Switching to an all-organic agricultural system in the United States would have serious, negative consequences according to analysis of government reports published in Forbes. With clear documentation of a yield gap between conventional and organic production indicating increased land use would be required to make such a switch, the authors detail why, amongst many other reasons, organic is not the …
New Study Disputes Indirect Land Use Models
A new analysis of real-world land use data by Iowa State University raises serious concerns about the accuracy of models used by regulatory agencies regarding “indirect land use changes” (ILUC) attributed to biofuels production. The study, conducted by Prof. Bruce Babcock and Zabid Iqbal at ISU’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), examined actual observed global land use changes …
Real World Data on Land Use
The debate over ethanol, greenhouse gases and land use continues but there is now a little more real world data to work with as opposed to just speculation. Dr. Wally Tyner with Purdue University recently addressed the latest developments in GHG analysis at the 2012 National Ethanol Conference. Dr. Tyner presented actual data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showing …
USDA Report Reveals Land Use Changes
There’s nothing indirect about the land use changes reported in the most recent summary from USDA, which shows that the only land use in the United States that is declining is cropland. According to the report, “Major Uses of Land in the United States 2007,” the amount of land in the United States devoted to growing crops declined by 34 million …
What Lurks Behind NRDC Positioning on Ethanol?
Geoff Cooper, who leads research at the Renewable Fuels Association, has a solid background as a communicator, which serves him, his organization, and the ethanol industry itself very well in the face of so many unwarranted attacks on RFA’s favorite liquid fuel. In a new blog post, he spends a lot of time trying to understand, in as charitable way …
Why I Grow Corn
This guest blog comes compliments of Darin’s Ramblings and farmer Darin Grimm. Please note this is a rant, I hope it doesn’t detract from the quality I want to bring to this blog, but it’s my thoughts this morning, so I’ll share. I’m tired of seeing the constant bashing that corn gets in social media or even pop culture today. …
Corn Ethanol Upheld to Soil Sustainability Provisions
California is attacking corn ethanol again. The newest affront is complements of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) who has created a new working group to study soil sustainability provisions of biofuels. The current crops under review include corn ethanol, sugarcane ethanol, wood based fuels, palm oil, and soy biodiesel. The ultimate goal is that biofuels’ greenhouse gas emission (GHG) …
Little is Sweet About Sugar Cane Ethanol
A recent study attempted to make the case that if the U.S. government allowed the ethanol tax credit to expire it would have very few adverse consequences for the U.S. industry. The fact the study was funded by the Brazilian sugarcane ethanol industry was dutifully avoided. Anti-ethanol folks, who have been receiving a lot of attention on this blog of …
Give Me Corn Ethanol or Give Me…?
Dear New York Times…Your editorial today regarding corn-based ethanol is superficial, either uninformed or malicious, and a disservice to the citizens of this nation looking for real energy solutions we can implement today. Before addressing some of the onerous points in your piece, please take a look at the attached photo. This is not from the BP spill in the …
Uncertainty Key Word For Biofuels Land Use Change Emissions
The Land Use Conundrum . . . Corn, An Advanced Biofuel? That was the title of one of the sessions at the recent Corn Utilization and Technology Conference that was moderated by Jamey Cline, NCGA. One of his panelists was Adam Liska, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His remarks were on “Uncertainty in Indirect Land Use Change Emissions from Biofuels.” Adam has …