Tuesday January 18 Ag News

Valuing manure as a seller or a buyer
Leslie Johnson, Animal Manure Management Extension Educator, Nebraska Extension
 
When talking about manure's value, one needs to think about a variety of factors. Most folks think of fertilizer nutrients as manure’s primary value or MVP, but it takes more than one or two star players to make a great team. As such, manure wouldn't be as great as it is without other characteristics like the added organic matter that you get when applying manure, or the microbial community that is added to your field with that application. The value of manure depends not only on the nutrient concentration in the manure, but also what the next crop requires, the condition of the soil, and whether or not commercial fertilizer will be used to supplement manure and make up for nutrient imbalances that often occur.
 
If you really don't need something, just how valuable is it? If you've got a really great team already, are you willing to pay a lot of money to transfer in a star player? To turn that around, if your soils are needing nutrients and could use some additional organic matter or microbial life, would you still sell the manure that could help you build that soil back up? It’s for this very reason that manure value changes for every field that it is applied to.
 
Nutrient value and the ability to offset commercial nutrient costs is relatively easy to put a dollar value on, but some of manure's valuable assets that aren't so easy to put a number on. Many people think of manure as a water quality problem, but because of its ability to improve water infiltration and holding capacity by increasing soil health, it can actually decrease risk of water quality impairment. Fields that have been receiving manure tend to have better infiltration rates and hold more water during a precipitation event, thereby decreasing runoff as compared to those fields that didn't receive manure. Additionally, fields that haven't received manure for several years - think 5-10 years - often notice a yield bump over fields that didn't receive manure. While the reason behind this effect is not well understood, many believe it is due to the microbial community that is introduced with the manure.
 
Another value that certainly can't be overlooked this year with fertilizer prices and availability so unfavorable is the fact that manure is most often a local nutrient that doesn't need to be hauled in on ships, trains and trucks over long distances from other locations. Over the years, local farmers probably applied nutrients to crops that were used to feed area livestock that then produce manure. The manure can and should be recycled back onto fields that will grow more feed for those animals creating a circular economy.
 
Of course, not all manure is created equal. Different animals eat different feeds in different proportions and therefore, they produce manures with different compositions of nutrients and consistencies. The only way to really know the nutrient content of the manure and whether the nutrients are balanced for what your crop needs, is to sample that manure and send to a lab for analysis. When talking about manure nutrients, we often focus mainly on nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), but other nutrients that plants need are also found in manures. Secondary nutrients like sulfur (S) and micronutrients like zinc (Zn) are good examples. When these nutrients are needed, they boost manure value because they help offset additional commercial fertilizer costs.
 
Nebraska Extension offers a Manure Value Calculator that is available to calculate the dollar value of manure nutrients. It’s currently available at go.unl.edu/manurevalue. The calculator is an Excel tool that helps determine the value of the manure nutrients and a potential yield increase. To use the calculator for your manure, you need to gather the following information:
-    soil and manure information including an analysis for each,
-    next year’s cropping plan including nutrient recommendations and how you plan on applying the manure, and
-    current fertilizer prices for N, P, K, S and Zn.

The tool can be used to determine a hypothetical value for manure you plan to sell by using estimated soil values, or it can be used to compare manure from different sources to determine which is the most economical for your field. For the latter situation where you are purchasing manure or paying someone for the application, you will also need this cost to input into the spreadsheet. Remember though, when determining a value for selling manure, buyers will need to factor in transport and application costs, so don’t set your price too high!
 
There are other manure value calculators out there. University of Minnesota has an online one and I’m sure there are others. There might even be an app for that. No matter what tool you us, whether you’re buying or selling manure, remember that there’s more benefit to using manure than just the nutrient value. It’s just harder to put a real dollar value on some of those things.



NEBRASKA STUDY FINDS CLIMATE, FIELD MANAGEMENT KEY TO INCREASED CROP YIELDS

A multi-year analysis of Nebraska corn production by researchers in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources sheds new light on crop yield improvement and demonstrates the value of the university’s partnership with Nebraska ag producers and natural resources districts.

Plant genetics previously has received the most attention as a factor for improving crop yields. The new IANR analysis, which studied data for 3,000 irrigated fields in three Nebraska regions over a 15-year period, showed that climate and field management, rather than genetics, had far greater influence on increased crop productivity.

The findings indicate the need for a more balanced approach in the study of crop-yield factors by university and private-sector researchers, to provide proper consideration for climate trends and management practices, said Patricio Grassini, associate professor of agronomy and horticulture and one of the study’s six co-authors. That broader research approach can provide greater opportunities to boost crop yields and meet the growing global food demand.

The 15-year climate trend for the Nebraska cornfields included in the study accounted for 48% of the yield gain, IANR researchers found, while 39% stemmed from agronomic practices such as increased seeding rates and nutrient inputs and a shift toward corn-soybean rotations rather than continuous corn. Genetic factors accounted for only 13% of yield gains.

The partnership with Nebraska producers and natural resources districts, or NRDs, was vital in enabling IANR to use innovative analysis that identified the contributions to crop yield gains from individual factors such as climate, crop and soil management, and genetic improvement embodied in new hybrids. Such advanced analysis was made possible, Grassini said, by the combination of farmers’ well-managed, high-yield irrigated production plus the thoroughness and detail of the NRD data between 2004 and 2018.

The participating NRDs were the Lower Niobrara, headquartered in Butte; Tri-Basin, headquartered in Holdrege; and Upper Big Blue, headquartered in York. Together, the three districts provided a range of climate and soil conditions important to the study.

The NRDs’ partnership with IANR has shown farmers the practical value of the comprehensive data they provide regarding crop yields, seeding rates, nutrient application and other factors, said John Thorburn, general manager for Tri-Basin NRD. His NRD, he said, “has been collecting data from farmers for decades as part of our water quality program, but it’s been only in the last decade, in working with people like Patricio Grassini and Ken Cassman, that we’ve been able to show the tangible benefits to farmers.”

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is publishing the study, which is a collaboration between the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture and the Department of Statistics. Gonzalo Rizzo, a doctoral student in agronomy and horticulture supported by the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, is the study’s lead author. Co-authors are Grassini; Fatima Tenorio, postdoctoral research associate in agronomy and horticulture; Juan Pablo Monzon, research assistant professor in agronomy and horticulture; Réka Howard, assistant professor in the Department of Statistics; and Kenneth Cassman, professor emeritus of agronomy and horticulture.

The IANR study provides a better understanding not only of Nebraska agriculture, but of challenges to be addressed globally if crop yields on existing farmland are to increase to meet the major growth in worldwide food demand expected in coming decades. Nebraska agriculture, Grassini said, provides a useful model for identifying challenges to boosting crop yields globally, as the study illustrates.

“When you look at the average yield of corn and soybeans in the state, they are among the highest in the world,” he said. “I believe Nebraska gives a snapshot of how agriculture in much of the world will look 50 years or so down the road. Trying to anticipate the problems will be a major task in the future. Our work in Nebraska anticipates global problems that will appear 50 years or so down the road.”



LEGUME FROST SEEDING IN PASTURES
– Brad Schick, NE Extension Educator
 
Are you looking to increase production from pastures or hay fields? Interseeding legumes might just work in your operation.
 
Nitrogen is one of the key ingredients for productive pastures. A way to get more nitrogen in a pasture is to plant legumes. Alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, clovers, and other legumes all fix atmospheric nitrogen and can reduce nitrogen costs. These legumes are also very high in forage quality.
 
Not all pastures are good candidates for adding legumes, however. First, legumes need adequate phosphorus and a pH usually above 6 while some prefer a pH closer to 7. Next, good seed placement is needed. When interseeding with a no-till drill is not an option due to frozen ground or topography, frost seeding is an option to consider. Frost seeding uses broadcasting seed in winter to allow the natural freezing and thawing of the ground to plant the seed for you, resulting in good seed to soil contact. Frost seeding success can vary and while more invasive, drilling is almost always a better option if the pasture would allow it. Because frost seeding requires seed to be close to the soil surface after broadcasting, snow-free or very little snow is preferred.
 
Lastly, heavy flash grazing several times in the spring will reduce the competition from existing grasses and help promote the legume seedlings. Once the grass is 3 to 4 inches taller than the seedlings, graze quickly until the grasses are grazed down to the height of the legume seedlings.
 
Legumes can help reduce fertilizer cost and create higher quality pastures and hay. Frost seeding is an economical approach that might work to establish legumes in your operation.



Extension to host financial record-keeping course for farmers and ranchers

The next session of “Know Your Numbers, Know Your Options,” Nebraska Extension’s four-part record-keeping course, will be held virtually from 1 to 3 p.m. Central time on Feb. 1, 8, 15, and 22.

Participants should plan on attending each of the four workshop dates. The course requires participants to have an internet connection.

This course is designed to help farmers and ranchers understand their current financial position and how big decisions like large purchases, new leases or changes in production will affect their bottom line. Participants will work through the financial statements of a case study farm, watching pre-recorded videos, completing assignments and participating in video chats. Upon completion of this program, participants will have a better understanding of how financial records can be used to make decisions and confidently discuss their financial position with their family, business partners, and lenders.

The course fee is $20 per participant and class size is limited to 20 people. Register online at https://wia.unl.edu/know.  Registration closes Jan. 25.

This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2020-70028-32728.



 2022 Local Food & Farm Conference set for Feb. 4-5

The Nebraska Local Food and Farm Conference is coming up Feb. 4-5. The conference will feature a hybrid virtual and in-person format. In-person events will take place in Aurora.

The conference is a dynamic collaboration combining the Regional Food Systems Annual Summit with the Specialty Crops Conference and Trade Show and the Sustainable Agriculture Conference into two full days of educational sessions, farmer forums, roundtable conversations, and keynote addresses.

The conference includes a full day of virtual sessions on Feb. 4, and will be in-person Feb. 5 at The Leadership Center in Aurora. Guests may also join an in-person watch party for the Friday sessions at the Leadership Center, followed by a roundtable conversation with keynote speaker and author, Bob Quinn. Visit the Registration Page at http://go.unl.edu/foodfarm2022 learn more and register.  

Conference organizers are committed to making the Local Food and Farm Conference affordable and accessible for all to participate. Scholarships are available for those who need financial assistance. To inquire about scholarship eligibility, email programcoordinator@sustainablenebraska.org.

More details are available at http://go.unl.edu/foodfarm2022.



NRD Legislative Conference Recognizes 50 Years of Natural Resources Policy

Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts will host their annual Legislative Conference to highlight partnerships and recognize 50 years of natural resources policy at the Lincoln Embassy Suites Jan. 25-26, 2022.

The two-day conference brings together Natural Resources Districts (NRDs), elected officials and public-private partners integrally involved in conservation, technology and policymaking. The conference also provides attendees an opportunity to learn how Nebraska’s NRDs work with ag producers, state and federal agencies, and members of the public to protect Nebraska’s natural resources.

Gov. Pete Ricketts will open the conference at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25, followed by the general session presented by HDR Vice President and Water Resources Engineer John Engel, who will provide an update on the Statewide Tourism and Recreational Water Access and Resources Sustainability (STARWARS) Committee. The special committee of the legislature has been identifying geographic areas around the state for potential projects including, but not limited to, economic development, tourism and recreation, flood control, and water sustainability. Those recommendations are included in Sen. Mike Hilgers’ legislative bill 1014e: appropriate federal funds allocated to the State of Nebraska pursuant to the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Following the general session, there will be a focused discussion of proposed legislation of interest to the NRDs. During the evening Senators Reception, NRD leaders will meet with state senators to discuss legislation, natural resources challenges and successes in the districts.

The conference continues Wednesday, Jan. 26, with breakout sessions for attendees, including:
    Let’s Talk About Nitrogen: Culture, Impacts and Economics
    Tools Used in the Evaluation of Potential Flood Mitigation Projects for the Lower Platte River Corridor
    PrairieFood, Micro-Carbons and Soil Health
    The Groundwater Evaluation Toolbox – The First Three Years
    Core Values & Connections
    Nitrate in Drinking Water and a Bit About Emerging Contaminants, too
    The Value of Data in Engineering Design

The Nebraska Association of Natural Resources Districts hosts the conference with a range of local and national sponsors including the Eastern Nebraska Water Resources Assessment (ENWRA), FYRA Engineering, HDR, JEO Consulting Group, Olsson, Soil and Water Conservation Society - Nebraska Chapter, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute and the Nebraska Water Center. Online registration and a detailed agenda are available on the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts’ website (www.nrdnet.org).

Throughout 2022, the NRDs will commemorate breakthroughs and achievements in conservation these past 50 years. To join in the anniversary celebration and follow the Natural Resources Districts’ special activities throughout 2022, visit nrdnet.org and follow #Since1972 on social media.



The Contribution of Heifer's Placed in Feedlots Towards Estimated National Herd Contraction
Elliott Dennis, Extension Livestock Economist, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Beef cow herds generally consist of four types of cattle: bulls, cows, both bred and development heifers, and feeder cattle. Producers use bulls, cows, and heifers to make feeder cattle. Heifers are either retained from the producers' feeder cattle or are purchased from heifer development programs to replace cows as they move beyond their reproductive life. A beef cow herd grows, both individually and nationally, when the number of cows and heifers is larger this year than the previous year. This signals to the market that more feeder cattle are expected to be delivered to the market in the coming year. Herd contraction is when the number of cows and heifers is smaller this year than the previous year. This signals to the market that fewer feeder cattle are expected to be delivered to the market in the coming year.

A significant amount of attention has been given to the accelerated pace of cow slaughter in the United States, and rightfully so. The pace of beef cow slaughter in 2021 finished with approximately 10% more beef cows harvested in 2021 than in 2020 and 12% more than in 2019. This is the most aggressive year-over-year beef cow slaughter since 2016. This accelerated slaughter has been helped by larger consumer incomes from personal savings, government transfers, and assistance programs. This combined with consumer expectations of supply shortages and higher beef prices has increased beef demand. Higher consumer demand is passed down the beef complex through prices. One impact of this demand shift has been atypically high prices for cull cows during the third and fourth quarters. Seasonally this is when many cows enter the market from pregnancy checking and producers choosing not to rebreed or retain open cows or heifers through the winter. With high feed prices for most feeds, helped of course by 2021 crop production and drought, the decision to take higher feed prices was likely much easier than in previous years. All of this is well known and documented by the industry.

The number of heifers retained in beef cow herds, and thus their impact on herd contraction has been relatively ignored. Each quarter, in addition to their monthly cattle on feed report, USDA-NASS releases the total number of cattle, steers, and heifers on feed for approximately 13 states. This data suggests that heifer placements into feedlots, as a percentage of total cattle on feed, have been increasing. Some of this is the natural cattle cycle occurring. During periods of contraction, heifer replacement is high and during periods of herd rebuilding, it is low.

But has the drought accelerated heifer placements into feedlots or have producers been trying to capture short-term profits from stronger fed and feeder cattle prices? One way to look at this is to examine the heifer placement rates by the severity of the drought that region experienced. There does not appear to be any direct evidence to suggest that there have been large increases in the number of heifers placed in feedlots due to a worsening drought. The exception to this would be Washington state which saw both worsening drought conditions and a significant increase in the number of heifers placed on feed. All other states saw moderate increases in the percent of cattle on feed that were heifers (~ 2%) and varying drought conditions. This suggests that while the drought may have accelerated the timing of the placements into feedlots, it does not appear that it has affected the proportion of heifers entering feedlots.

So what do the combined effect of accelerated beef cow harvest and heifer feedlot placements mean for herd liquation? First, it could mean that current estimates of a 1-2% reduction in the national beef cow herd would be a conservative estimate. Second, the beef cow herd contraction is not the same across the United States. This has implications for local marketing strategies as well as increased awareness of basis patterns and hedging performance. Basis can widen (i.e., become more negative) during both market growths and declines. Third, the effects of current heifer placements on herd contraction will affect both the 2022 and 2023 USDA cattle inventory report through beef heifer replacement numbers. Taken together, the supply of feeder cattle should be less in 2022 compared to 2021. The CME futures seems to support this idea with Fall 2022 deferred contracts trading in the $180’s range. For places like Nebraska that generally has a +6.00 basis in the Fall for 700-900 lb. steers, expected cash prices are projected to be approximately $188.00 – significantly higher than the lows in 2019 and 2020 and prices not seen nominally since Fall 2014 and Fall 2015. The cost of feed and continued drought conditions are likely to be the largest contributing factors in putting a ceiling on fed and feeder cattle prices in 2022.



IFBF $2,500 renewable scholarship applications due Feb. 10

High school students graduating in spring of 2022 are encouraged to apply for Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s (IFBF) $2,500 scholarship, awarded to 27 eligible Iowa high school seniors and renewable for four years, up to $10,000.

“Iowa leads the nation in agricultural production, and that is because of the innovation and strong work ethic of emerging young leaders,” says IFBF President Brent Johnson. “Iowa Farm Bureau is proud to award nearly $500,000 in annual scholarships to these students whose agricultural knowledge will strengthen the industry and Iowa’s rural communities.”

Scholarship eligibility is reserved for current Iowa Farm Bureau members or their children in good standing with the organization. (Click here to become a member.) To be considered, the graduating high school student must have a minimum 2.5 grade point average, be involved in extra-curricular activities and accepted into an accredited higher education institution, including community colleges and technical schools.

To apply, students submit a typed essay demonstrating their leadership, community involvement and how they would use the scholarship award to support Iowa Farm Bureau’s mission of creating a vibrant future for agriculture, farm families and their communities.

Each of IFBF’s 100 county Farm Bureaus will send one application from their county to be considered for the state award of which 27 students (three from each of Farm Bureau’s nine districts) will be selected. To qualify for scholarship renewal, the recipient must continue to meet the scholarship requirements.

Many county Farm Bureaus also offer a locally-sponsored scholarship; availability and amounts vary. Both the state and county awards can be applied for using the same application, found at https://www.iowafarmbureau.com/Member-Benefits/Iowa-Farm-Bureau-Scholarships.

Applications must be sent via one email to the student’s local county Farm Bureau office by February 10, 2022. Contact the IFBF Community Resources office at 515-225-5460 with questions.



The Uncertain Future for Biofuels Policy Will be a Hot Topic at the 2022 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit

The 2022 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit is looking to the future by featuring roundtable discussions exploring what is on the horizon for both biofuel policy and emerging markets for biofuel producers.
 
“Biofuel producers are always looking for that next opportunity to become more productive and more efficient,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Marketing Director Lisa Coffelt. “At the Summit the policy and emerging markets roundtables will help those in attendance get a sense for which way the political winds are blowing and what business opportunities are up and coming for biofuels.”
 
The policy roundtable will cover the future of the Renewable Fuel Standard for 2022 and beyond, a path forward for E15, and more. It will include leading experts Donnell Rehagen, CEO of Clean Fuels Alliance America (formerly National Biodiesel Board); Devin Mogler, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at Green Plains, Inc.; Lindsay Fitzgerald, Vice President of Government Relations at Gevo, Inc, and Jessica Bennett, Partner at AJW, Inc.
 
The roundtable on emerging markets will dig into new opportunities to grow biofuel production and demand, such as high-protein DDGs for animal feed and sustainable aviation fuel. The roundtable will include Steve Csonka, Executive Director of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative; Scott Fenwick, Technical Director at Clean Fuels Alliance America (formerly National Biodiesel Board); and Zach Smith, Faculty Supervisor at the Ruminant Nutrition Center.
 
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit is taking place on January 25 at the Community Choice Convention Center at the Iowa Events Center. Attendance is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register to attend and learn more, visit IowaRenewablFuelsSummit.org.



Ranch Group Applauds Joint FTC and DOJ Plan to Update Federal Merger Guidelines

R-CALF USA applauded today’s joint announcement by Jonathan Kanter, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division, and Lina Khan, Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), that they are updating federal merger review guidelines. The following is a statement by R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard regarding that announcement:

“The cattle industry is the single largest sector of American agriculture, generating about $67 billion in annual cash receipts and R-CALF USA is the largest U.S. trade association that exclusively represents cattle producers within the U.S. cattle industry. We are very pleased by today’s announcement.

“The previous merger guidelines did not adequately address buyer power upstream in the supply chain. And far too much emphasis was placed on market efficiencies, which has resulted in the dismantling of the competitive marketing channels within our supply chain. This, in turn has hollowed-out Rural America. In addition, far too little attention was given to regional and local buyer power, where the competitiveness of regional and local markets can vary widely and harm to the supply chain can be devastating.

“The previous guidelines mistakenly presumed that the marketplace is competitive today and thus any post-merger reviews, based on changes from today to tomorrow were inherently skewed. Under the old guidelines, the trigger for antitrust scrutiny did not take into account that the market’s pre-merger condition already lacked competition. New guidelines should require a comprehensive analysis of the market’s preexisting competitiveness prior to the application of review triggers.

“For the cattle industry, this analysis would require a review of historical indicators of competitivities, such as the cattle industry’s historical cattle cycle driven by supply and demand signals. Today, that cattle cycle has been destroyed, much like what happened to the pork and dairy cycles after the concentrated meatpackers captured their respective supply chains. Unless a determination is first made regarding the extent to which a marketplace is competitive, the assessment of a merger’s potential to lessen competition would be perfunctory at best.

“Another deficiency in the old guidelines was a lack of attention to mergers in which one player has dominant control over product substitutes, in this case pork, chicken and soon, lab-grown protein. Failure to address such substitutes invites internal anticompetitive practices such as varying the output and price of substitute proteins to manipulate the demand for live cattle.

“Yet another serious deficiency in the old guidelines was their omission of factors unique to an industry that can make that industry uniquely susceptible to seemingly innocuous events. Indeed, the previous guidelines suggested that non-horizontal mergers, such as a vertical merger capturing the competitive marketing channels of the cattle supply chain, is less likely than horizontal mergers to create competitive problems. We believe that was a serious mistake.

“For example, treating the cattle supply chain as similar to the poultry or pork supply chain would ignore critical factors including that cattle have the longest biological cycle of any farmed animal, fed cattle are highly perishable, it is uneconomical to transport fed cattle long distances, and the cattle market is highly susceptible to even slight changes in supplies.

“Other factors that must be considered under new guidelines include that the cattle market is highly sensitive to shifts in procurement methods, some of which accord packers the same control as if they owned cattle outright; demand for cattle is bounded on a weekly basis, which basis is determined by the packers; and, that cattle producers are subjected to market access risk, meaning the availability of a timely market outlet, which, again, is controlled by the packers.

“In April of 2018 the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigated the 2015 price-collapse in our industry. It found that packer concentration in any given area was associated with lower fed cattle prices in that area. The GAO surmised that some packers may have been able to exercise market power in areas with less competition. They also found that the farmer’s share of the consumer beef dollar dropped from about 65% in the 70’s to about 40% in 2018, suggesting to us that the present marketplace exploits producers on one end of the supply chain and consumers on the other.

“We look forward to working with both the DOJ and FTC as they begin the important process of updating the federal merger guidelines.”   



2022 Commodity Classic Announces Evening of Entertainment

Multiplatinum country musician Sara Evans will close out the 2022 Commodity Classic with a bang during Saturday night’s Evening of Entertainment. Commodity Classic will be held Thursday, March 10 through Saturday, March 12 in New Orleans.

As the fifth most-played female artist on country radio in the last two decades, some of Evans’ top singles include “Born to Fly,” “No Place That Far,” “Suds In The Bucket,” and “A Little Bit Stronger,” which spent two weeks at number one and was certified platinum. Sara’s “stunning country voice” (Rolling Stone) has earned her the prestigious Academy of Country Music Top Female vocalist accolade as well as several American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and nominations from the Country Music Association and the Grammy Awards.

The Evening of Entertainment is sponsored by Bayer Crop Science and admission to the concert is included with full registration or with a one-day Saturday registration. Visit CommodityClassic.com for the full schedule of events, to reserve hotel rooms, and to take advantage of early registration discounts.

Established in 1996, Commodity Classic is America’s largest farmer-led, farmer-focused agricultural and educational experience. It is presented annually by the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Sorghum Producers, and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.



National Biodiesel Board is Now Clean Fuels Alliance America

The National Biodiesel Board today unveiled its new name and new brand, Clean Fuels Alliance America, during the opening session of the 2022 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo. The transformation to Clean Fuels helps further the organization’s position as a proven, innovative part of America’s clean energy mix and helps the industry represent all its industry members: biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuels.

“Our industry has seen and will continue to see significant growth as the world around us focuses on clean energy,” said Donnell Rehagen, CEO of Clean Fuels. “We are an integral part of the solution for sustainable energy that’s not only affordable but also scalable and available now. Further, our new name and brand represents the connected energies of our members and positions our industry for a clean fuels future.”

The National Biodiesel Conference & Expo’s theme for 2022 is “All In” and represents the momentum being carried by all players in the biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel industry. This year, more than 600 attendees are hearing from experts on supply and decarbonization and the opportunities ahead for the industry as a whole.

The three-day conference is the industry’s premier educational event featuring speakers from across the supply chain. This year’s speaking roster ranges from soybean farmers and engine manufacturers to fuel producers and former members of Congress.

“The industry packs a lot of networking and education into the conference, covering economics and technical and policy trends. The conference offers something new for everyone, regardless of experience in our industry,” Rehagen said. “We’re celebrating 30 years of clean fuels innovation and are excited to continue connecting people to accelerate America’s clean fuel future and drive industry growth.”  

During the conference, Rehagen shared copies of a new book with attendees that delves into the organization’s three-decade tenure: “The Birth of American Biodiesel: Biographical Accounts Celebrate 30 Years of Pioneers, Leaders and the Bold Vision for the National Biodiesel Board,” by Ron Kotrba.

“It seemed appropriate, as we sought to rebrand our organization, to take the time to recognize the efforts of many of those before us that went into building this wonderful industry and organization,” Rehagen said. “We commissioned this book for that purpose, and I am extremely proud of it and grateful to all of those who had an early vision of an industry like this.”

Clean Fuels also welcomed two Biodiesel Ambassadors to the program and hosted the next generation of biodiesel scientists, which gives college students the opportunity to network with those experienced in the industry.