NCGA Attends Fuel Ethanol Workshop (6-26-06)

National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Ethanol Committee Chairman Bruce Noel represented the organization at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Milwaukee, Wis., last week, highlighting corn growers’ ability to meet increasing market demands and the importance of grower ownership in ethanol plants.

Noel sat on the Forum of Futuristic Thinkers panel to discuss the current and future state of the ethanol industry. Other panelists included: Bibb Swain, president of Delta-T Corp.; Dave Vander Griend, president and CEO of ICM; Jeff Lautt, COO of Broin Management; Ron Fagen, president and CEO of Fagen, Inc.; and Larry Russo, Office of the Biomass Program of the Department of Energy.

“One of the things I highlighted was that producers’ yields are on the rise, as is corn acreage,” said Noel. “With these two factors at play and an increase in ethanol conversion rates, we believe there will be plenty of corn to meet new ethanol demand.”

Developments in cellulosic ethanol production also was a hot topic during the forum and Noel reiterated NCGA’s position on new ethanol feedstocks

“NCGA is not opposed in any way to cellulosic ethanol, as we know there is a bright future for it,” he said. “But right now, corn ethanol is the most economical, most available and most productive feedstock out there, and we should focus our resources on increasing corn ethanol’s efficiency. The corn ethanol process continues to make major efficiency gains, both on the corn production side and the ethanol manufacturing side.”

Noel said the conference enjoyed record-breaking attendance, a sign that ethanol has made the leap to a mainstream energy source.

“With 3,500 in attendance, probably the best aspect of the conference was networking with ethanol industry representatives,” he said. “There is a lot of exciting talk about being more efficient in the plants, the different technologies on the horizon, and the different perspectives on the future of the market. There was a good deal of discussion on processes, hardware, money—everything you can think of related to the industry. The convention clearly indicates the ethanol industry is taking off for everyone.”