U.S. Hay Market over the Last 100 Years
Hay is the 3rd largest U.S. crop in terms of harvest acres. It also provides environmental services, notably erosion control. Understanding the U.S. hay market is therefore important for both…
The Federal Food Safety Agency: A Proposal to Move FDA Food Safety Responsibilities to the USDA
In March of 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13781, entitled “Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch.” The EO required each federal agency to submit to the Office of…
Limited Impact of Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) Under Current Funding Levels
Established in the 2008 Farm Bill and re-authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill, the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) aims to promote biomass production for bioenergy and bio-products by providing…
Dead Zones & Drinking Water: Dismissal of the DMWW Lawsuit
On March 17, 2017, and almost two years to the date from when it was filed, the Federal district court in Iowa dismissed the Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) lawsuit.…
What’s in a Name? FDA Working to Define “Natural” and Redefine “Healthy”
2016 has been an active year for food regulations. From the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act to the revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels, the FDA…
Dead Zones & Drinking Water: Update on Precision Conservation Management
As previously reported, USDA awarded a coalition of partners led by the Illinois Corn Growers and the University of Illinois a $5.3 million Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) agreement. The…
The Evolution of Cottage Food Regulation in Illinois
Cottage food laws are state-by-state regulations intended to facilitate the development of local food and economies by reducing the obstacles small food producers face in market entry. The laws are…
Vigorous Weeds and Lethargic Regulations: A Wicked Problem for Farmers
There is a troubling discrepancy between the large number of harmful invasive plant species and the number of invasive plant species that are actually regulated. At the federal level, the…
Dead Zones & Drinking Water: an Update on the DMWW Lawsuit
The potential trial on the Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) lawsuit against three drainage districts in Iowa over nitrates in the drinking water has been delayed until June 2017. This…
2016 1st Quarter RIN Update
Today's article provides the first quarterly update on Renewable Identification Number (RIN) generation in 2016 based on available data from EPA's EMTS. Previous quarterly updates covered RIN generation throughout 2015.
Dead Zones & Drinking Water, Part 5: Farm Bill Conservation Policy
If the issue is nutrient loss from farming, then at least part of the response involves the conservation programs in the farm bill. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO),…
Dead Zones & Drinking Water, Part 4: the Des Moines Water Works Lawsuit
In addition to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia that has led to the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy, many in the agricultural community are watching closely the lawsuit filed by…
Dead Zones & Drinking Water, Part 2: Why Tile Matters
As discussed in the previous article, Illinois farm fields may be losing an estimated 390 million pounds of nitrogen per year (farmdoc daily, February 25, 2016). The issue has put…
Dead Zones & Drinking Water, Part 1: RCPP and Review
On Friday, February 12, 2016, USDA announced that a coalition of partners led by the Illinois Corn Growers, and including the University of Illinois, had been awarded a $5.3 million…
Following-up on RFS Questions
The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has been a hot topic of late given the release of the final rule and its rather prominent feature leading up to the recent Iowa…
Questioning the Final RFS Rule, Part 3: Reasonableness of the Interpretation
Today's article completes the discussion of EPA's final rule for the RFS. The previous articles in this series provided background on the RFS, a general review of the final rule…
Questioning the Final RFS Rule, Part 2: the Meaning of the Word ‘Supply’
Today's article continues the discussion of EPA's final rule for the RFS. The previous article in this series provided background on the RFS and a general review of the final…
Questioning the Final RFS Rule, Part 1: the Rule and a Review
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently published the final rule that establishes the volume requirements for calendar years 2014, 2015 and 2016 under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Previous articles…
IFES 2015: Dead Zones & Drinking Water: Farming’s Nutrient Loss Challenge
Farmers in Illinois and much of the Midwestern Corn Belt are facing significant challenges stemming from nutrients that are being lost from their farm fields. These lost nutrients, especially from…
EPA Doubles Down on Questionable Reading of the RFS Statute
In November 2013, EPA proposed volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for the 2014 calendar year. In December 2014, it announced that it would not be finalizing the…
New Approaches to Weed Management: Public-Private Partnerships
Large scale management of weed populations is vital to decreasing propagule pressure and reducing weed seedbanks, two of the principle process targets in integrated weed management strategies. Unfortunately, demands for…
Mid-Year RIN Update
Today's post provides an update on Renewable Identification Numbers by looking at updated estimates for RIN carry-in and generation numbers for 2014 through the first six months of the year.…
RIN Stocks Part II – ‘Healthy’ Levels
Building on the discussion of RIN pricing and stock holding we explore what a 'healthy' RIN bank may look like, estimate RIN stocks for 2014. The availability of RIN stocks…
RIN Stocks Part I – Valuation
In a recent post, Nick Paulson updated his estimate of RIN production (i.e., "Net-generation", or production and importation of eligible biofuels less exported gallons) and carry-in RIN stocks for 2014.…
RIN Stock Update
In the most recent post looking at Renewable Identification Number (RIN) stock levels for 2014, the potential impact of EPA's proposed rulemaking for the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard mandate levels…