Moving Beyond Grain

By Lindsey Irwin

Lansing Trade Group LLC is one of the five oldest, continuously active members of the National Grain and Feed Association and is well-established within the grain trading industry. The company's experience and reputation have allowed it to easily expand into the merchandising of ethanol and distillers grains.

Of Mice, Men and in situ

By Ron Kotrba

The means already exist for the production of biodiesel using low-value corn oil extracted from the back end of an ethanol plant. If science was content with existing technologies, however, we'd all be reading by candlelight and salting our meat well before we planned to eat.

Growing Forests of Fuel

By Nicholas Zeman

ArborGen LLC is a leader in the research and development of applications in genetics aimed to commercialize and reduce the cost of producing cellulosic ethanol from woody materials. Although controversial, ArborGen believes that the use of genetically modified stands of trees for industrial purposes will allow for greater conservation of native forests.

Ethanol and the Farm Bill

By Susanne Retka Schill

The outlook for ethanol in the 2007 Farm Bill is looking good—if the money to fund the energy proposals can be found. To get a better idea of what could come out of the Farm Bill discussions, EPM reviewed some of the proposals brought forth by the USDA and other stakeholders.

FEW Returns to its Roots

By Jan Tellmann

The energy pulsing through the ethanol industry today is reflected in the sheer number of people expected to attend the 2007 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo. The event will be held in St. Louis, where 23 years ago, just 40 people gathered to talk shop. Last year, the annual event drew more than 3,000, and this year it promises maintain its reign as the largest ethanol event on Earth with an anticipated attendance of nearly 5,000.

Wide Depth of Field

By Jan Tellmann

Mascoma Corp. has set its sights on a variety of feedstocks to complete its mission—develop a simple, cost-efficient process to commercially produce cellulosic ethanol. The company is considering everything from grass and wood to agricultural and forestry waste to fuel its ventures, the first of which will be a demonstration-scale facility in New York.

When gasoline prices were at record-high levels and oil companies were making record profits, as well as collecting billions in subsidies, consumers saw red. To show their constituents that they feel their pain, and to decrease the nation's dependence on foreign oil, some in Congress are proposing to redirect subsidies paid to gas and oil companies to support renewable energy.

On a New Track

By Michael Shirek

With tougher federal emissions standards on the horizon and an aging fleet of diesel-electric locomotives, could the ethanol-hybrid locomotive become the next American railroad workhorse?

The Power of Partnering

By Bryan Sims

A trend toward mergers and joint ventures has emerged as the competition to be the first to commercially produce cellulosic ethanol heats up. Partnerships help companies obtain the necessary resources and spread out the risks associated with the building of a new industry.