SD Corn

Corn Comments Podcast with Jim Woster.

4 million miles. That’s how far NASCAR has driven using the new fuel blend E15, which has also been approved for cars and light trucks 2001 or newer. Save money, reduce emissions and support America’s renewable fuel.

Did you know May is beef Month? Enjoy some burgers or steaks on the grill. BEEF, its whats for dinner.

Most importantly, this coming Monday is Memorial Day. Be sure to remember those who served and thank our soldiers for everything they do to protect us from harms way.

Just as farmers continue to find ways to improve their efficiencies on the farm, ethanol plants are doing much of the same in their refineries. According to a new study from the University of Illinois – Chicago which surveyed over half of the United States ethanol plants, the results revealed an increase in yields and a decrease in energy and water usage over the past five years.

• Ethanol yields have climbed from 2.78 to 2.82 gallons per bushel of corn

• Thermal energy use per gallon has declined by 9%

• Water usage per gallon of ethanol is also down from 2.72 gallons to 2.70

A newer product taking off in the ethanol industy is corn oil. The amount of corn oil being separated per bushel of corn has grown from .11 pounds per bushel in 2008 to .53 pounds per bushel in 2012. Corn oil has a number of uses, with the most notable being a popular feedstock for biodiesel as it has a low carbon intensity rating.

Even with that increase in corn oil extraction, the production of ethanol’s co-product distiller grains (high-protein livestock feed) remains nearly the same as plants seek to maximize their production of feed, fuel and now corn oil.

These improvements in efficiency are just another example of American innovation as hard-working folks find ways to further reduce ethanol’s carbon footprint and environmental impact. Ethanol now represents 10% of America’s fuel market and  continues to create jobs, lessen greenhouse gas emissions, increase octane and save consumers money.

Quietly, South Dakota is among the leading states when it comes to producing homegrown, renewable energy.  The state has 15 ethanol plants that produce around one billion gallons of corn ethanol each year, which ranks sixth in the nation. South Dakota ranks number one in terms of the percentage of its power generated from wind. 22% of its electricity comes from the prairie breezes.

With those figures continuing to grow, could South Dakota one day become energy independent?

In terms of motor fuel the possibility is there, but the lack of blender pumps and flex fuel vehicles on the road stand in the way. The state of South Dakota consumed just less than 442 million gallons of fuel in 2012 including ethanol and gasoline, according to the South Dakota Department of Transportation. That’s less than half of the amount of ethanol South Dakota produces each year. The state could easily be independent while still continuing to provide other parts of the country with hundreds of millions of gallons of clean-burning, money-saving fuel.

The wind industry has slowed as of late in South Dakota and other states due to uncertainty in Washington, DC, but the Wind Energy Tax Credit was renewed for another year after being included in the fiscal cliff negotiations. Other positive signs of wind expansion include the South Dakota Legislature’s passage of Senate Bills 195 and 235 giving tax rebates and refunds for wind farm projects. This national and local legislation along with additional infrastructure including transmission line projects is vital for growth in this exciting industry.

It is possible that South Dakota may never become 100% energy independent, but the opportunities to strengthen South Dakota and America’s energy security continue to grow.  Our rural landscape has a vast potential to continue creating good-paying jobs, affordable and secure energy options and a cleaner environment for current and future generations to enjoy.

Singer, songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil Young made a brief stop in Sioux Falls at POET last Friday afternoon to fill his 1959 LincVolt with South Dakota ethanol as he and his crew travel across the country making a documentary about reducing America’s dependence on oil.

Young is passionate about finding ways to protect the environment, which is why he altered his 1959 Lincoln, a car he has owned for nearly two decades, by replacing the vintage gasoline-guzzling motor with an electric hybrid engine that runs on E85 (a blend of 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline).

Pride beamed from Young’s face and he explained, “It’s a four-cylinder Ford Atkinson that usually runs a Ford Explorer Hybrid, and we’re getting 30 miles to the gallon in it and this car weighs three tons.”

When Young was asked why ethanol, the better question would have been why not?

“It’s a fuel made by Americans, in America, that is cleaner than fossil fuels,” Young said.

The amazing efficiency isn’t all that he and his team are proud of as he touted the car’s huge reduction in carbon emissions thanks to ethanol.

“It’s really clean,” stated Young. “If we’d have been driving a gasoline-powered vehicle, we’d have put almost three-quarters of a ton more CO2 into the atmosphere.”

And yes, they have an app for that which calculates their mileage and emissions as they travel from Young’s home in California to Washington, DC as he hopes to eventually visit with U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.

“It smells good!” Young exclaimed as he filled up his classic car with the South Dakota-made renewable biofuel. “A lot better than that other stuff.”

The American Coalition for Ethanol has once again put out an outstanding infographic, “Ethanol: An American Success Story,” demonstrating the benefits that renewable fuels bring to our country. The infographic uses creative illustrations, data and charts to explain how ethanol is reducing oil imports, becoming more efficient, creating jobs, saving consumers money and much more.

Check it out for yourself at the link below:

http://www.ethanol.org/pdf/contentmgmt/ACE00113_Infographic_download.pdf

Corn Comments Podcast with Jim Woster.

Ethanol continues to have a positive impact on our economy and environment as the industry creates thousands of jobs and displaces the need for millions of barrels of oil each year. Learn more about ethanol in this week’s segment with Mr. Woster.

Save the Date: SDCGA Corn Cob Open – Thursday, June 20th at the Spring Creek Country Club near Harrisburg, SD. There will again be two flights with the first starting at 8am and the second at 2pm.