Thursday February 10 Ag News

 Komet Irrigation Celebrates 70 Years of Innovative Irrigation
Offers “Komet Academy” as Irrigation Education Opportunity

FREMONT, NEBRASKA – Komet Irrigation, a global leader in mechanized irrigation equipment, is celebrating its 70th anniversary, marking another milestone in the company’s mission to deliver innovative irrigation solutions since it began developing agricultural sprinklers in 1952.

Today, Komet Irrigation specializes in the design and manufacturing of pivot sprinklers and big volume guns. The line-up of highly efficient water application products is the culmination of experience, years of meticulous research and development and a focus on effectively meeting the challenges growers face in real-life field environments.

“We are proud to have served agriculture for 70 years, including 30 years in the North American market,” says Hugo Drechsel, Komet Irrigation CSO and head of marketing. “As a family-owned business based in Austria, we remain firmly committed to the values and innovative spirit on which our father founded this company.”

Komet Academy: Education for Field-Specific Irrigation Conversations
“In addition to providing the highest quality irrigation equipment, we want to ensure our customers have the knowledge and resources to make informed decisions based on their unique irrigation needs and the specific field conditions they encounter,” Drechsel explains. “One of the ways we can improve irrigation conversations between growers and dealers is by offering free online seminars during our Komet Academy Week.”  

The Komet Academy is a series of comprehensive, informal meetings covering topics in mechanized irrigation. The next Komet Academy Week is scheduled for February 21st – 25th, 2022 and will feature six seminars with topics ranging from designing the perfect sprinkler package to in-field troubleshooting.

“The Komet Academy presents a great opportunity for growers, dealers and others interested in expanding their knowledge to submit questions and gain access to the experts,” states Josh Mosier, general manager and technical sales director of Komet Irrigation Corp., USA & Canada.

“We often hear from participants that even after many years of irrigation experience, they still learn something new from the Academy,” he shares. “The one-hour seminars are entirely product-neutral and free to attend, regardless if you are a Komet customer or not.”

For a complete overview of upcoming Komet Academy topics or to register, visit kometirrigation.com/academy.  



Deadline Extended to Enroll in 2022 Dairy Margin Coverage, Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage

USDA has extended the deadline to enroll in Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) and Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage (SDMC) for program year 2022. The deadline to apply for 2022 coverage is now March 25, 2022.

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to support dairy farmers and rural communities, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) opened DMC and SDMC signup in December 2021 to help producers manage economic risk brought on by milk price and feed cost disparities.

“Over the past two years, American dairy farmers have faced unprecedented uncertainty, from the ongoing pandemic to protracted natural disasters. As producers continue to manage these interconnected challenges, FSA has tools at the ready to provide critical support,” said FSA State Executive Director John Berge. “We are encouraging dairy operations to take advantage of the extended deadline and join the 8,969 operations nationally that have already enrolled for 2022 coverage. At 15 cents per hundredweight at the $9.50 level of coverage, DMC is a very cost-effective risk management tool for dairy producers.”

Enrollment for 2022 DMC is currently at 55% of the 2021 program year enrollment. Producers who enrolled in DMC for 2021 received margin payments each month, January through November, for a total of $1.2 billion, with an average payment of $60,275 per operation.

The DMC program, created by the 2018 Farm Bill, offers reasonably priced protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed cost (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer. Supplemental DMC will provide $580 million to better help small- and mid-sized dairy operations that have increased production over the years but were not able to enroll the additional production. Now, they will be able to retroactively receive payments for that supplemental production. Additionally, FSA updated how feed costs are calculated, which will make the program more reflective of dairy producers’ actual expenses.  

Supplemental DMC Enrollment
Eligible dairy operations with less than 5 million pounds of established production history may enroll supplemental pounds based upon a formula using 2019 actual milk marketings, which will result in additional payments. Producers will be required to provide FSA with their 2019 Milk Marketing Statement.

Supplemental DMC coverage is applicable to calendar years 2021, 2022 and 2023. Participating dairy operations with supplemental production may receive retroactive supplemental payments for 2021 in addition to payments based on their established production history.  

Supplemental DMC will require a revision to a producer’s 2021 DMC contract and must occur before enrollment in DMC for the 2022 program year. Producers will be able to revise 2021 DMC contracts, apply for 2022 DMC, and enroll in other FSA programs by contacting their county Farm Service Agency office.  

DMC 2022 Enrollment
After making any revisions to 2021 DMC contracts for Supplemental DMC, producers can sign up for 2022 coverage. DMC provides eligible dairy producers with risk management coverage that pays producers when the difference between the price of milk and the cost of feed falls below a certain level. In 2021, based on data to date, DMC payments have triggered for January through November for more than $1 billion.  

For DMC enrollment, producers must certify with FSA that the operation is commercially marketing milk, sign all required forms and pay the $100 administrative fee. The fee is waived for farmers who are considered limited resource, beginning, socially disadvantaged, or a military veteran. To determine the appropriate level of DMC coverage for a specific dairy operation, producers can use the online dairy decision tool.

Updates to Feed Costs  
USDA has also changed the DMC feed cost formula via final rule published on December 13, 2021, to better reflect the actual cost dairy farmers pay for high-quality alfalfa hay.  FSA now calculates payments using 100% premium alfalfa hay rather than 50%. In December 2021, following publication of the new feed cost policy, $102 million was paid to producers as a result of the revised high quality alfalfa feed cost formula.

The amended feed cost formula will make DMC payments more reflective of actual dairy producer expenses.



Ag Consultants Society Names Schermerhorn Executive VP

The American Society of Agricultural Consultants (ASAC), Ankeny, Iowa, selected Traci Schermerhorn to serve as the ASAC executive vice president.

"ASAC is excited to bring Traci on board," said ASAC President Kyle Walker. "Our goal is to grow membership in 2022 and Traci's experience in association management and visioning will help us with that goal."

"I'm looking forward to working with this impressive group of ag professionals," said Schermerhorn. "ASAC provides numerous networking opportunities and helpful strategies for ag consultants to build their businesses and expertise. Growing membership and enhancing benefits for our current members are my two main goals for 2022."

ASAC is a non-profit organization whose members represent a diverse range of disciplines in the agriculture industry. ASAC's membership is comprised primarily of experienced consultants boasting a wide array of expertise. Their business models range from sole proprietorships to leadership roles in larger, multi-consultant organizations, which cover a wide geographical area.



Ag Groups Suing EPA Over Agency’s Ignoring Science & Safety Findings

When the government agency entrusted with making science and evidence-based decisions to protect human health ignores the findings of its own scientists, there must be accountability. Ag groups representing thousands of farmers and farmer-owned cooperatives that will be harmed by the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to revoke all tolerances of chlorpyrifos are taking legal action against the agency: They are frustrated over EPA’s disregard for its own science confirming the crop protection tool can be used safely, effectively, and without dietary or environmental risk.

Brad Doyle, soy farmer from Arkansas and president of the American Soybean Association commented, “EPA’s proposed interim decision back in December 2020 for the re-registration of chlorpyrifos found 11 high-benefit, low-risk crop uses1 that the agency was confident ‘will not pose potential risks of concern.’ How can they now deny all uses, even when the court gave them options for keeping those found safe?”

The agricultural stakeholders taking legal action are first seeking an injunction of the rule to prevent the first wave of significant, irreparable damage the chlorpyrifos revocation would cause if it were to take effect on the Feb. 28 implementation date. The groups are ultimately seeking vacatur of the rule where it conflicts with well-established, properly developed science—specifically, the 11 uses found safe.

Farmers prioritize safe use of pesticides for a multitude of reasons related to safe food production and stewardship. The revocation rule undermines their efforts by removing a critically needed tool.

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said, “Farmers are highly motivated to use pesticides judiciously as part of their commitment to produce safe, nutritious foods while also being good stewards of the land. Taking away this tool takes us backward by increasing the use of less effective pesticides to compensate and, in some cases, sacrificing crops that supply our food when no other defense exists against certain pests.”

Stakeholder groups have filed formal objections highlighting the significant harms that would result from the rule and have asked for formal hearings and a stay of the rule until these objections can be addressed. EPA’s failure to consider these concerns or rescind the rule would have major consequences for growers and the food, fuel, and fiber they supply across multiple crops. For many growers, chlorpyrifos is the only or one of very few tools to protect crops from certain pests. Losing chlorpyrifos would expose those growers to hundreds of millions—to billions—of dollars in potential damages.

The revocation rule also requires food holders to provide retroactively-required application documents, which could result in the destruction of millions of dollars of perfectly safe food over a paperwork issue. These requirements come despite EPA’s acknowledgement that, “considering food exposures alone, the agency did not identify risks of concern.” Of additional concern to growers is that EPA is also discontinuing uses when an actual food crop is not present, such as to tree trunks before the fruit has developed, on dormant fields, or to crops subject to further processing in which residues would not be detected.

“Based on EPA’s own safety assessment of chlorpyrifos for sugarbeets, our growers have depended on this effective and essential product to protect their crops from certain disaster while providing safe, high-quality sugar from American consumers,” said Nate Hultgren, president of American Sugarbeet Growers Association.

If EPA does not listen to its own career scientists when making these decisions, America’s growers and food suppliers fear what the future of farming looks like.

“It is unfortunate that we are forced to take these drastic steps. However, with the revocation of such an important chemistry in our industry, our growers stand to suffer irreparable harm. Michigan, with almost 5 million sweet and tart cherry trees, grows 70-75% of the total U.S. production of tart cherries and close to 20% of the total production for sweet cherries. Chlorpyrifos is critical to the Michigan cherry industry, as there are no alternative products that effectively control trunk borers,” said Julie Gordon, president of Cherry Marketing Institute.

Last October, more than 80 agricultural groups filed formal objections to EPA’s rule revoking all tolerances of chlorpyrifos. Stakeholders, by law, can object to pesticide tolerance changes or cancellations, and the EPA Administrator must then respond. The groups asked EPA for evidentiary hearings and to stay implementation of the rule until objections could be formally considered and addressed by the agency. The objections, hearing requests, and stay requests have not been addressed by EPA to date. A full copy of the coalition stakeholder objection letter can be found here.

Joining the lawsuit are: Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association; U.S. Beet Sugar Association; American Sugarbeet Growers Association; Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative; American Crystal Sugar Company; Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative; American Farm Bureau Federation; American Soybean Association; Iowa Soybean Association; Minnesota Soybean Growers Association; Missouri Soybean Association; Nebraska Soybean Association; South Dakota Soybean Association; North Dakota Soybean Growers Association; National Association of Wheat Growers; Cherry Marketing Institute; Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association; Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association; Gharda Chemicals International, Inc.; National Cotton Council of America.



Producers with Crop Insurance to Receive Premium Benefit for Cover Crops

Agricultural producers who have coverage under most crop insurance policies are eligible for a premium benefit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) if they planted cover crops during the 2022 crop year. To receive the benefit from this year’s Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP), producers must report cover crop acreage by March 15, 2022.  The new program comes on the heels of the recently announced Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities which creates market opportunities for U.S. agricultural and forestry products that use climate-smart production practices and include innovative, cost-effective ways to measure and verify greenhouse gas benefits.

PCCP, offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), helps farmers maintain their cover crop systems, despite the financial challenges posed by the pandemic and is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative, a bundle of programs to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and producers who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions.

“Cultivating cover crops requires a sustained, long-term investment, and the economic challenges of the pandemic made it financially challenging for many producers to maintain cover crop systems,” said RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger. “Producers use cover crops to improve soil health and gain other agronomic benefits, and this program will reduce producers’ overall premium bill to help ensure producers can continue this climate-smart agricultural practice.”

PCCP was first offered in 2021, and producers with crop insurance received $59.5 million in premium subsidies for 12.2 million acres of cover crops.

About the Premium Benefit
PCCP provides premium support to producers who insured their crop with most insurance policies and planted a qualifying cover crop during the 2022 crop year. The premium support is $5 per acre, but no more than the full premium amount owed.  

Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa have existing programs for producers to receive a premium benefit for planting cover crops. In these states, participating producers will receive an additional benefit.

All cover crops reportable to FSA are eligible and include cereals and other grasses, legumes, brassicas and other non-legume broadleaves, and mixtures of two or more cover crop species planted at the same time.   

To receive the benefit for this program, producers must file a Report of Acreage form (FSA-578) for cover crops with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) by March 15, 2022. The cover crop fields reported on the Report of Acreage form must match what the producer reported to their insurance company for crop insurance policies. To file the form, producers must contact and make an appointment with their local USDA Service Center.

Additional PCCP Details
Certain policies are not eligible because they have underlying coverage, which would already receive the benefit or are not designed to be reported in a manner consistent with the Report of Acreage form (FSA-578). PCCP is not available for Enhanced Coverage Option, Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index, Post-Application Coverage Endorsement and Supplemental Coverage Option. Stacked Income Protection (STAX) and Margin Protection (MP) policies are only eligible for PCCP when insured as a standalone policy. STAX and MP endorsements to underlying policies are not eligible for PCCP.

PCCP does not change acreage reporting dates, reporting requirements, or any other terms of the crop insurance policy.

The Rule can now be viewed in the Federal Register. More information, including frequently asked questions, can be found at farmers.gov/pandemic-assistance/cover-crops.



Crop Insurance Earns Bipartisan Praise at Congressional Hearing

Crop insurance is the cornerstone of the farm safety net and an invaluable risk management tool for America’s farmers. This message was underscored during a recent House Agriculture Subcommittee hearing called by Subcommittee Chairwoman Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.)

“I hear through pretty much every ag meeting I have how important the Federal crop insurance program is to help farmers manage their risk,” Bustos said in her opening remarks.

Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, testified before the subcommittee about the steps that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking to help America’s farmers and ranchers deal with the increasing risks of farming. Bonnie began his testimony by emphasizing the role that crop insurance plays in helping agriculture defend against climate change.

“With increasing extreme weather, crop insurance remains a vital tool for agriculture,” Bonnie said. “Crop insurance is absolutely critical,” he added later during questioning from members of Congress.

The public-private crop insurance program is an important component of the farm safety net. This is especially true as farmers experience more crop losses due to adverse weather events driven by a changing climate. When disaster strikes, crop insurance gives farmers the stability they need to plant again.

The success of crop insurance earned praise from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle throughout the hearing.

“I consistently hear from producers that Federal crop insurance works, it works well for them, and that the program does not need major changes,” said Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.).

More than 50 farming, banking, and conservation organizations representing groups from across rural America recently echoed this call to protect crop insurance when they sent letters to policymakers asking them to oppose any budget cuts to the program.

Farmers want to ensure that crop insurance remains strong, because they trust in the program to provide a safety net when disaster strikes. In fact, farmers rely on crop insurance to protect more than 90 percent of insurable farmland in the United States. This trust is built on crop insurance’s long record of delivering aid to farmers quickly and efficiently.

Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) also pointed to the speed of crop insurance during the hearing.

“I think that the crop insurance system we’ve got has done a really good job from a customer service perspective as well as making sure those indemnities get out in the field as quickly as possible,” Johnson said. “The public-private partnership has delivered a tremendous amount of value.”

It’s no wonder that more and more farmers are protecting their livelihood with crop insurance.



Conab Cuts Brazil Soybean Forecast

Brazilian crop agency Conab slashed its forecast for the country's soybean production in the 2021-2022 growing season after a drought in southern states slammed productivity.

Brazilian farmers will produce 125.5 million metric tons (mmt) of soybeans this season, the agency said Thursday. In January, the agency forecast a crop of 140.5 mmt. Conab raised its estimate for Brazil's soybean production in the 2020-2021 season to 138.2 mmt from 137.3 mmt.

Conab trimmed its forecast for Brazil's total corn crop in the 2021-2022 season to 112.3 mmt from 112.9 mmt in the January report.

The La Nina weather phenomenon disrupted the normal pattern of rainfall in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Parana and in part of Mato Grosso do Sul state, Conab said. Productivity in the state of Parana declined 35% compared with the 2020-2021 season, while crop losses in parts of Rio Grande do Sul rose as high as 70%, according to the agency.

Even with the drastic reduction in Conab's forecast for the current growing season, Brazil will remain the world's biggest producer of soybeans, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The U.S. agency Wednesday forecast a Brazilian crop of 134 mmt, compared with expected production by U.S. farmers of 120.7 mmt.

If Conab's forecast for Brazil's soybean production is correct, 2021-2022 will still be the country's second-biggest soybean crop, surpassed only by the 2020-2021 season. Brazilian farmers have increased the area planted with the oilseeds for 15 years in a row, with production rising steadily except for weather-related problems in a few years.



ClearFlame Engine Technologies announces first heavy-duty truck driving on 100% plant-based fuel

ClearFlame Engine Technologies, a company empowering rapid decarbonization for global heavy-duty industry, announced today it has successfully completed an ‘on-road’ demonstration of its proprietary technology that enables a heavy-duty truck diesel engine to operate on 100% renewable plant-based fuels. The validation of ClearFlame’s technology marks a critical milestone in the company’s objective to revolutionize carbon emissions within heavy-duty transportation, one of the hardest sectors to electrify and decarbonize.

“This demonstration proves the workability of our technology that takes the dirty diesel fuel out of heavy-duty trucks,” said BJ Johnson, ClearFlame CEO and co-founder. “The transportation sector is currently the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. Simply hoping that we get to net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 is not good enough. If we want to get serious in the fight against climate change, we need more solutions that can enable swift decarbonization today, particularly for heavy-duty trucks, which are among the worst offenders.”

Julie Blumreiter, ClearFlame’s co-founder and chief technology officer noted, “Due to the incredible work and dedication of our engineering team we’ve taken a massive step in showing the world how our technology is a game-changer for decarbonization of the heavy-duty transportation sector. This vehicle is truly one-of-a-kind – the only Class 8 truck to run on 100% ethanol fuel without any additives and without any diesel fuel. Driving this vehicle today is actually less carbon intensive than a comparable electric-powered truck. The ClearFlame-enabled engine meets the performance and efficiency requirements customers expect from their diesel trucks, while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fuel costs.”

The demonstration of ClearFlame’s engine technology was implemented by taking a Class 8 diesel truck running on a Cummins X15 500hp 15L heavy-duty engine, commonly used for long-haul truck and off-highway applications, and converting it to run on renewable E98 ethanol. While the wide availability, cost-effectiveness, and lower emissions of ethanol make it the fuel of choice today for the engine, ClearFlame’s technology is fuel agnostic and can run on a range of renewable fuels.

The trucks equipped with ClearFlame’s engine technology will reduce CO₂ emissions significantly, while lowering air quality emissions — particulate matter (soot) and Nitrogen Oxides (smog). ClearFlame has the potential to mitigate carbon in the heavy-duty truck sector faster than any alternative, including hydrogen and battery EV, without compromising engine performance. ClearFlame is moreover a cost-effective solution, eliminating the “green premium” paradigm, and offering a fast, scalable, and low-cost option to a clean and equitable future.

Diesel engines release billions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year, and projections suggest that even with a growing number of alternatives, only 25% of new heavy-duty trucks in 2035 will be zero emissions, which means the remaining 75% will overwhelmingly rely on fossil fuel — unless other alternatives are developed.

ClearFlame’s technology can be used anywhere diesel engines are used today, and leverages existing infrastructure — fuel production and distribution, engine manufacturing and remanufacturing processes, and the heavy-duty parts & services industry. The company is currently focused on heavy-duty markets that don’t have sufficient alternatives to liquid combustion.

ClearFlame will continue testing its trucks under various operating conditions throughout Q1 2022, with customer beta testing underway by the end of 2022. In addition to long-haul trucking, the technology enables emissions reduction for hard-to-electrify applications in a wide range of industries, including agriculture, power generation, and other off-highway markets. ClearFlame is also working with John Deere on a pilot demonstration project for an off-highway engine platform, demonstrating the versatility of the company’s technology as a retrofit option or original equipment integration.

The technological milestone comes less than four months after the company announced it secured $17 million in Series A Financing, led by Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures, with participation from Mercuria, John Deere, and Clean Energy Ventures.



Re:imagine: Growth Energy Kicks Off 2022 Executive Leadership Conference

Growth Energy, the nation’s largest ethanol trade association, began its 13th Annual Executive Leadership Conference (ELC) today, a marquee event of the biofuels industry where top ethanol industry leaders and innovators will participate in panel discussions, networking, and charity events.  

Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor kicked off the event with a speech that highlighted how Growth Energy has reimagined the role the biofuels industry plays in the global transition to clean energy. From sustainable aviation fuel to carbon capture, Growth Energy’s members have made investments in fighting climate change and giving consumers access to choices that are better for the planet. This innovation, as well as updated data on ethanol’s impact on the environment, opened up doors for biofuels to have a seat at the table with the Biden Administration.

“Biofuels are the solution, and the work we are doing now will ensure that America’s ethanol industry is poised for success in a lower-carbon economy, delivering on a new wave of demand for clean energy – on the ground and in the sky, at home, and abroad, in today’s vehicles and tomorrow’s,” Skor said in her opening remarks.

“We offer what no one else can: immediate carbon reduction, with today’s infrastructure, today’s vehicles, and a sustainable supply chain that starts and stops on U.S. soil.”

Prior to the official event kick off, dozens of participants attended the third annual Technical Forum on Wednesday, where panelists spoke on low-carbon technologies, protein prospects, and ethanol markets.

During the ELC general discussion, industry experts will dive deeper into the new markets and technologies the biofuels industry is embracing, including sustainable fuel for air, land, and sea, carbon markets, and opportunities for higher blends of biofuels both at home and abroad.

Attendees will hear from Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney, a fighter pilot who served three combat tours in Iraq, a PGA Golf Professional, and the founder of the Folds of Honor. Conference attendees will also hear from U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who will join the conference to provide an update on ethanol policy and advocacy in Washington, D.C.



Sorghum: A Sweet Proposition for Sustainable Biofuel

Sweet sorghum is best known for the amber-colored syrup that's made from its juices. Now, this hardy member of the grass family could also be tapped as a "home-grown" resource for making a renewable transportation fuel called bio-butanol.

Towards that end, a team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Ohio State University (OSU) scientists has devised a procedure for making bio-butanol from sweet sorghum bagasse.

Bagasse refers to the pulpy, fibrous remains of the crop's stalks after they've been crushed to extract the sugary juices within. Some bagasse is re-applied back onto crop fields; what remains can present a disposal problem. But within that pulp is a valuable cache of sugars locked within cellulose and hemicellulose—the "scaffolding" of plant cell walls. Once freed, these cellulosic sugars can be fermented into bio-butanol, explained Nasib Qureshi, a chemical and biochemical  engineer with the ARS's National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois.

Bio-butanol derived from cellulosic sugars in agricultural wastes is appealing because of its potential to lessen the reliance on gasoline and other nonrenewable fuels. Bio-butanol, along with ethanol, is also considered a cleaner burning alternative gasoline. However, bio-butanol can be transported in existing pipelines and is less corrosive to internal combustion engines than ethanol. Bio-butanol also packs 33 percent more energy per gallon and is easier to blend with gasoline, said Qureshi. It also can be catalytically upgraded to bio-jet fuel (sustainable aviation fuel).

Up until the 1950s, butanol had primarily been made from the fermented sugars of cornstarch and sugarcane molasses before manufacturers switched to using petroleum, which proved cheaper and more efficient. Today, butanol is primarily used as an industrial solvent.

Over the last several years, however, Qureshi and his collaborators leveraged advances in fermentation science and product recovery technology to rekindle butanol's commercial prospects—not from petroleum, but rather a broader array of agricultural materials than had been used in the past.

In particular, the researchers set their sights on harvest or processing wastes like corn stover, barley and wheat straw, lesquerella presscake and most recently, sweet sorghum bagasse. To help them, the researchers recruited hardy new strains of bacteria such as Clostridium beijerinckii P260 to ferment the wastes' cellulosic sugars inside specialized vats, called bioreactors.

A key advance the team made was combining what had previously been a series of separate steps into a single streamlined process—namely, the release of the wastes' cellulosic sugars, their fermentation into bio-butanol and the removal of this four-carbon alcohol (along with acetone and ethanol) from the bioreactor. This also helps protect the hardworking bacteria inside.  

In laboratory-scale experiments, the microbes produced 23 grams of bio-butanol from 160 grams of bagasse. This corresponds to production of 46 gallons of butanol from 1 ton of sweet sorghum bagasse. Additionally, it also produces 31 gallons of acetone and ethanol per ton of this feedstock that can be used as valuable chemicals, said Qureshi. The researchers used a solid concentrated form of bagasse (16-22 percent) that required a smaller-sized bioreactor and used about 50 percent less energy than producing bio-butanol from wheat straw, another waste they experimented with.   

As a crop, sweet sorghum offers promise as a bio-butanol resource because of its drought tolerance, thrifty water uptake and adaptability to wide-ranging growing conditions, including marginal cropland.

A paper detailing the advance was published in the December 2021 issue of Fermentation  by Qureshi and co-authors Badal Saha, Siqing Liu and Nancy Nichols—all with ARS—and Thaddeus Ezeji of OSU.