Friday August 30 Ag News

Nebraska LEAD Announces 2019-2021 Fellows

    Nebraska LEAD (Leadership Education/Action Development) Group 39 participants have been announced by the program’s director, Terry Hejny. The two-year program will begin in September.

      The newest members of Nebraska's premier two-year agricultural leadership development program are involved in production agriculture and/or agribusiness in Nebraska.

    "Once again, it appears that Class 39 is filled with outstanding individuals from throughout our state and I am excited to get started with them. Our task will be to prepare and motivate them for future leadership roles in their community, our state and beyond," Hejny said.

    LEAD Fellows will participate in 12 monthly three-day seminars across Nebraska, a 10-day national study/travel seminar and a 14-16 day international study/travel seminar. The goal of the program is to develop problem solvers, decision makers and spokespersons for Nebraska agriculture and beyond.

    Seminar themes include: leadership assessment and potential, natural resources and energy, leadership through communication, agricultural policy, international trade and finance, Nebraska’s political process, global perspectives, nuclear energy, social and cultural issues, understanding and developing leadership skills, agribusiness and marketing, information technology, advances in health care, the resources and people of Nebraska’s Panhandle and other areas designed to develop leaders through exposure to a broad array of current topics and issues and how they interrelate.

Nebraska LEAD 39 Fellows by city/town are:
ALBION: John Krohn
ARTHUR: Jason Christiansen
BELLEVUE: John Bronner, Derek Brown
BLUE HILL: Alex Buschow
CLARKSON: Mike Podany
CLATONIA: Monte Murkle
COLON: Jeff Meduna
COLUMBUS: Justin Lorenz
COZAD: Zack Jenner
ELGIN: Tiffany Hemenway
GRAND ISLAND: Andy Paul
HOLDREGE: Molly Trausch
HORDVILLE: Rebekah Nortrup
KEARNEY: Elyse Schlake
LINCOLN: Travis Harrison, Laurel Mastro, Blythe McAfee, Brett Muhlbach, Tony Sibert
MULLEN: Kory Phillips
NELIGH: Koryn Koinzan
OMAHA:, Craig Davidson, Benjamin Grabenstein, Ashley Peters
STROMSBURG: Cale Pallas
SUTHERLAND: Thomas Kelly, Zachary Paulman
SUTTON: Jesse Mohnike
UTICA: Mindy Wolf

    The Nebraska LEAD Program is sponsored by the non-profit Nebraska Agricultural Leadership Council in cooperation with the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and 12 other institutions of higher education throughout Nebraska.



Nebraska Ethanol Board September board meeting and EHS industry training

The Nebraska Ethanol Board will hold a board meeting in Lincoln on Friday, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m. The meeting will be at Cornhusker Marriott (333 S 13th St.) in the Hawthorne Room. Visit here for the agenda. This agenda contains all items to come before the Board except those items of an emergency nature.

Then, on Sept. 19, safety professionals from across the state will gather in Kearney, Nebraska, for the 15th annual Environment, Health and Safety Summit. The daylong summit presented by the Nebraska Ethanol Board will feature speakers from agencies and organizations across the region, including the Nebraska Department of Environment & Energy, Flint Hills Resources safety department, Trinity Consultants covering OSHA and risk management plans, NAQS Environmental Experts, and Olsson.

For full details, visit the registration page. Registration is due by Sept. 11. The event is open to professionals who work in environmental compliance, worker safety, and processing and manufacturing. College students are invited to attend and may qualify for a scholarship to waive the $50 registration fee.

“This is a great opportunity to network and learn about the latest regulations and compliance changes, especially as ethanol plants implement new technology and expand operations,” said Roger Berry, Nebraska Ethanol Board administrator. “We are proud that the summit is attracting companies both directly and indirectly related to the ethanol industry, including organizations that focus on air quality and environmental compliance.”



Nebraska State Grange Annual Convention
Margaret Smith,  Nebraska State Grange

The Nebraska State Grange will hold the annual Convention in Grand Island at the Midtown Ramada Inn, September 13-15.  The National Grange delegates this year will be Harry and Cindy Greer from Colorado.  Cindy is National Grange Ceres, and President of the Colorado State Grange.  This will be the time to look over our policies and and suggest some resolutions for debate.




HARVESTING PREVENT-PLANT SUDANS AND SORGHUMS
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               September has arrived so crops like sorghum-sudangrass planted on prevent-plant acres now can be harvested or grazed.  How should you do it?

               Harvesting crops like sorghum-sudangrass requires dealing with all the moisture in the plant.  As silage, it usually is too wet to chop directly.  So you can windrow it, wilt to a desirable moisture, and then use a pickup attachment to chop.  Or you can wait until grain gets dry enough to balance the plant moisture if the hybrid is one that makes enough grain.  Or you can wait until a freeze causes the plant to dry down and then chop quickly enough so it doesn’t get too dry.

               Making hay isn’t much easier, especially if plants are tall.  September’s short days and cool temperatures will slow the drying rate so cut high to hold windrows off the ground, spread it wide to use as much sunlight as possible to dry it, and crimp it well to open stems so they can dry.  Then hope it doesn’t rain for the next couple of weeks.

               Maybe the best harvest option is baleage.  Plastic wrapping bales that are around fifty percent moisture could save a week of drying time and reduce weather risks.  You must either own the wrapping equipment or have a nearby custom operator but if it’s available it should be considered.

               Grazing also can be challenging.  If cattle get free access they will trample most of the forage.  Maybe good for the soil but certainly a loss of a lot of potential feed.  Allowing access to just a small portion of the field by strip grazing will get much more of the forage eaten rather than trampled.  Windrowing first and then strip grazing may work even better.

               Tall, green sudans and sorghums can provide much good forage but using them takes good moisture management.

CHALLENGE TO PRODUCERS WHO GROW ALFALFA FOR BEEF CATTLE
               Do you grow alfalfa for your beef cows or for feedlots?  If so, maybe you should try harvesting your last cutting as a higher value cash crop this year.

               Cow and grinding hay appears to be plentiful this fall, causing prices to decline or at least stabilize.  However, all the rain made baling dairy hay very difficult.  This shortage is supporting higher prices for dairy hay.

               Many remaining alfalfa acres belong to cattle producers growing hay for their own cows or feedlots.  Since cow hay and grinding hay currently is priced at least 50 dollars per ton less than dairy hay, can you take advantage of this difference in price?

               Quite frankly, cattle producers have a tremendous advantage over commercial hay growers.  If you harvest your hay before it blooms, bale it in heavy, transportable packages with most leaves intact, store it under cover to prevent weather damage, and then market it to get its true value, you also can sell it for a premium price.  And you still can feed it to your own animals if your hay does not meet premium standards.

               Now maybe you're thinking "I can't sell my hay.  I need it for my own animals."  And you may be right.  But, if you do sell some dairy hay, what you also can do is buy other, less expensive hay at the grinding or stock cow hay price. But you get to pocket the extra 40, 50, maybe 60 dollars for each ton of hay you sold and still have hay for your own animals.

               What do you have to lose?  It costs very little to at least try to harvest premium quality hay.  If you succeed, you get a bonus.  And if your hay doesn't qualify for a bonus, you simply feed the hay to your own animals, just like you would have done anyway.

               No risk, high returns.  Indeed, what do you have to lose?



ICGA Delegates Move on Issues Impacting Iowa Corn Farmers at Annual Grassroots Summit

The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) held its Annual Grassroots Summit in Altoona earlier this week on August 26 and 27 where ICGA delegates set the direction for the policies and priorities for the coming year.

During the two-day Summit, 100 delegates in attendance had the opportunity to review expiring policies and debate new resolutions. This ICGA policy process includes a member-wide survey in the spring, roundtable discussions held across the state in the summer and the Grassroots Summit in late August. Policies related to national issues can be brought forth at the Commodity Classic meetings in February with National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) farmer delegates.

ICGA’s delegates deliberated on many important state issues impacting Iowa corn farmers, including these priority issues:
Conservation/Water Quality – Maintain legislative funding stream for Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy
Ethanol – Obtain funding for renewable infrastructure cost-share program (RFIP)
Livestock – Support existing regulatory framework for the livestock industry
Taxes – Protect critical tax credits (Section 179 and biofuels)
* (Listed in alphabetical order, not by priority ranking)

“The future of our organization lies in the hands of our grassroots members, and it is vital our members are engaged,” stated incoming ICGA President Jim Greif. “Throughout the year, there are many ways to get involved to develop ICGA policy. ICGA encourages all members to make their voices heard that these events.”

Delegates also weighed several key federal issues:
Ethanol – Retain the RFS, reallocation of unjustified SREs, and reduce regulatory barriers for higher blends
Trade – Expand new and protect existing bilateral and multilateral trade agreements
Trade – Protect/expand the Market Access Program (MAP) & Foreign Market Development (FMD) funding as part of the Farm Bill
Transportation – Maintain and upgrade our inland waterways system
* (Listed in alphabetical order, not by priority ranking)

Governor Kim Reynolds spoke to ICGA members during the first day of Summit. The Governor gave a powerful message in these tough economic times and shared that she stands strong with Iowa farmers to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

During the conclusion of the first day of the Summit, ICGA presented two awards to deserving ICGA members and partners. The Friend of Iowa Corn award is given to recognize state and federal legislators, their staff and others who have helped shape and implement priorities of Iowa Corn, and those who have been champions for our issues. This year, the Friend of Iowa Corn award was presented to Jerry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald has been an essential part of the Iowa Corn team for over two decades. He is one of Iowa Corn’s contract lobbyists at the Iowa statehouse and has been instrumental in the shaping and passage of every significant piece of Iowa Corn legislation at the statehouse during his tenure.

The second award presented was the Walter Goeppinger Lifetime Achievement Award, given to an Iowa Corn member who has showcased exemplary leadership skills and service throughout their time with Iowa Corn. This year, Iowa Corn honored Jack Kintzle of Toddville, Iowa, who has shown exceptional dedication and leadership to the agriculture industry. Kintzle had a seat at the table for many pivotal conversations that have shaped Iowa Corn into what it is today. He is recognized for his thoughtful input, progressive thinking and diligent work ethic.

The Local Leaders Awards Breakfast kicked off Tuesday morning with an update from Iowa Corn Grassroots Network & Checkoff Committee Chair, Larry Buss, explaining the plan to grow ICGA membership. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig welcomed and thanked members for participating in the policy development of their organization. Wrapping up the program, Buss handed out awards recognizing the efforts of many outstanding local corn farmer-leaders and their programming at the county and district level.

The Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Luncheon concluded with an update from representatives from the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series partnerships, University of Iowa Women’s Basketball Coach, Lisa Bluder and Iowa State University Women’s Basketball Coach, Bill Fennelly.

During the final part of the Summit, incoming ICGA President Jim Greif and incoming Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) President Roger Zylstra gave their presidential updates outlining their key goals for the upcoming year.

ICGA will release its finalized top 2020 state and federal policy priorities in December based on grassroots input provided during the Summit. The complete 2019-2020 policy resolution book is available upon request by emailing corninfo@iowacorn.org or calling 515-225-9242.



EPA Must Support Biofuels, Uphold Intent of RFS

On behalf of its nearly 200,000 family farmer and rancher members, National Farmers Union (NFU) today submitted public comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), urging the agency to adjust their proposed Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) volume obligations for 2020.

Though the proposal would maintain the current volume of conventional biofuels at 15 billion gallons, it would also significantly reduce the statutory volume for advanced biofuels and, consequently, the total renewable fuel volume. Furthermore, the proposal does not compensate for the 4 billion gallons of demand for biofuels that was eliminated by the ongoing misappropriation of RFS small refinery exemptions (SREs) to multinational corporations. In response to dwindling demand, at least 15 ethanol plants and several biodiesel plants have closed, and many others have reduced production, resulting in the loss of thousands of rural jobs.

Upon the initial release of EPA’s proposed volume obligations, National Farmers Union (NFU) expressed frustration that the agency neither increased biofuel use nor accounted for the damage inflicted on farmers and rural communities by the exemptions. In the organization’s comments, NFU President Roger Johnson echoed earlier misgivings and again urged EPA to address both issues in the finalized rule:

“Today’s agricultural community is facing a great number of challenges: a prolonged downturn in the farm economy, the erosion of international export markets due to escalating trade tensions, climate change-related weather extremes, and declining populations and job opportunities in rural areas.

“By expanding the market for home-grown biofuels, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) can play an important role in addressing all of these issues. It develops new markets for American farm products, which in turn buoys commodity prices and farm incomes. It reduces the emission of greenhouse gases that drive climate change. It creates good, stable jobs for rural Americans and stimulates local economies. On top of all that, RFS also offers benefits to American consumers and the country as a whole. Incorporating biofuels into the U.S. fuel supply lowers pump prices, improves air quality, and reduces dependence on foreign energy sources.

“Considering the RFS’s significant potential for good, it is disappointing that time and time again, EPA has chosen undermine the policy’s purpose and integrity - and this proposal is just the latest example of that. Not only does it fail to account for the immense harm inflicted by the abuse of small refinery exemptions, but it also slashes the statutory volumes for advanced biofuels that Congress set in 2007 to ensure the continued growth of the biofuels industry.

“We strongly urge EPA to reverse course in order to guarantee that the intent of the RFS is upheld – the agency must offset all 4 billion gallons lost to the waivers, it must enforce the volume requirements for conventional biofuels, and it must increase volumes for advanced biofuels.”



EPA’s Final 2020 Volume Obligations Must Restore Lost Gallons

In formal comments submitted today in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed 2020 renewable volume obligations, the Renewable Fuels Association called on the EPA to follow the law and make up for the lost blending volumes resulting from the numerous secretive refinery waivers granted by the agency.

“There is every reason to expect that the continued abuse of the system for granting small refinery exemptions will render the 2020 volumes meaningless again, given that the agency just approved an additional 31 small refinery exemptions without a transparent demonstration of severe economic harm,” RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper wrote. “Issuing small refinery exemptions after an RVO rule is finalized—as EPA has now done for the 2016, 2017 and 2018 compliance years—has the practical impact of reducing the effective RVOs to levels well below those specified in the rule.”

In its comments, RFA calls on the EPA to address this problem and ensure that the 2020 RVOs are administered in a manner consistent with the statute simply by accounting for small refinery exemptions when it calculates the percentage standards, as has been recommended during the interagency review process for two consecutive years.

In fact, Cooper noted, the formula used by EPA for calculating the annual percentage standards has always included a variable for “projected volume[s]” of gasoline and diesel for exempt small refineries, and EPA has in fact included non-zero values for these variables in past RVO rules. “Failing to include a non-zero projection of exempted gasoline and diesel from small refineries after the EPA has granted large-scale exemptions for three straight years defies reality and is a flagrant abuse of the Agency’s waiver authorities under the program,” he said.

Finally, Cooper wrote, EPA’s proposal “makes a mockery” of the 2017 federal court decision in Americans for Clean Energy v. EPA, by refusing to add back 500 million gallons of renewable fuel the court determined were inappropriately waived by EPA. “RFA strongly urges the EPA to include the 500 million gallons in the final 2020 RVO, as required by the court.”



ACE urges EPA to reallocate volumes from RFS waivers harming rural America in comments on 2020 RFS proposal

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) submitted comments today to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the proposed Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for 2020 under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Today is the final day the Agency is accepting public comments on the proposal.

ACE commented on several facets of the proposed rule including: the difference between EPA’s proposed 2020 RVO and the real-world effect Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) have on RFS blending obligations; the need for EPA to reallocate the gallons waived through SREs, in addition to restoring the 500 million gallons in compliance with the Americans for Clean Energy et al v. EPA lawsuit; how EPA’s abuse of the SRE provision harms rural America and violates statutory authority; the need for EPA to adopt the latest GREET model with respect to the proposed rule to “reset” the 2021 and 2022 RFS volumes to ensure EPA makes determinations on scientifically defensible GHG assessments; and our concerns about the Agency’s regulatory approach to the retail sale of E15 through blender pumps.

Several corn farmers and biofuel producers were cited in ACE’s comments, including ACE member plant Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy CEO Mike Jerke, who recently said EPA’s abuse of small refinery waivers “guts the RFS and breaks the president’s promise.” He goes on to explain that the August 9 announcement of 31 SREs for the 2018 compliance year, the USDA’s August 12 crop report and the trade war with China have combined to potentially take $10.6 billion away from farmers and ethanol plants and transferred much of that to oil companies.

ACE’s comments highlight the radical changes made to EPA’s handling of SREs under the Trump administration. “During RFS compliance years 2016 through 2018, the average number of SRE applications skyrocketed to more than 30 per year and the average approval rate increased to 90 percent. What’s more, the Trump administration waited until after the compliance year had closed to approve “retroactive” refinery exemptions. By tilting the scale and the calendar in favor of refineries, the Trump administration has never reallocated the waived blending obligations as required by the statute. Not only has EPA allowed 85 SREs for the 2016 through 2018 RFS compliance years, it has not reallocated the 4.04 billion gallons of statutory volume exempted over that timeframe. If one were to assume, for example purposes, all this waived volume constitutes ethanol from corn, this is equivalent to losing a 1.4-billion-bushel crop, or the entire market for Minnesota corn farmers in 2018.”

“The best way to spur market-based demand for farmers and improve conditions in rural America is to increase the production and use of renewable fuels. This is even more critical given the uncertainty created by trade wars and efforts to renegotiate existing trade pacts. EPA’s rule allowing U.S. retailers the ability to offer E15 to their customers all year opens the door for greater market access long-term, but the net effect of E15 year-round is still in the hole when it comes to ethanol demand through the RFS without restoring the waived gallons for small refineries.”



NBB Asks EPA To Increase Biodiesel Volumes in Annual RFS Rule

Today, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) submitted comments on the Environmental Protection Agency's annual proposed Renewable Fuel Standard rule. NBB argues that EPA must increase advanced biofuel volumes for 2020 and biomass-based diesel volumes for 2021 to accommodate domestic biodiesel and renewable diesel producers' proven ability to increase output. Further, the agency must properly account for small refinery exemptions -- which are actively rolling back biodiesel volumes -- and the 500 million gallons of biofuel unlawfully waived in 2016.

Kurt Kovarik, NBB Vice President of Federal Affairs, said, "The RFS is intended to increase production and use of advanced biofuels such as biodiesel and renewable diesel. EPA's proposal to flat-line both biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuels -- combined with its small refinery exemption spree -- will roll back growth of our industry.

"EPA's small refinery exemptions are turning the RFS upside down and blocking our industry's progress. By handing out waivers to everyone that asks, EPA is destroying demand for hundreds of millions of gallons of biodiesel and renewable diesel and forcing U.S. producers to close up shop and lay off workers. EPA cannot continue to pretend it isn't harming biodiesel producers."

EPA's recent grant of 31 small refinery exemptions for 2018 destroyed demand for as much as 250 million gallons of biodiesel and renewable diesel. Following the decision, one of the largest U.S. producers of biodiesel and renewable diesel closed three facilities, impacting more than 100 workers. NBB is asking EPA to restore the lost volumes in the 2020 rule and adjust its RVO formula to include a reasonable estimate of future small refinery exemptions.

Kovarik continued, "EPA must also restore 500 million gallons of biofuel demand that it unlawfully waived in 2016. The agency uses the same logic that the Court overturned in the 2016 case -- demand-side constraints -- to resist restoring the waived volumes. The agency must ensure the RFS volumes are made whole and that the renewable fuel industry can have confidence in the program's volumes."



NBB Disappointed in Court Ruling on 2018 BBD Volume

Today, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) expressed disappointment in a Court ruling that upholds the Environmental Protection Agency's method for setting biomass-based diesel volumes in the 2017 RFS rules. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit dismissed NBB's petition as a policy disagreement with EPA's choice of biomass-based diesel volumes.

In the same decision, the Court rejects refiners' arguments that they are burdened by RIN prices and that EPA should change the point of obligation. The Court further rejected arguments that the 2017 RFS volumes were set too high and that EPA should have used additional waiver authority.

Kurt Kovarik, NBB Vice President of Federal Affairs, said, "The Court's decision is disappointing. It fails to consider the obvious flaw in EPA's choice of biomass-based diesel volumes for 2018, which was set a year in advance of the other annual volumes. The Court found persuasive EPA's promise to allow growth for biodiesel and renewable diesel under the yet-to-be-set 2018 advanced biofuel. However, as we argued was the danger, EPA did not provide that growth -- it flatlined the advanced biofuel volume in 2018.

"Nevertheless, we see one bright spot in today's Court decision. The Court agreed with EPA's evidence that refiners are not harmed by the cost of RINs. The Court's ruling highlights the disparity between EPA's findings and its current practice of granting hardship exemptions to every refinery that asks. If the refiners aren't harmed by RIN costs, what exactly is the hardship they're facing?

"EPA's small refinery exemptions have caused severe economic hardships for biodiesel and renewable diesel producers, forcing some to close their doors and lay off workers. EPA must put the RFS program back on track."



Growth Energy Demands Immediate Action to Restore Biofuel Demand

Growth Energy, the nation’s largest ethanol association, today called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to restore biofuel demand lost to oil industry handouts in comments on the agency’s final 2020 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO). Due by November 30, the RVOs will determine next year’s biofuel targets under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

“The president made a ‘giant’ promise on ethanol, but rural communities cannot afford to wait any longer,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. “More biofuel plants are closing their doors with each passing week, and farm families have run out of options. The EPA must take immediate action to restore lost demand under the 2020 biofuel targets and repair the damage from abusive refinery exemptions granted to oil giants like Exxon and Chevron.”

In written comments to the EPA, Growth Energy noted that the EPA’s secretive exemption process violates the letter and spirit of the RFS, which Congress adopted to promote growth in U.S. biofuel production.

“EPA’s proposal actively encourages blending less, not more biofuel,” wrote Growth Energy.  “By maintaining the status quo of an unaccounted number of exemptions, EPA would permit the oil industry to revert to its 2013 level of usage and still achieve compliance.  This is entirely illogical and unlawful. At this point, it is fair to say that EPA is destroying the RFS program. The overwhelming problem is EPA’s misguided and unlawful handling of compliance exemptions for small refineries. After initially allowing, through 2015, the number of exemptions granted each year to naturally dwindle, as intended, EPA has completely reversed course and suddenly begun granting dozens of exemptions covering billions of RINs, while providing no acceptable explanation as to why...”

“EPA’s radical escalation of small refinery exemptions, coupled with its refusal to require that exempt volumes be made up, have thwarted Congress’s intent and effectively exempted the RFS program out of existence,” added Growth Energy.



Farm Bureau Welcomes Proposed Biofuels Volumes, Warns Against Excessive Small Refinery Waivers

Though supportive of several aspects of EPA’s proposed volume standards for renewable fuels for 2020, the American Farm Bureau Federation cautioned that the agency’s failure to address its overuse of small refinery waivers diminishes the likelihood the volume targets will be met.

“EPA’s excessive use [of small refinery waivers] will undermine the goals that were set by Congress to create a more robust renewable fuels industry and greater energy independence,” AFBF said in recent comments to EPA. The organization said EPA’s use of waivers “essentially solidifies nearly 4 billion gallons of lost demand.”

EPA’s proposed renewable fuels volume standards for 2020 would maintain the statutory requirement for conventional renewable fuel at 15 billion gallons, increase cellulosic fuels to 0.54 billion gallons, and bump up total advanced biofuels to 5.04 billion gallons. It would also increase biomass-based diesel to 2.43 billion gallons for 2021.

Farm Bureau touted the Renewable Fuel Standard’s many successes, including the growth it spurred within the agriculture sector as corn and soybean farmers expanded their crop production to meet demand for corn- and soybean-based biofuels.

Beyond the boost to rural America, the RFS2 is intended to give consumers more choices at the pump, reduce gas prices and enhance the country’s energy security.  In addition, the program is designed to spur investment in cleaner, domestic fuels and the infrastructure necessary to accommodate higher biofuel blends.

However, EPA’s use of small refinery waivers fails to send the signal that greater infrastructure investment is necessary and meaningful marketplace changes need to occur.  Each waiver erodes the Renewable Fuel Standard, cutting biofuels from the market and eliminating the incentive to offer lower-cost options at the pump.

Farm Bureau also emphasized that the petroleum industry’s unwillingness to offer higher blends of biofuels should not be taken as evidence that the RFS2 is unworkable.

“Rather, it is evidence that they are unwilling to adapt to policies enunciated by Congress. But making space in the market for alternative fuels that contribute to energy independence, environmental improvement, and economic development is exactly the point of RFS2.”



Tyson Foods to Buy 40% Stake in Foods Division of Grupo Vibra

Tyson Foods Inc. on Friday said it agreed to buy a 40% stake in the foods division of Grupo Vibra, a Brazilian producer and exporter of poultry products, for an undisclosed amount.

The Springdale, Ark., meat giant said the deal is part of its strategy to develop a more flexible supply chain compared with its previous model, which relied primarily on U.S. exports.

Tyson last year paid more than $2 billion to buy Keystone Foods, which has operations in China, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia, from Marfrig Global Foods S.A. (MRFG3.BR).

The company in February agreed to buy the Thai and European operations of Brazil's BRF S.A. (BRFS3.BR) for $340 million.

Tyson said Grupo Vibra currently serves customers in more than 50 countries around the world.