A new report from the United States Energy Information Agency shows that imported oil has been reduced from over 60% of the United States fuel supply in 2005 to less than 50% in 2010. Causes for the decrease can be attributed to the sluggish economy, higher efficiency vehicles and domestic biofuel production.

Manufacturing plants producing biofuels like ethanol have grown throughout the Midwest during the past decade and production has more than tripled in the last five years pumping 779,000 barrels of clean-burning ethanol into consumers’ gas tanks daily which is up from 230,000 barrels per day in 2005. This increased production and usage is due in part to our farmers increased corn yields, manufacturing efficiency improvements and an increase in blender pumps spurred by the ethanol industry.

“Reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil has always been a driver behind America’s ethanol production and it’s rewarding to see how far we have come in such a short amount of time,” said South Dakota Corn Utilization Council President, Chad Blindauer, a farmer and rancher from Mitchell, South Dakota. “Creating additional blender pump infrastructure, producing more flex-fuel vehicles and an Open Fuel Standard will be necessary in continuing our progress towards energy independence.”

May is noxious weed month in South Dakota as landowners are urged to control their acres by managing noxious weeds which negatively affect agriculture, water quality, recreational opportunities, and wildlife.

South Dakota currently notes seven noxious weeds including: Canada thistle, Leafy spurge, Perennial sow thistle, Hoary cress, Russian knapweed, Purple loosestrife, and Saltcedar. Additionally, some counties can list up to eight locally noxious weeds such as Field bindweed, Musk and Plumeless thistle, and Wormwood sage.

“Noxious weeds threaten the integrity of all the lands in South Dakota. By working together, we can effectively control noxious weed infestations and minimize the threat weeds pose to agriculture, our natural lands, and our quality of life,” South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture Walt Bones said.

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture estimates that weeds cost farmers and ranchers millions annually in lost productivity of range and cropland, and noxious weeds have infested more than three million acres in South Dakota. Federal agencies estimate that noxious weeds are spreading on federal public lands at a rate of 4,600 acres per day.

“Farmers and ranchers alike have both moral and financial reasons to control weeds that would compete for moisture and nutrients with their crops whether they are grains or grasses,” said South Dakota Corn Growers Association President, Gary Duffy, “Today’s farmers are adapting to things like precision application and GPS technology while spraying their land to ensure that they aren’t over applying while covering their ground.”

Properly controlling noxious weeds is just another reason why South Dakota Farmers and Ranchers are the True Environmentalists.

For more information on noxious weeds in South Dakota, the South Dakota State Ag & Bio Communications Department has created an iPod App compatible with iPad and iPhone to help producers identify their noxious weeds. Download it today.

Corn Comments Podcast with Jim Woster.

Congratulations to all of the recent High School and College graduates.

South Dakota Corn salutes America’s beef producers as we recognize May as National Beef Month.

As our state’s corn farmers steadily work on getting their crops planted, a number of those same farmers and ranchers are also working with their cattle. Spring is a busy time as farmers have short windows where they can plant due to the weather while also trying to find time to vaccinate and transport their cattle to pasture.

Beef cattle are big consumers of both corn and the ethanol byproduct, distillers grain as producers invest in the highest quality nutrients to receive the best financial return and produce the best tasting beef in the entire world.

Besides taste, American beef is also known as being some of the safest, most inexpensive and nutritious protein available to consumers today.

We encourage you and your family to celebrate National Beef Month by grilling out with some burgers or your favorite cuts of steak, taking part in a great American tradition and appreciating a great American product during the month of May.

For more information on beef nutrition, recipes or other information, check out: http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/

Corn Comments Podcast with Jim Woster.

Learn more about another great use for corn, isobutanol.

Also, be sure to check out South Dakota Corn’s various Social Media sites including: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

South Dakota Farmers and Ranchers are the True Environmentalists.

Farmers are constantly on move, especially during spring planting season. Time is short but the need for information is still great as many decisions are determined around the weather, markets and expert information.

Access to this data has to be quick and simple which is why a new farming tool from DTN, an overall agriculture iPad application is now available.  For those of you who use the iPad, this new comprehensive application customized to your specific location provides instant weather radar, hour by hour forecasts, local cash bids, commodity market charts and as it happens information on all things agriculture.

The best part about it is that it’s free. So download it today and stay up to date from your tractor cab, truck, shop or living room this spring with instant information from DTN’s mobile agriculture app.