people never experience. The videos are also available on the group's new YouTube channel, which you can find here.
The videos cover a range of topics, including how farmers care for animals, how they protect the environment and steps they take to support their local communities.
"We believe it’s extremely important in this day and age that Nebraskans and others around the country have a true picture of how their food is produced and a chance to get to know the people that are producing it for them. These videos give people a chance to hear directly from Nebraska farmers who work everyday to provide the food and fiber that keeps Nebraska and America going," said Roger Berry, A-FAN Field Director, in a news release. "It's a chance for Nebraskans to get to know real Nebraska farm families."
The videos highlight livestock farmers involved in the Prairieland Dairy near Firth, Nebraska, and Ranchland Pork, LLC, near Osceola, Nebraska.
A-FAN produced these videos - and is working on more - to help reconnect the public with agriculture. This critical, as that connection that has been lost as fewer and fewer people live and work on a farm or have any direct ties to farming.
Here's a sample. Be sure to visit A-FAN's new website to see the rest.
January 29, 2009
January 28, 2009
Blender pump online in Grand Island
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A blender pump - which offers regular gas plus the ethanol blends E10, E20, E30 and E85 - is now in operation in Grand Island. It is the first blender pump in the state, according to this article from the Grand Island Independent.
You can find the blender pump at Bosselman's Pump & Pantry at Allen Drive and 13th Street (map).
"This store is our first attempt at a 'Going Green' concept," Chuck Bosselman, president of Bosselman Inc., told the newspaper. "We offer an expanded selection of ethanol products, which are cleaner burning and more environmentally friendly."
What allowed the company to put in a blender pump was its two underground storage tanks. One holds regular gas and the other holds 100 percent ethanol. The blender pump then blends the two based on what the customer selects.
Similar pumps have been used for several years in South Dakota, but they can also be found in Minnesota and Kansas.
It will be interesting to see how this concept develops over time. Will blender pumps become the new standard as ethanol production expands? It seems that something like that would have to happen - after all, when we begin reaching the upper reaches of the Renewable Fuels Standard, we'll be replacing a whole lot of regular gas with ethanol. By 2020, we're looking at more than 20 percent of our total fuel usage coming from ethanol.
Many are already looking at raising the standard E10 to a higher level - E12? E15 or all the way to E20?
For a map of all E85 stations in Nebraska, click here. It was put together by the Nebraska Corn Board.
You can find the blender pump at Bosselman's Pump & Pantry at Allen Drive and 13th Street (map).
"This store is our first attempt at a 'Going Green' concept," Chuck Bosselman, president of Bosselman Inc., told the newspaper. "We offer an expanded selection of ethanol products, which are cleaner burning and more environmentally friendly."
What allowed the company to put in a blender pump was its two underground storage tanks. One holds regular gas and the other holds 100 percent ethanol. The blender pump then blends the two based on what the customer selects.
Similar pumps have been used for several years in South Dakota, but they can also be found in Minnesota and Kansas.
It will be interesting to see how this concept develops over time. Will blender pumps become the new standard as ethanol production expands? It seems that something like that would have to happen - after all, when we begin reaching the upper reaches of the Renewable Fuels Standard, we'll be replacing a whole lot of regular gas with ethanol. By 2020, we're looking at more than 20 percent of our total fuel usage coming from ethanol.
Many are already looking at raising the standard E10 to a higher level - E12? E15 or all the way to E20?
For a map of all E85 stations in Nebraska, click here. It was put together by the Nebraska Corn Board.
January 27, 2009
Podcast: Corn growers more than met demand in 2008
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In this Podcast, Larry Mussack of Decatur talks about corn production over the last year - and how producers came through with the second-largest crop in history. Average yields were also the second-highest in history - despite all the weather problems during the spring and fall. Mussack is a member of the Nebraska Corn Growers Association.
January 25, 2009
Ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions, oil use
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The Nebraska Corn Board has distributed a news release about a study released by the University of Nebraska that shows advances in corn and ethanol production over the years have significantly improved the biofuel’s environmental performance and energy balance.
"It is just tremendous to have this peer-reviewed report back up what corn growers have been saying for some time. When examining ethanol production it is important to look at modern production practices for both growing corn and producing ethanol. You simply can’t look backwards," said Kelly Brunkhorst, ag program manager for the Nebraska Corn Board.
The report, available here for free and published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, shows that corn ethanol directly emits an average of 51 percent less greenhouse gas than gasoline. That is as much as three times the reduction reported in earlier research. The publication is one of the top peer-reviewed journals for research on lifecycle analysis.
"Moreover, if the goal is to reduce dependence on imported oil, we estimate that the typical corn-ethanol system produces 13 gallons of ethanol for every gallon of petroleum-based fuel used in the production life cycle for corn ethanol," said Ken Cassman, director of the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research and one of the report’s authors.
"Ethanol plants today don’t use near the amount of energy they did in the past. Many are also located in close proximity to livestock operations, which allows ethanol plants to reduce energy use even more by transporting wet distillers grains shorter distances than drying the corn co-product and shipping it further," Brunkhorst said.
As for corn production, crop genetics and agronomic management practices increase yields and the amount of corn produced versus the amount of fertilizer used. "Many more farmers today have also adopted conservation tillage practices that significantly reduce diesel fuel use by reducing the number of passes farmers make across the field each year," he said. "That too, is an important consideration when examining the efficiency of corn production and greenhouse gas reductions."
Some highlights of this study were initially highlighted by Cassman here.
"It is just tremendous to have this peer-reviewed report back up what corn growers have been saying for some time. When examining ethanol production it is important to look at modern production practices for both growing corn and producing ethanol. You simply can’t look backwards," said Kelly Brunkhorst, ag program manager for the Nebraska Corn Board.
The report, available here for free and published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, shows that corn ethanol directly emits an average of 51 percent less greenhouse gas than gasoline. That is as much as three times the reduction reported in earlier research. The publication is one of the top peer-reviewed journals for research on lifecycle analysis.
"Moreover, if the goal is to reduce dependence on imported oil, we estimate that the typical corn-ethanol system produces 13 gallons of ethanol for every gallon of petroleum-based fuel used in the production life cycle for corn ethanol," said Ken Cassman, director of the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research and one of the report’s authors.
"Ethanol plants today don’t use near the amount of energy they did in the past. Many are also located in close proximity to livestock operations, which allows ethanol plants to reduce energy use even more by transporting wet distillers grains shorter distances than drying the corn co-product and shipping it further," Brunkhorst said.
As for corn production, crop genetics and agronomic management practices increase yields and the amount of corn produced versus the amount of fertilizer used. "Many more farmers today have also adopted conservation tillage practices that significantly reduce diesel fuel use by reducing the number of passes farmers make across the field each year," he said. "That too, is an important consideration when examining the efficiency of corn production and greenhouse gas reductions."
Some highlights of this study were initially highlighted by Cassman here.
January 22, 2009
University report slams corn ethanol myths
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Here are some important conclusions from a peer-reviewed study released today by the University of Nebraska:
This is a tremendous peer-reviewed effort that quantifies the impact of improvements throughout the corn to ethanol production process, including crop production, biorefinery operations and co-product use. In other words, it uses modern data - not estimates from days gone by.
"Critics claim that corn ethanol has only a small net energy yield and little potential for direct reductions in GHG emissions compared to use of gasoline," said Ken Cassman, a University agronomist who was part of the research team. "This is the first peer-reviewed study to document that these claims are not correct."
Modern ethanol plants are simply more efficient and have less GHG emissions through the use of improved technologies. Many are also located near cattle feeding or dairy operations, which allows efficient use of the co-product distillers grains as cattle feed - eliminating transport and drying (drying can use up to 30 percent of total energy in the ethanol plant).
Another big change is simply how the crop is grown. Corn growers utilize improved crop and soil management, and have access to better hybrids that help them expand yield averages without increasing fertilizer or energy inputs. Conservation tillage, for example, reduces diesel fuel use and tractor trips, reducing GHG emissions during the production process.
For a university news release on the subject, click here.
- The ethanol industry is producing a fuel that is 48 to 59 percent lower in direct-effect lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than gasoline. That's two to three times the reduction reported in earlier studies that did not take into account recent advances in corn-ethanol production.
- The net energy ratio is 1.5-1.8 to 1. That means that for every unit of energy it takes to make ethanol, 1.5 to 1.8 units of energy are produced as ethanol. (These numbers were 1.2 to 1 in earlier studies.)
- Between 10 and 19 gallons of ethanol are produced for every gallon of petroleum used in the entire corn-ethanol production life cycle. Talk about a great way to reduce our dependence on imported oil!
This is a tremendous peer-reviewed effort that quantifies the impact of improvements throughout the corn to ethanol production process, including crop production, biorefinery operations and co-product use. In other words, it uses modern data - not estimates from days gone by.
"Critics claim that corn ethanol has only a small net energy yield and little potential for direct reductions in GHG emissions compared to use of gasoline," said Ken Cassman, a University agronomist who was part of the research team. "This is the first peer-reviewed study to document that these claims are not correct."
Modern ethanol plants are simply more efficient and have less GHG emissions through the use of improved technologies. Many are also located near cattle feeding or dairy operations, which allows efficient use of the co-product distillers grains as cattle feed - eliminating transport and drying (drying can use up to 30 percent of total energy in the ethanol plant).
Another big change is simply how the crop is grown. Corn growers utilize improved crop and soil management, and have access to better hybrids that help them expand yield averages without increasing fertilizer or energy inputs. Conservation tillage, for example, reduces diesel fuel use and tractor trips, reducing GHG emissions during the production process.
For a university news release on the subject, click here.
January 21, 2009
Podcast: Big Food continues to bash corn, ethanol
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In this Podcast, Steve Wiese of Wilber talks about how Big Food continues to bash corn and ethanol. Wiese is a member of the Nebraska Corn Growers Association.
Distillers grains a good supplement for stocker cattle
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Dr. Dale A. Blasi of Kansas State University recently spent a few minutes doing a Q/A with Cattlenetwork.com to talk about distillers grains and grazing stocker cattle.
You can find the full interview here.
Several good points are made, including the following:
Dr. Dale, let's look at the value of DDGS as a forage supplement to grazing stocker cattle. As forage quality changes throughout the grazing season, can DDGS continue to add anything to the mix? A: "Yes, the results of several grass-based trials conducted at Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas indicate that DDGS provides the necessary protein, energy and minerals to promote consistent increases in daily gain and final body weights. Nebraska researchers recently conducted a meta-analysis of several grazing trials involving a variety of grass types, cattle sizes and grazing duration and concluded that supplementing DDGS to cattle grazing pasture linearly increased final body weight (P<0.01).
An interesting aspect of these research results is the conservative estimate of 0.76 pound reduced forage intake per pound of DDGS dry matter supplemented. For example, assuming 16 pounds of dry-matter intake for control cattle, the savings would be 24 percent of grass with supplementation of 5 pounds of dry matter from DDGS. Said another way, there is more standing grass left at the end of a grazing season which allows the operator to stock heavier and effectively reduce grazing costs per given land area or safely achieve grazing performance targets in light of unpredictable forage growing conditions.”
Much more info is available from the Nebraska Corn Board - through its series of distillers grains manuals. For example, there is one on storing wet distillers grains. Plus there's the Utilization of Corn Co-Products in the Dairy Industry and an updated Utilization of Corn Co-Products in the Beef Industry. All are available here.
You can find the full interview here.
Several good points are made, including the following:
Dr. Dale, let's look at the value of DDGS as a forage supplement to grazing stocker cattle. As forage quality changes throughout the grazing season, can DDGS continue to add anything to the mix? A: "Yes, the results of several grass-based trials conducted at Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas indicate that DDGS provides the necessary protein, energy and minerals to promote consistent increases in daily gain and final body weights. Nebraska researchers recently conducted a meta-analysis of several grazing trials involving a variety of grass types, cattle sizes and grazing duration and concluded that supplementing DDGS to cattle grazing pasture linearly increased final body weight (P<0.01).
An interesting aspect of these research results is the conservative estimate of 0.76 pound reduced forage intake per pound of DDGS dry matter supplemented. For example, assuming 16 pounds of dry-matter intake for control cattle, the savings would be 24 percent of grass with supplementation of 5 pounds of dry matter from DDGS. Said another way, there is more standing grass left at the end of a grazing season which allows the operator to stock heavier and effectively reduce grazing costs per given land area or safely achieve grazing performance targets in light of unpredictable forage growing conditions.”
Much more info is available from the Nebraska Corn Board - through its series of distillers grains manuals. For example, there is one on storing wet distillers grains. Plus there's the Utilization of Corn Co-Products in the Dairy Industry and an updated Utilization of Corn Co-Products in the Beef Industry. All are available here.
January 20, 2009
One city's goal: 90 percent alternative fuel vehicles
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The city of Boulder, Colorado, has a plan, according to this article, that will result in nine out of 10 vehicles in the city's fleet running on some type of alternative fuel within a few years.
That's a pretty big change and a big push. What makes it possible is that more vehicles, including trucks, are being made that can use alternative fuels - like E85, the 85 percent ethanol/15 percent gasoline blend. That makes ethanol a big part of the city's plan.
Despite all the bashing of ethanol in the past year, the city's analysis points to the obvious: Ethanol is cleaner than the pure-petroleum alternative and it's infrastructure already exists.
That sounds like a bit of common sense in what can sometimes be crazy soundbites of half-truths.
Are there any city fleets in Nebraska converting to alternative fuels? Should there be, considering how much ethanol and biodiesel is produced locally?
That's a pretty big change and a big push. What makes it possible is that more vehicles, including trucks, are being made that can use alternative fuels - like E85, the 85 percent ethanol/15 percent gasoline blend. That makes ethanol a big part of the city's plan.
Despite all the bashing of ethanol in the past year, the city's analysis points to the obvious: Ethanol is cleaner than the pure-petroleum alternative and it's infrastructure already exists.
That sounds like a bit of common sense in what can sometimes be crazy soundbites of half-truths.
Are there any city fleets in Nebraska converting to alternative fuels? Should there be, considering how much ethanol and biodiesel is produced locally?
Get up to speed at technology conference
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The Nebraska Agricultural Technologies Association Conference is next week (Jan. 28-29) at the Midtown Holiday Inn in Grand Island. Click the link above for details.The conference includes a number of interesting and relevant topics: From YouTube to the new generation of cell phones and smart phones, from aerial imagery and GIS to smart soil sampling and electronic "eyes" to ID weeds, from groundwater and surface water interaction to crop canopy sensors.
Plus there's a trade show and farm program decision making workshops
Brandon Hunnicutt, president of the Nebraska Corn Growers, is also president of this group.
January 15, 2009
Cheap oil sends Chavez begging
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Okay, maybe Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez isn't begging, but the fact he's looking for money from western oil companies (after kicking them all in the teeth when he nationalized the country's oil production) is certainly interesting.
He needs cash to stay in power - and he knows it.
Check out all the details in this article from the New York Times.
Here's a paragraph from the article:
But the shift also shows how the global financial crisis is hampering Mr. Chávez’s ideological agenda and demanding his pragmatic side. At stake are no less than Venezuela’s economic stability and the sustainability of his rule. With oil prices so low, the longstanding problems plaguing Petróleos de Venezuela, the national oil company that helps keep the country afloat, have become much harder to ignore.
He needs cash to stay in power - and he knows it.
Check out all the details in this article from the New York Times.
Here's a paragraph from the article:
But the shift also shows how the global financial crisis is hampering Mr. Chávez’s ideological agenda and demanding his pragmatic side. At stake are no less than Venezuela’s economic stability and the sustainability of his rule. With oil prices so low, the longstanding problems plaguing Petróleos de Venezuela, the national oil company that helps keep the country afloat, have become much harder to ignore.
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